Private Markets Face Data Connectivity Crisis

The Private Markets Survey Report 2026 from London-based FE fundinfo exposes a stark disconnect between strategic ambition and operational reality. Two-thirds of wealth managers designate private markets as a high priority for the next three years, with 28 percent already courting retail clients. However, the infrastructure to support this growth lags behind. Nearly half of wealth managers still rely on manual data reconciliation, creating a significant bottleneck for firms attempting to scale access for high-net-worth investors.

Data quality and operational complexity top the list of barriers, eclipsing traditional concerns like liquidity. Although industry discourse often fixates on liquidity, only 18 percent of survey respondents flagged it as a primary obstacle to scaling access. Instead, firms struggle with limited comparability between asset classes and a lack of standardized reporting. To bridge this gap, most managers are looking outward; over 50 percent plan to lean on specialist vendors for new capabilities rather than building internal solutions. As Maryam Longrus, head of private markets at FE fundinfo, noted, the industry must fundamentally upgrade its infrastructure to make public and private assets work in tandem.