Ninety One's offices in Cape Town. The London-based global asset management group with roots in South Africa, said that by the end of March 2026, 56% of its assets under management had outperformed their respective benchmarks over one year, 69% outperformed over three years, and 63% outperformed over five years.
JSE and London-listed Ninety One increased assets under management (AUM) by a sturdy 31% to £171,8 billion by the end of 12 months to March 31, but the global asset manager started its new financial year with lower AUM than it had anticipated.
Founder and CEO Hendrik du Toit and chairman Gareth Penny said at the release of annual results Wednesday that the global economy had shown signs of acceleration at the beginning of 2026.
However, starting in late February, the heightened backdrop of geopolitical risk escalated into a regional war in the Middle East. The prospect of prolonged disruption to energy infrastructure and international shipping lanes resulted in elevated cross-asset volatility.
“Oil prices rose and finished the quarter at their highest level in years, while freight rates and insurance costs for key trade routes also rose sharply. Equity markets, especially the emerging markets, corrected sharply in March,” they said in the annual report.
