CEO and Managing Partner of IPEM (International Private Equity Market), Antoine Colson discusses the exceptional momentum of private equity and the growing role played by private investors. As the company approaches its tenth anniversary, he also talks about the close ties between IPEM and Monaco, ahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinecolson/ key regional hub for wealth management.
IPEM is a series of international events bringing together the global private equity industry.
We started in 2016 in Cannes, at the Palais des Festivals, modelled on major professional events such as MIPIM. The idea was to support the growth of this industry, which was still emerging at the time and represented around £4 trillion in assets under management worldwide. Today, that figure is approaching £15 trillion, and forecasts for 2030 are already talking about £30 trillion: that’s how fast it’s expanding.
So we have grown alongside this industry, which has become a pillar of global finance. IPEM’s mission is to bring together private equity firms — GPs — and their institutional investors — LPs — such as pension funds, insurers, sovereign wealth funds, banks and family offices. These players invest in the real economy, in growth companies in France, Europe and around the world.
Yes, this industry has changed a lot. Private equity is no longer limited to capital investment: it now encompasses private debt, infrastructure and real assets. This diversification is considerable. At the same time, the nature of investors is changing: alongside large institutional investors, there are more and more wealthy individual investors, often via family offices. This is a real revolution in our sector. We are seeing annual growth of around 20% in the wealth management, private banking and asset management segments. It is precisely this change that IPEM Wealth in Cannes is focusing on, highlighting the emergence of these new investors. The event will take place on 4 and 5 February at the Palais des Festivals.
Human relationships are at the heart of our industry. We entrust significant amounts of capital to experts we need to be able to trust. The idea of meeting, exchanging ideas and building mutual credibility is therefore essential. We have designed a highly effective exhibition format: 18,000 m² of exhibition space, 300 exhibitors and suitable meeting areas. The experience is facilitated by technology: each participant indicates their projects or needs, which allows us to organise thousands of relevant meetings during the event.
But beyond the logistics, we take care to create a unique atmosphere. Cannes offers an exceptional Mediterranean setting: relationships are more relaxed and memorable there. Participants leave not only with solid contacts, but also with memories of human and constructive exchanges.
This is a priority. We represent around 60% of the European private equity market, with the most solid players. The most rigorous selection process concerns investors (LPs). We have a team dedicated to validating them: they must be truly active players in the sector, manage significant amounts of money, and have real decision-making power. This screening process guarantees a high-level professional environment.
The market remains global, but we are seeing a renewed interest in Europe, particularly since the US environment has become more challenging.
France, Southern Europe, Switzerland and Monaco are playing an increasingly important role, particularly thanks to the vitality of private wealth management. These regions are increasingly directing their savings towards private equity funds. Alongside this, Luxembourg remains another major hub. We are also developing our events in the United States and Asia, with the aim of giving global resonance to the community we have built in Cannes.
Traditional private equity, i.e. capital investment in companies, remains the core of our market.
But several segments stand out:
All these trends reflect a lasting shift towards tangible assets and public interest.
Our links with Monaco are historic and very strong. Since IPEM was launched, the Principality has been a natural hub, both geographically close and central to private banking and wealth management. It is home to family offices, sovereign wealth funds and a particularly dynamic financial ecosystem. Every year, Monaco represents an important base of subscribers for our events. We have led several delegations of investors there, notably to meet with the Prince and local economic authorities.
The presence of the Monegasque Minister of Finance at several editions is testament to this.
Our objective is twofold:
It is likely that funds present at IPEM are already active in major infrastructure or real estate projects in Monaco, although we cannot measure this precisely. What is certain is the shared desire to strengthen cooperation between Monaco and our ecosystem.
We are in a growth industry, which we will continue to support.
Our priorities are to consolidate our European leadership, continue our international development, and enhance the value of the networking opportunities we offer our community.
IPEM will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2026: a symbolic milestone that will mark the maturity of an event that began in Cannes and has now become a global benchmark for private markets.
