Apex Group Ltd. ("Apex Group"), a global financial services provider with more than $3.5 trillion in assets serviced, and OpenVC, a pioneer in private market indexing and asset management, have announced a strategic partnership to develop new real-world asset (RWA) indices and expand access to private market investment opportunities.

The partnership combines Apex Group's global private markets infrastructure, proprietary data and distribution capabilities with OpenVC's expertise in index construction and benchmark development. Together, the two firms will develop a suite of indices designed to provide investors with greater transparency, insights and access to the rapidly evolving real-world asset market.

The collaboration comes as private markets — spanning private equity, private credit and real assets — continue to grow in scale and importance, with investors increasingly seeking reliable benchmarks and data-driven tools to evaluate opportunities across asset classes. Unlike listed markets, where investors can track standardised indices such as the S&P 500, private markets have historically lacked equivalent benchmarks, with asset valuations often appraised infrequently and reported with a lag. In this space, "real-world assets" is a term commonly used for tangible, non-exchange-traded assets such as real estate, infrastructure and private credit. Through the partnership, Apex Group and OpenVC aim to support greater transparency and standardisation across private markets while helping investors better understand emerging areas of growth within the real-world asset ecosystem.

In addition to index development, OpenVC's investment products will be made available through ApexInvest Markets, Apex Group's broker-dealer affiliate, expanding access for qualified investors, family offices and advisory communities — channels that have widened in recent years as private market products, once largely the preserve of institutional investors, reach a broader investor base.

Georges Archibald, CEO of Apex Distribution, said:

"Private markets are undergoing a period of rapid transformation, creating opportunities for better data, improved transparency and more sophisticated benchmarking. By partnering with OpenVC, we have the opportunity to combine Apex Group's unique data assets and distribution capabilities with an innovative approach to private market indexing. Together, we aim to deliver tools that help investors navigate an increasingly dynamic market environment."

David Shapiro, CEO of OpenVC, said:

"OpenVC was founded on the belief that private markets deserve the same transparency, accessibility and benchmarking standards that investors have long relied on in public markets. By combining our indexing expertise with Apex Group's global data resources and market reach, we believe we can help create meaningful benchmarks for the real-world asset market while helping investors better understand and access this evolving space."

The planned indices are expected to leverage Apex Group's private markets data together with OpenVC's index construction methodology to create benchmarks focused on real-world asset funds and strategies. The announcement did not specify launch timelines or the initial asset classes and strategies the benchmarks will cover. Beyond the indices themselves, the firms will also collaborate on distribution and market education initiatives designed to support a broader understanding of the asset class.

Source: Global FinTech Series