Key Takeaways
- • Manulife Investment Management and UBS's Unified Global Alternatives (UGA) business announced on November 10, 2026 a collaboration on a customized Japan Private Equity Co-investment programme for wealth management clients.
- • The partnership combines Manulife's regional private equity experience, sponsor relationships and underwriting capabilities with UGA's global scale and distribution power.
- • UBS UGA cites approximately $371 billion in combined invested assets (data as of 30 September 2026), making it one of the leading global alternative LPs.
- • Both firms position Japan as entering a more favourable buyout environment, driven by rising deal flow from business successions, carve-outs and take-privates.
Summary
Manulife Investment Management and UBS's Unified Global Alternatives (UGA) business announced a collaboration on a customized Japan Private Equity Co-investment programme for wealth management clients, according to a PRNewswire release datelined Hong Kong, November 10, 2026. The partnership pairs Manulife Investment Management's regional private equity experience, sponsor relationships and underwriting capabilities with UGA's deep expertise, global scale and distribution power.
Fabio Fontainha, Chief Executive Officer, Wealth & Asset Management, Asia, at Manulife, said the collaboration reflects an aligned commitment to developing innovative private market solutions for wealth investors and reinforces the firm's focus on leveraging its global investment capabilities through strategic partnerships. Vipon Ghai, Global Head of Private Equity at Manulife Investment Management, said the combined capabilities aim to give investors enhanced access to attractive Japan opportunities. Liam Coppinger, Head of Private Equity Asia at Manulife Investment Management, said the Asia platform is built on longstanding sponsor relationships and disciplined underwriting, which enables the identification of high-quality opportunities and diversified portfolios targeting attractive risk-adjusted returns.
On the UBS side, Natascha Gjergjek, Head of Business Development at UGA, described private equity as an increasingly important component of a diversified portfolio. Qingkun Guo, Head of Private Equity Asia at UGA, said the collaboration aims to offer wealth clients differentiated access to customised co-investment opportunities, and that Japan is potentially entering a more favourable buyout environment for skilled managers, citing rising deal flow from business successions, carve-outs and take-privates with ample room for value creation.
UGA describes itself as one of the world's premier open architecture platforms across hedge funds, private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure and multi-alternative products, and says it can provide access to exclusive co-investments and secondary opportunities for sophisticated clients. The release does not disclose fund sizes, commitment levels or the specific terms of the programme.
Fabio Fontainha, Chief Executive Officer, Wealth & Asset Management, Asia, at Manulife, said the collaboration reflects an aligned commitment to developing innovative private market solutions for wealth investors and reinforces the firm's focus on leveraging its global investment capabilities through strategic partnerships. Vipon Ghai, Global Head of Private Equity at Manulife Investment Management, said the combined capabilities aim to give investors enhanced access to attractive Japan opportunities. Liam Coppinger, Head of Private Equity Asia at Manulife Investment Management, said the Asia platform is built on longstanding sponsor relationships and disciplined underwriting, which enables the identification of high-quality opportunities and diversified portfolios targeting attractive risk-adjusted returns.
On the UBS side, Natascha Gjergjek, Head of Business Development at UGA, described private equity as an increasingly important component of a diversified portfolio. Qingkun Guo, Head of Private Equity Asia at UGA, said the collaboration aims to offer wealth clients differentiated access to customised co-investment opportunities, and that Japan is potentially entering a more favourable buyout environment for skilled managers, citing rising deal flow from business successions, carve-outs and take-privates with ample room for value creation.
UGA describes itself as one of the world's premier open architecture platforms across hedge funds, private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure and multi-alternative products, and says it can provide access to exclusive co-investments and secondary opportunities for sophisticated clients. The release does not disclose fund sizes, commitment levels or the specific terms of the programme.
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