Private Capital Summit 2026: Programme Highlights
Latham & Watkins is excited to partner with the Financial Times (FT) to deliver the Private Capital Summit in London on 6 October 2026. Guests can look forward to a comprehensive exploration of some of the most pressing topics shaping private markets today, with a particular focus on investing in the age of AI and technological disruption.
While the Bank of England’s decision to hold rates steady may promote stability for now, rate increases by both the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank suggest investors should prepare for more volatility ahead. Inflationary pressures from the Iran war and AI-related supply constraints continue to trouble policymakers, and fiscal uncertainty is also high in the run-up to the 28 October budget.
Still, against a tricky macro and geopolitical backdrop, private capital’s appetite for innovation and deployment continues to drive industry growth. Plenty of deals are reaching completion: year-to-date European private equity activity has so far reached a cumulative US$359 billion across 3,650 deals, with megadeals forming a meaningful feature of the market. Six transactions worth over US$10 billion account for 28% of deal volume for the year so far, underscoring sponsor willingness to commit to high-quality businesses despite a more selective market.
Private Equity in the Age of AI
The FT’s finance and markets editor Arash Massoudi and Yen Sum, Global Chair of the Private Capital Practice at Latham, will kick off the Summit with a lively discussion of private capital’s ability to pivot and respond to market needs despite the shifting execution environment.
Speakers will explore the challenges and opportunities opening up for investors as a result of AI and tech transformation, and will share fascinating perspectives on how AI-related investment is broadening beyond software.
In the latest edition of Latham’s Private Capital Insights report published in July, we noted burgeoning interest across Europe in data centres, compute capacity, power generation, grid connectivity, and cooling, creating opportunities for PE, infrastructure, and private credit.
European defence is also becoming a mainstream private capital sector, as geopolitics and technological advances fuel appetite for specialist suppliers across electronics, cybersecurity, precision engineering, and components. An infrastructure panel at the Summit will explore new themes around financing the backbone of the new economy.
Uncovering Private Credit Opportunities
We also look forward to a dialogue on emerging private credit opportunities. Direct lending remains an important financing option for sponsors seeking certainty, flexibility, and tailored capital structures, increasingly operating as a complementary capital source alongside broadly syndicated loans.
Further, hybrid capital and asset-backed finance are just two major growth opportunities for private credit, as borrowers seek bespoke solutions to help them navigate complexity.
Bringing together investors, dealmakers, founders, and advisers, the Summit will shed light on all of these topics and many more.
Apply to attend: https://live.ft.com/private-capital/home