Our History

Timeline

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Our history and track record highlight our deep experience and strong fundamentals, with thoughtful, strategic expansion creating cross-platform synergies for our investors.

Ares was founded by a veteran team of investment professionals to pursue investment activities in leveraged loans, high yield bonds, private debt, private equity and other types of investments. After becoming an independent firm in 2002, the Firm raised its first dedicated private equity and private debt funds in 2003 and 2004, respectively. The development of our Private Equity and Credit Groups significantly benefited from our senior professionals' deep middle market experience and the reputation of our Credit Group in the investment community.

In 2004, Ares created a specialty finance company, Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCC, "ARCC") for corporate lending activities, which is now the largest business development company by market capitalization. ARCC further enhanced its leadership position in U.S. middle market direct lending with the strategic acquisition of American Capital, Ltd. in January 2017.

Ares launched its Real Estate Group in 2010 with the objective of extending its underwriting discipline, credit orientation and investment experience to invest across the capital structure and address the growing need for financing solutions in middle-market commercial real estate. Since then, Ares has made meaningful acquisitions to enhance its real estate platform and extend its reach into commercial real estate lending and real estate private equity. 

Ares became a publicly traded partnership in May 2014. Its common shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "ARES."

In November 2018, Ares completed its conversion to a corporation under Delaware law and was renamed Ares Management Corporation, leading the alternative asset management industry as the first to make this shift.

More recently, Ares has expanded into new and adjacent products, as well as continued to grow its core offerings and infrastructure.

In 2020, Ares closed on the acquisition of SSG Capital, a leading pan-Asian alternative asset manager, which has go-forward been re-branded to Ares SSG to reflect the combined strengths and capabilities of both platforms. 

In early 2021, Ares launched Ares Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of entering into a combination with one or more businesses. Later that year, Ares also consummated two strategic opportunities to acquire Landmark Partners and Black Creek Group, and identified a significant opportunity to expand its distribution to satisfy the demand for alternative investments from retail investors. In February 2022, a subsidiary of Ares Management Corporation completed its acquisition of one of the largest infrastructure debt investment platforms globally, AMP's Private Markets Co Infrastructure Debt platform, which allows Ares to capitalize on the rapidly growing infrastructure asset class.

Timeline

2003

Our inaugural fund dedicated to private equity is raised ($751m fund size)


2007

Our Credit Group raises our inaugural European funds


2007-2009

Significant investment in our business operations


2010

Our Private Equity group launches our inaugural Asia Fund


2011

Strategic additions of two investment teams, Indicus Advisors and Wrightwood, enhance our experience in alternative credit and real estate debt investing.


2012

Ares_Our_History_2012_Inaugural_publicly

Inaugural publicly traded funds for our Credit and Real Estate groups are raised: Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund (NYSE:ARDC) and Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE)


2013

ARCC market capitalization exceeds $5bn


2006

Ares_Our_History_2006_Our_first

Our first credit Opportunities Fund is raised ($365m at year-end)


2010

Ares_Our_History_2010_ARCC_completes

ARCC completes acquisition of Allied Capital, forming one of the largest business development companies


2012

Our fourth global flexible capital private equity fund is raised.


2013

Ares_Our_History_2013_Area_Property

Area Property Partners, L.P., a real estate private equity firm, is acquired


2015

Ares_Our_History_2015_Energy_Investors

Energy Investors Funds (“EIF”) is acquired, a leading asset manager in the U.S. infrastructure and power sector


2017

Ares Private Credit Solutions, our inaugural junior capital direct lending fund, is raised at $3.4bn


2018

Ares_Our_History_2018_US_Real_Estate

U.S. Real Estate Fund IX, our ninth value-add real estate fund closes at $1.04 billion


2018

Ares Senior Direct Lending Fund, Ares’ first commingled US senior direct lending fund, closes at $3 billion


2014

Our Credit Group expands into commercial finance and asset-based lending through the acquisition of Keltic Financial Services LLC and Keltic Financial Partners II, LP


2016

ACOF V, our fifth global flexible capital private equity fund, is raised at $7.85bn


