CIBC Global Asset Management is entering into a new strategic relationship with Longhouse Capital Partners Inc. (“Longhouse Capital Partners” or “Longhouse“), an Indigenous majority-owned and led alternative asset management firm. This relationship will provide CIBC Global Asset Management’s institutional clients with the potential to expand their access to private markets through investments in Indigenous-managed alternative investment vehicles, including private infrastructure debt.
Longhouse Capital Partners primarily focuses on private infrastructure debt to finance Indigenous communities’ equity investment in assets, such as utilities transmission, renewable energy, transportation, digital transmission and other critical infrastructure. With an emphasis on long-term private infrastructure debt investments, Longhouse Capital Partners’ investment vehicles are intended to offer institutional investors both the opportunity to support Indigenous communities and access to attractive risk-adjusted returns.
“Longhouse’s mission to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for investors while creating positive impact in Indigenous communities for generations is aligned with the goals of CIBC Global Asset Management,” said Eric Belanger, Head of CIBC Global Asset Management. “This relationship broadens the private market opportunities available to our institutional clients, allowing them to participate in unique, high-impact investments.”
“Indigenous people have been the stewards of land since time immemorial, and now, as stewards of capital, our long-term view aligns with our values and those of the financial community,” said Fred Di Blasio, CEO of Longhouse Capital Partners and member of the Huron-Wendat First Nation. “This relationship with CIBC Global Asset Management reinforces our belief that Indigenous communities continue to evolve as responsible stewards of both land and capital, supporting economic development and critical infrastructure for all Canadians now and for the next seven generations.” With key partners including Bernd Christmas K.C., a member of the Membertou First Nation, and Christian Sinclair, former Chief of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, “Longhouse is poised to do its part to support economic Reconciliation efforts.”
“Working with Longhouse Capital Partners allows us to offer our institutional clients an opportunity to invest in Indigenous infrastructure projects that align financial growth with positive community outcomes,” said Doug MacDonald, Senior Vice-President, Global Head of Distribution, CIBC Global Asset Management. “This is not just an investment opportunity. It’s a step toward empowering Indigenous communities and contributing to their economic growth, which is a key pillar of our Indigenous Reconciliation efforts.”
“We are proud to work with CIBC Global Asset Management,” said Paul Cugno, COO of Longhouse Capital Partners. “This relationship reflects our belief that private capital can drive long term, stable financial returns for investors and economic self-determination for Indigenous communities with a lasting positive social impact.”
An allocation to private infrastructure debt may provide client portfolios with:
- Above-average risk-adjusted returns
- Low correlation with other asset classes providing enhanced diversification
- Lower volatility than publicly traded assets
- Ability to capture the illiquidity premium while receiving structured cash flows
- Asset-liability matching characteristics
- Resilience through economic cycles due to essential nature of infrastructure assets
This collaboration marks an important step in advancing responsible investing and highlights the role of private capital in driving change in Indigenous communities.
