DWS Group GmbH&Co. KGaA, the asset management division of Deutsche Bank AG, has disbanded its private lending division in the Asia-Pacific region, removing the business from its global strategy. This is reported by foreign media.
The decision to reduce the division was made due to the structural difficulties faced by the company in the Asia-Pacific region compared to key markets in Europe. Private lending opportunities in the region are limited due to insufficient transparency of legislation and a fragmented legal framework, which pose problems for the liquidity of this asset class in the global private lending market of $1.7 trillion, taking into account underestimated risks and a slowdown in the flow of transactions in the region.
In March 2025, DWS and Deutsche Bank entered into a private lending partnership aimed at combining investment opportunities. As part of the changes, Deutsche Bank eliminated DB Investment Partners, an asset management unit established in 2023 to handle private lending on behalf of institutional clients and high-net-worth investors.
In particular, the global investment company Arena Investors LP is closing its office in Singapore and plans to reallocate resources to other regions, and the Australian asset manager Tanarra Capital Pty has suspended new investments in the distressed lending fund due to the lack of promising options.
Despite the withdrawal from private lending, alternative investments continue to support the growth of DWS in the Asia-Pacific region. The company intends to hire two alternative asset specialists in Singapore to promote global private lending and real estate strategies.
DWS Group GmbH&Co. KGaA is a German asset management company. Until 2018, DWS Group was part of Deutsche Bank, and then it was spun off into an independent company as part of an IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The headquarters is located in Frankfurt (Germany).
Deutsche Bank AG is a German multinational financial corporation. The headquarters is located in Frankfurt am Main. Deutsche Bank manages assets worth 1.39 trillion euros.
