Private Equity Fundraising Accelerates as Deal Activity Surges in Key Industries

Industrials and Infrastructure-Linked Sub-Industries See Surge in New Deal Activity

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Private equity firms are feeling pressure from several directions, but nascent signs of growth are bubbling beneath the surface. According to the Private Equity Trends Report 2026, from With Intelligence, S&P Global, private equity deals are taking longer to complete and holding periods are still elevated, but fundraising is on track for a year-over-year increase this year, and pockets of new deal activity are emerging in select industries.

“Private equity firms have experienced a tumultuous few years of stalled exits, strained fundraising and wild swings in both technological and geopolitical volatility,” said Samuel Dale, research lead, private equity markets, at With Intelligence. “However, we are starting to see some significant pockets of new deal activity emerging – particularly in industrials and infrastructure-linked sectors – as well as early signs that fundraising is starting to improve, which may make 2026 an important transitional year for the industry.”

Following are some of the highlights in the With Intelligence Private Equity Trends Report 2026:

• Record First-Half Fundraising: Private equity fundraising showed signs of life in the first half of the year, with managers closing $312bn in capital commitments – more than halfway to last year’s total figure of $490bn. This is the strongest first half of the year ever recorded by With Intelligence.

• Deal Activity Accelerates in Key Sectors: Across all buyer types, deal sizes and transaction structures involving North American targets, first-half 2026 deal activity has already exceeded second-half 2025 levels across 30 subindustries. Of these, 12 recorded at least a doubling in deal volume, including five within the industrials sector.

• Protracted Holding Periods Become the Norm: Median holding periods now typically exceed five years, compared with approximately 4.0 to 4.5 years in 2018 and 2019. Pre-exit holding periods for consumer portfolio companies have fallen from 6.1 years in 2023 to 5.2 years, while business services and technology now record the longest median holding periods at 5.3 years, despite historically being among the shortest-held sectors.

• Deal Execution Speed Slows: Across North American private equity acquisitions of all sizes, sectors and transaction types, the median time to close was typically around 200–220 days between 2018 and 2021. More recently, this has increased to approximately 245–275 days, or around 8.5 months.

To access the full With Intelligence Private Equity Trends Report 2026, please click here. With Intelligence data and insights are now available on the S&P Capital IQ Pro platform.

About With Intelligence

With Intelligence is part of S&P Global, delivering end-to-end coverage across the alternatives marketplace. With Intelligence’s proprietary data spans a uniquely comprehensive view of private market activity and relationships, including robust, direct-from-investor allocation data and benchmarking capabilities. We are here to help you leverage comprehensive, connected and actionable private markets intelligence.

For more information on With Intelligence, or to arrange a demo or request a trial, please visit www.withintelligence.com

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