Key Takeaways
- • Granite Asia ranked #1 private equity firm in Asia for 2026 by Kinross Research with a weighted score of 94 out of 100, based on a multi-factor evaluation methodology across the region's leading managers.
- • Asia-Pacific PE assets under management reached approximately $1.9 trillion in 2024, with the broader alternatives market projected to expand at 8% to 10% annually through 2030, reflecting sustained institutional capital deployment.
- • Deal value recovery underway: Asia-Pacific PE deal activity rebounded to $150 billion–$160 billion in 2024 from $138 billion in 2023, with industry projections indicating annual deal values could exceed $250 billion by 2028.
- • Quality of individual managers now drives market definition, according to Kinross Research, rather than simply the scale of assets under management—a shift reflecting institutional investors' focus on capabilities and execution in partner selection.
- • Seven-firm ranked list published, identifying Asia's leading private equity operators and establishing benchmarks for institutional investor evaluation of regional PE platforms.
Summary
Kinross Research published its 2026 ranking of top private equity firms operating across Asia on September 7, 2026, establishing Granite Asia as the region's leading PE manager. The firm achieved a weighted score of 94 out of 100 in Kinross Research's multi-factor evaluation framework, which assessed private equity operators across the Asia-Pacific region and produced a ranked list of seven firms. The ranking reflects the research firm's assessment of factors deemed most material to institutional investors and corporate clients evaluating private equity partnerships.
The report arrives at an inflection point for Asia's alternatives market. According to data cited by Kinross Research, Asia-focused PE assets under management totaled approximately $1.9 trillion in 2024. The broader Asia-Pacific alternatives market is projected to compound at 8% to 10% annually through 2030, indicating sustained institutional capital migration toward the region. This expansion positions Asia as an increasingly critical component of global alternative asset allocation strategies.
Deal activity demonstrates recovery momentum following 2023 volatility. Asia-Pacific PE deal value reached approximately $138 billion in 2023 before expanding to an estimated $150 billion–$160 billion range in 2024, representing an 8.1% increase year-over-year. Industry participants and analysts project annual deal value could exceed $250 billion by 2028, signaling accelerating deployment velocity and transaction volumes across the region. Kinross Research emphasized that Asia's PE market is increasingly differentiated by the quality and operational capabilities of individual managers rather than capital scale alone—a finding that underscores institutional investors' focus on fund manager selection, track record, and specialized regional expertise when evaluating alternative investment partnerships.
The report arrives at an inflection point for Asia's alternatives market. According to data cited by Kinross Research, Asia-focused PE assets under management totaled approximately $1.9 trillion in 2024. The broader Asia-Pacific alternatives market is projected to compound at 8% to 10% annually through 2030, indicating sustained institutional capital migration toward the region. This expansion positions Asia as an increasingly critical component of global alternative asset allocation strategies.
Deal activity demonstrates recovery momentum following 2023 volatility. Asia-Pacific PE deal value reached approximately $138 billion in 2023 before expanding to an estimated $150 billion–$160 billion range in 2024, representing an 8.1% increase year-over-year. Industry participants and analysts project annual deal value could exceed $250 billion by 2028, signaling accelerating deployment velocity and transaction volumes across the region. Kinross Research emphasized that Asia's PE market is increasingly differentiated by the quality and operational capabilities of individual managers rather than capital scale alone—a finding that underscores institutional investors' focus on fund manager selection, track record, and specialized regional expertise when evaluating alternative investment partnerships.
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.