Euroclear and Ares expand private market access

Brussels, 19 March 2026 – As interest in private markets continues to accelerate, Euroclear is pleased to announce a new collaboration between Euroclear FundsPlace® and Ares, a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes.

Over the past years, Ares has significantly expanded its wealth distribution capabilities, working closely with banks, platforms and advisory networks to deliver scalable access to alternative investment opportunities.

The collaboration between Euroclear FundsPlace and Ares is intended to help connect institutional-grade investment opportunities with the evolving needs of private wealth investors. It will broaden access to private market strategies, streamline the investment journey and lower the barriers that have made these products difficult to access.

Euroclear FundsPlace is Euroclear’s end-to-end fund distribution solution. The platform enables seamless access to mutual funds, alternative and private funds and ETFs, delivering increased operational efficiency, scalability and global reach. Today, Euroclear connects 250,000 funds representing nearly EUR 4 trillion in assets, serving a global client base of more than 3,000 fund distributors and 2,500 asset managers.

Vincent Clause, Managing Director and Global Head of Euroclear FundsPlace: "Private markets are entering a new phase of adoption in the wealth segment, but operational complexity remains a barrier. Ares brings deep expertise across credit, private equity and real assets. This collaboration underscores FundsPlace’s commitment to providing innovative solutions that remove complexity and make private market investing more accessible."

Mark Serocold, Partner and Head of EMEA Wealth Management Solutions "Ares continues to invest in the strategic relationships and technology needed to support more efficient distribution and servicing of alternative investment products. Through this collaboration, Euroclear FundsPlace and Ares expect to broaden access to investment offerings, helping to enhance diversification and potentially improve long-term returns."

Euroclear group is the financial industry’s trusted provider of post trade services. Guided by its purpose, Euroclear innovates to bring safety, efficiency and connections to financial markets for sustainable economic growth. Euroclear provides settlement and custody of domestic and cross-border securities for bonds, equities and derivatives and investment funds. As a proven, resilient capital market infrastructure, Euroclear is committed to delivering risk-mitigation, automation and efficiency at scale for its global client franchise. Euroclear operates an ecosystem of seven CSDs including Euroclear Bank with over €43 trillion assets under custody.

Ares Management Corporation is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to advance our stakeholders' long-term goals by providing flexible capital that supports businesses and creates value for our investors and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of December 31, 2025, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had over $622 billion of assets under management, with operations across North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com.