Ares Management, a global alternative investment manager, completed the final closing of its Ares Special Opportunities Fund II (ASOF II). With strong global investor support, ASOF II closed at its hard cap with $7.1 billion of commitments, including general partner commitments, which far surpassed its $4 billion target.

“We believe the significant investor demand and support for ASOF II is a testament to our team, track record and market positioning, and we are deeply appreciative of the confidence entrusted in us by our investors,” Scott Graves, partner and co-head of the private equity group and head of special opportunities at Ares, said. “Since the development of the special opportunities strategy in 2017, our team has focused on extending Ares’ position as a leading middle market investor by consistently supporting companies, management teams and sponsors through cycles and transformational change. Looking ahead, we are confident that the breadth of our special opportunities capabilities and the scale of the Ares platform will continue to drive sourcing and due diligence advantages.”

“We seek to be a partner of choice for healthy, stressed and distressed companies across the private and public markets with individualized financing needs. We leverage the full capabilities of our team and platform in order to support companies undergoing transformational change with bespoke debt or equity capital solutions and strategic guidance,” Aaron Rosen and Craig Snyder, partners and co-portfolio managers of special opportunities in the Ares private equity group, said. “We believe our strategy is well-suited for the current volatile market conditions and that we are strategically positioned to identify the best relative value investment opportunities to drive attractive risk-adjusted returns for our investors.”