Invesco Launches CIT to Expand Private Markets Access in Retirement Plans
Global asset management firm Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) launched the Invesco Core Plus Real Estate Trust, a collective investment trust, or CIT, designed to provide defined contribution plans with daily valued access to private real estate through a daily valued structure purpose-built for retirement portfolios.
The new trust arrives as September 2025 data from The Callan Index show a significant disparity in private market allocations; while private real estate has been a staple in defined benefit plans for decades, it currently accounts for less than 1% of defined contribution, or DC, plan allocations.
The Invesco Core Plus Real Estate Trust is designed to provide exposure to core plus private real estate managed by Invesco Real Estate, complemented by an allocation to passive U.S. real estate investment trusts to support daily liquidity. The trust is structured as a daily valued CIT, enabling efficient implementation within defined contribution plans while supporting long-term strategic allocations within retirement portfolios.
“Private market strategies have gained attention among retirement plan sponsors and participants in recent years. Historically, these strategies in DC plans have been limited,” said Greg Jenkins, managing director of DC solutions at Invesco. “The Invesco Core Plus Real Estate Trust offers sponsors and asset allocators a scalable way to incorporate core plus real estate into DC plans in alignment with long-term retirement objectives.”
Strong Participant Interest
The launch is supported by findings from Invesco’s 2026 Defined Contribution Participant Pulse Survey, which revealed that more than 85% of participants are interested in including private market investments in their employer-sponsored plans, citing broader geographic and sector diversification as key benefits. The survey also noted that most participants feel more comfortable accessing these alternatives through professionally managed solutions like managed accounts or target-date funds.
“As one of the first dedicated core plus private real estate CITs, the trust introduces institutional real estate capabilities that support the long‑term needs of defined contribution investors,” said Scott Dennis, global head of private markets at Invesco. “Drawing on our decades of real estate expertise, the CIT reflects our ongoing commitment to expanding access to private markets for retirement plan participants.”
Invesco’s news follows the announcement by Apollo (NYSE: APO) and Schroders (LON: SDR) that they are partnering to develop a new generation of wealth and retirement investment solutions designed to broaden client choice and outcomes. They aim to launch a CIT for the DC pension market in the second quarter of 2026, combining complementary exposures across Apollo and Schroders Capital.
Last month, AltsWire reported that OneDigital introduced private investments into its personalized portfolio program for 401(k) plan sponsors, expanding access to institutional-quality strategies to support participant retirement outcomes. The addition incorporates select private equity, private credit, and opportunistic investment strategies through strategic relationships with leading global asset managers, including Apollo, as well as Ares and Blackstone.
The Invesco Core Plus Real Estate Trust is trusteed and managed by Invesco Trust Company, which manages over $89 billion in assets across 80 group trust funds, and sub-advised by Invesco Advisers, Inc. The CIT is intended for use exclusively within professionally managed DC solutions, such as target date funds and managed account portfolios. It is designed for a broad range of plan types and sizes, including large DC plans and pooled employer plans with custom target date funds, off-the-shelf target date fund providers, and managed account solutions.
The broader Invesco Private Markets platform – specializing in private real estate, private credit, and alternative investment solutions – managed $131 billion in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2025, while the real estate division specifically oversaw $84.2 billion as of the end of the third quarter of 2025. Invesco Ltd., the parent firm, reported total assets under management of $2.2 trillion as of year-end 2025, serving clients in more than 120 countries.
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