Markets regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is mulling to introduce permanent capital vehicles (PCVs), also referred to as evergreen or perpetual funds.
While being less conventional than the typical private equity funds, PCVs are funds in which the capital available is managed for an unlimited period.
Unlike a limited-life private investment fund, which takes a term of 10 years prior to the liquidation, PCVs can exist for perpetuity. These are aimed at long-term investors such as pension funds and insurance companies. The funds could be structured in such a way that an investor can get an option to redeem a specific sum of their investment after a lock-in period of say, 5, 10 and 15 years.
Although not a new concept, PCVs exist in the form of limited partnerships traded publicly on an exchange, real estate investment trusts, closed-ended funds, interval funds, and variable funds like annuities and life insurance. There are two ways of holding PCVs: privately held or publicly traded.
In the case of PCVs, the calculation of management fees and that of carried interest or performance is complex.
It is anticipated that conventional private equity fixed-term funds are likely to remain predominant, a PCV remains a suitable alternative.
Rajiv is an independent editorial consultant for the last decade. Prior to this, he worked as a full-time journalist associated with various prominent print media houses. In his spare time, he loves to paint on canvas.
