Key Takeaways
- • 74% of UK wealth managers and IFAs plan to increase personal allocations to private markets, driven by the growing availability of semi-liquid fund structures that lower barriers to entry and improve accessibility.
- • 40% of wealth managers and IFAs are already using semi-liquid funds as a primary access mechanism to private markets, signaling rapid adoption of this investment vehicle class.
- • Semi-liquid funds are reshaping portfolio construction for advisory professionals by enabling direct participation in private markets without the traditional constraints of illiquidity and high minimum investments associated with classic private equity and private credit structures.
- • The trend reflects structural demand among wealth managers and IFAs to diversify client offerings and enhance their own investment allocations in higher-return asset classes previously accessible only to larger institutions.
Summary
Semi-liquid funds are driving significant momentum in private market adoption among UK wealth managers and independent financial advisors, according to research from Wealth Club published on July 15, 2026. The data reveals substantial appetite for these hybrid investment vehicles, which bridge the gap between traditional liquid public markets and fully illiquid private markets.
Nearly three-quarters of surveyed UK wealth managers and IFAs (74%) indicate plans to increase their personal allocations to private markets, citing the proliferation of semi-liquid fund structures as a primary catalyst for this strategic shift. Current adoption is already substantial, with 40% of wealth managers and IFAs actively deploying semi-liquid funds to access private market opportunities.
The rise of semi-liquid funds addresses a fundamental challenge in wealth management: enabling advisors and their clients to participate in private markets without accepting the operational and financial constraints of traditional illiquid fund structures. Semi-liquid vehicles typically offer periodic redemption windows or secondary market liquidity, making them more accessible to professionals who historically lacked sufficient capital concentration or investor bases to justify illiquid allocations.
This trend has material implications for the broader private markets infrastructure. The democratization of private market access through semi-liquid structures is encouraging wealth professionals to allocate greater proportions of capital to alternative assets, potentially reshaping how advisory professionals construct portfolios and advise clients on asset allocation. The data suggests this shift is not speculative but already operationalized, with two-fifths of the advisory community already embedded in semi-liquid fund strategies.
Nearly three-quarters of surveyed UK wealth managers and IFAs (74%) indicate plans to increase their personal allocations to private markets, citing the proliferation of semi-liquid fund structures as a primary catalyst for this strategic shift. Current adoption is already substantial, with 40% of wealth managers and IFAs actively deploying semi-liquid funds to access private market opportunities.
The rise of semi-liquid funds addresses a fundamental challenge in wealth management: enabling advisors and their clients to participate in private markets without accepting the operational and financial constraints of traditional illiquid fund structures. Semi-liquid vehicles typically offer periodic redemption windows or secondary market liquidity, making them more accessible to professionals who historically lacked sufficient capital concentration or investor bases to justify illiquid allocations.
This trend has material implications for the broader private markets infrastructure. The democratization of private market access through semi-liquid structures is encouraging wealth professionals to allocate greater proportions of capital to alternative assets, potentially reshaping how advisory professionals construct portfolios and advise clients on asset allocation. The data suggests this shift is not speculative but already operationalized, with two-fifths of the advisory community already embedded in semi-liquid fund strategies.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.