Milestone follows sustained period of growth under CEO Chris Andrews
La Trobe Financial has reached $25 billion in assets under management (AUM), a milestone the Melbourne-based alternative asset manager says reflects “more than seven decades and many different market conditions”.
The group now manages capital for more than 130,000 individual and institutional investors, backed by a network of over 5,000 financial advisers.
It is a significant jump from the $20 billion AUM mark the company reported in mid-2024, following a sustained period of growth under chief executive Chris Andrews (pictured), who took the helm in 2022.
Andrews said the manner in which the business reached the milestone mattered as much as the number itself.
“Reaching $25 billion is a significant achievement, but we are most proud of the way we arrived here. We have grown patiently, remained focused on careful stewardship and stayed accountable to the people whose capital we manage,” Andrews said in comments sent to MPA.
He framed the milestone as a matter of responsibility rather than scale for its own sake. “Every dollar belongs to a person, family or organisation with plans for the future. Caring for that capital is a privilege and a responsibility we never take for granted.”
La Trobe Financial invests across thousands of individual assets, including loans that support Australian homes, businesses and communities. Its growth has come partly through expansion beyond its traditional Australian real estate credit base – last year it launched an ASX-listed private credit fund combining domestic property-backed credit with US mid-market corporate credit exposure, broadening how investors can access its strategies.
Scale as a tool
Andrews said greater scale had expanded the opportunities available to investors and strengthened the firm's capacity to invest in people, technology and service.
“Scale gives us broader reach and deeper capability. It also allows us to diversify across more assets and continue building the systems and expertise needed to support investors.”
But he stressed that growth would remain disciplined rather than opportunistic, saying: “Our standards remain the gatekeeper for growth. We will deploy capital when suitable opportunities are available and when each investment offers the appropriate structure, security and margin of safety.”
The comments come as La Trobe Financial continues to draw external capital interest; earlier this year, a UAE-based private equity investor took a minority stake in the business, a deal the company said underscored confidence in its long-term platform.
Next phase guided by 'the same principles'
Looking ahead, La Trobe Financial intends to keep growing carefully rather than chasing pace.
“The next chapter will be guided by the same principles that brought us here: disciplined investment decisions, prudent liquidity settings, clear communication and attentive service,” Andrews said.
He credited the full range of stakeholders in the business for the outcome. “This milestone belongs to everyone who has shared the journey with us. We thank our investors, advisers, borrowers, brokers and employees for the trust they have placed in La Trobe Financial and the contribution they have made.”
The milestone also follows a period of regulatory scrutiny for parts of the sector; the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has flagged retail private credit fund transparency as a focus area of its recent surveillance work, underlining why investor communication remains a live issue for managers operating at scale.
