
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
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
Our first credit Opportunities Fund is raised ($365m at year-end)
2010
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
Area Property Partners, L.P., a real estate private equity firm, is acquired
2015
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
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
ARCC completes acquisition of American Capital, Ltd., enhancing our leadership position in U.S. middle market direct lending
2018
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

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

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
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
Area Property Partners, L.P., a real estate private equity firm, is acquired
2013
ARCC market capitalization exceeds $5bn

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