Hargreaves Lansdown has entered the private markets by partnering with Schroders Capital and adding two of Schroders Long-Term Asset Funds (LTAFs) to its platform.
This makes Hargreaves Lansdown the first platform to offer LTAFs within the SIPP wrapper, “enabling investors to access to diversified sources of investment growth for their long-term financial future”.
Hargreaves Lansdown said the LTAFs give “long-term investors access to a wide range of alternative assets, including private market investments, which have until now been available only to a minority of investors”.
Eligible investors for the LTAFs will have access to global private equity and energy transition infrastructure capabilities managed by Schroders Capital.
The LTAFs have a minimum investment of £10,000. The two LTAFS being added to Hargreaves Lansdown are the Global Private Equity and Energy Transition Infrastructure LTAFs.
The LTAFs are expected to be permissible in Stocks and Shares Isas from April 2026.
Hargreaves Lansdown head of platform investments Emma Wall said: “As the UK’s largest retail investment platform, we are excited to offer our clients the chance to invest in LTAFs week commencing 15 September.
“Our business has been built upon the mission to democratise investing – and we see this as a milestone for the accessibility of private markets for individual investors in the UK.
“For retail investors with a long-term investment horizon, the appropriate knowledge and resources, and as part of a well-diversified portfolio, private markets can play an important role in delivering unique growth opportunities beyond what is typically available in public markets.
“LTAFs offer retail investors a unique opportunity to access a wide range of alternative assets including private market investments through a fund structure specifically designed to invest in less-liquid assets.”
Schroders Capital director, private markets James Lowe added: “This marks a watershed moment for the accessibility of private markets for eligible retail investors in the UK.
“Our partnership with Hargreaves Lansdown combines the best of Schroders Capital’s global private markets expertise and tailored LTAFs with Hargreaves Lansdown’s innovative, digital-led approach to offering advanced investment options.
“Schroders Capital has led the way in broadening access to private markets in the UK through our dedicated LTAFs.
“We are excited to offer our two globally diversified LTAFs, providing a wider set of investors with a new access point to invest into high-growth private businesses and essential global energy infrastructure, benefiting from the diversification and return potential unique to private markets.”
In September 2024, Schroders Capital received regulatory approval for a UK wealth-market focused LTAF.
Schroders described the approval as a “significant milestone”.
The LTAF is a category of authorised open-ended fund specifically designed to invest efficiently in long-term, illiquid assets.
These include private equity, infrastructure, private debt, real estate and venture capital.
