Private equity involves a long-term investment in unlisted companies . It provides investors with potential for higher returns than traditional share market investments because the investments are made at an earlier stage in the business's life cycle. As you would expect, the risks are also higher, and we plan to manage them carefully, drawing on Colonial First State's disciplined approach to risk management.

Colonial First State Global Asset Management provides private equity opportunities for institutional and individual investors through Colonial First State Diversified Private Equity Fund (DPEF)  which sits within the Property and Alternative Investments division. DPEF is a terminating 10-year trust comprising over 1,500 retail investors. The Fund, established in 2001, seeks to invest in a diversified range of unlisted companies spread across a number of industries and stages.

The Fund is closed and is in the final stages of realising all investments and returning capital to unitholders.