2017

Ares_Our_History_2017_ARCC_completes_acquisition

ARCC completes acquisition of American Capital, Ltd., enhancing our leadership position in U.S. middle market direct lending


2018

Ares_Our_History_2018_ACE_IV

ACE IV, our fourth European direct lending fund, is raised at €6.5bn


Timeline

2003

Our inaugural fund dedicated to private equity is raised ($751m fund size)


2006

2006

Our first credit Opportunities Fund is raised ($365m at year-end)


2007

Our Credit Group raises our inaugural European funds


2007-2009

Significant investment in our business operations


2010

Our Private Equity group launches our inaugural Asia Fund


2010

2010

ARCC completes acquisition of Allied Capital, forming one of the largest business development companies


2011

Strategic additions of two invesment teams, Indicus Advisors and Wrightwood, enhance our expertise in structured assets and real estate debt investing.


2012

2012

Inaugural publicly traded funds for our Credit and Real Estate groups are raised: Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund (NYSE:ARDC) and Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE)


2012

Our fourth global flexible capital private equity fund is raised.


2013

2013

Area Property Partners, L.P., a real estate private equity firm, is acquired


2013

ARCC market capitalization exceeds $5bn


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2014

2014

Our Credit Group expands into commercial finance and asset-based lending through the acquisition of Keltic Financial Services LLC and Keltic Financial Partners II, LP


2015

2015

Energy Investors Funds (“EIF”) is acquired, a leading asset manager in the U.S. infrastructure and power sector


2016

ACOF V, our fifth global flexible capital private equity fund, is raised at $7.85bn


2017

2017

ARCC completes acquisition of American Capital, Ltd., enhancing our leadership position in U.S. middle market direct lending


2017

Ares Private Credit Solutions, our inaugural junior capital direct lending fund, is raised at $3.4bn


2018

2018

U.S. Real Estate Fund IX, our ninth value-add real estate fund closes at $1.04 billion


2018

2018

ACE IV, our fourth European direct lending fund, is raised at €6.5bn


2018

Ares Senior Direct Lending Fund, Ares’ first commingled US senior direct lending fund, closes at $3 billion


2019

Ares and Fidante Partners, part of Challenger Limited, announce a strategic joint venture to coordinate the marketing and investment management of retail and institutional investor capital from Australia and New Zealand for Ares' various strategies


2020

Ares Special Opportunities Fund, a flexible stressed/distressed investment fund, closes at $3.5 billion


2020

Ares acquires SSG Capital Holdings and launches Ares SSG, one of the largest credit-focused alternative investment managers in Asia-Pacific


2021

Ares launches Ares Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) affiliated with Ares Management and traded on the NYSE


2021

Ares Capital Europe V closes at €11.0 billion, representing the largest European direct lending fund raised to date


2021

Ares Pathfinder Fund, our asset-focused alternative credit fund, closes at ~$3.7 billion, representing Ares' inaugural fund with a significant charitable pledge


2021

Ares acquires Landmark Partners and launches its Secondary Solutions investment group


2021

Ares acquires Black Creek Group and integrates the business into the Ares Real Estate Group


2021

Ares acquires AMP's Infrastructure Dept platform


2020

Ares Special Opportunities Fund, a flexible stressed/distressed investment fund, closes at $3.5 billion


2021

Ares launches Ares Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) affiliated with Ares Management and traded on the NYSE


2021

Ares Capital Europe V closes at €11.0 billion, representing the largest European direct lending fund raised to date


2021

Ares acquires Landmark Partners and launches its Secondaries investment group


2021

Ares acquires AMP's Infrastructure Debt platform


2019

Ares and Fidante Partners, part of Challenger Limited, announce a strategic joint venture to coordinate the marketing and investment management of retail and institutional investor capital from Australia and New Zealand for Ares' various strategies


2020

Ares acquires SSG Capital Holdings and launches Ares SSG, one of the largest credit-focused alternative investment managers in Asia-Pacific


2021

Ares Pathfinder Fund, our asset-focused alternative credit fund, closes at ~$3.7 billion, representing Ares' inaugural fund with a significant charitable pledge


2021

Ares acquires Black Creek Group and integrates the business into the Ares Real Estate Group