Connecting Capital to Opportunity

In this episode of the Streaming Income podcast, Barings Chairman & CEO Mike Freno shares how long-term partnerships, innovative thinking, and deep global relationships are reshaping the asset management landscape.

Key Themes

LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP MINDSET

Freno explains how Barings’ ownership model enables true long term thinking and an alignment of interests with clients and partners — creating a foundation for durable, multi decade relationships.

INNOVATIVE CLIENT PARTNERSHIPS

Across the industry, partnerships are shifting away from transactional engagements to deeply aligned, long term strategic relationships. These collaborations — spanning sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, pensions, and wealth investors — are driven by shared vision, innovative thinking, and mutually beneficial outcomes.

PARTNERSHIPS UNLOCKING GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES

A global presence and an extensive network of relationships are crucial to identifying the best relative value opportunities for clients across regions and asset classes. These partnerships also form the foundation for originating unique, differentiated assets in areas like global real estate, direct lending, asset based finance, and more.

Episode Segments

02:18 – Who is Barings today?
05:04 – How Barings’ ownership model allows for a long-term focus and alignment of interests
10:15 – Growth in the Middle East and partnering with like-minded sovereign wealth investors
13:28 – Innovative multi-asset partnerships with pension funds globally
16:34 – Where alts manager / insurance partnerships go next
23:29 –Increasing access to Barings’ capabilities to the wealth channel globally
27:06 – Insight into a global real estate platform built to identify value and source unique assets
31:34 – Assessing the health of the direct lending market and the global opportunity for investors
36:06 – The growth in asset-based finance (ABF) and why origination is so critical
40:34 – Solving problems for investors and borrowers in portfolio finance
41:58 – What sets Barings apart (Hint: think culture & team)

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