Cogence extends global private market access to South African retail investors

Johannesburg, 4 February 2026 – Cogence, a South African global discretionary fund manager, has expanded access to global private‑market opportunities for retail investors. Cogence has achieved this expanded access through a locally anchored solution enabled by its strategic association with BlackRock, one of the world’s leading asset managers. The launch introduces two portfolios that open exposure to private equity, private credit, infrastructure and real assets – an opportunity set historically reserved for institutional investors.

Jonel Matthee‑Ferreira, CEO and CIO of Cogence, says, “Diversification has always been central to Cogence’s investment philosophy. Our collaboration with BlackRock enables us to deliver portfolios that combine public and private assets to support long‑term growth, enhanced return potential and genuine global diversification.”

Why private markets now matter for retail investors

Private markets have become a crucial component of modern portfolio construction, offering access to businesses shaping the future economy, many of which are not available on public exchanges. According to BlackRock, nearly 90% of global companies generating more than US$100 million in revenue are now privately held, and many high‑growth firms remain private for more than a decade before listing. As a result, a growing share of global value creation occurs outside listed markets.

Internationally, regulatory developments in the United States and Europe have enabled wealth managers to include private‑market exposures in portfolios for individual investors. This shift is driving global wealth allocations to private markets, projected to rise from near‑zero to between 5% and 20% by 2030, says BlackRock.

Liam Davis, Lead CIO for Wealth Solutions, Multi‑Asset Strategies & Solutions at BlackRock, notes, “Private markets have long been fundamental to institutional portfolios globally. Evolving regulatory frameworks now make it possible to extend these benefits to retail investors. Cogence has adapted global best practices to the South African environment, enabling private‑market access.”

Private markets introduce return drivers that behave differently from daily market movements, offering resilience through cycles and complementing listed exposures. This broader opportunity set lets investors participate in structural global ‘mega forces’ reshaping economies – such as AI, energy transition, demographic shifts and the future of finance – especially in sectors like infrastructure, where demand for data centres, power grids and digital platforms continues to accelerate.

Positioning South African retail investors for deeper, global diversification through BlackRock expertise

Matthee‑Ferreira explains, “Leveraging BlackRock’s industry‑leading alternatives platform, deep manager network and global execution capabilities, and delivered locally through Discovery’s institutional‑grade endowment structure, Cogence offers South African investors private‑market expertise and enhanced return potential within a single, forward‑looking portfolio solution.”

The Cogence Diversified Markets Portfolio and the Cogence Global Diversified Markets Portfolio offer a holistic approach to enhanced diversification by combining public and private assets with multi‑alternative exposure across private equity, private credit, infrastructure and real assets. These solutions aim to deliver smoother return journeys and access to uncorrelated growth engines, while letting investors benefit early from the structural mega forces reshaping the global economy, including AI, the energy transition, demographic divergence, and the future of finance.

Matthee‑Ferreira concludes, “Private markets are reshaping how modern portfolios are constructed. South African investors can now pair the liquidity of public markets with the growth potential of private markets and in doing so, unlock global reach and deeper diversification for long‑term resilience.”

Read the Cogence Diversified Markets Insights Paper to explore private‑market investing through Cogence.