Aug 12, 2026 – 4.36pmMarket conditions are ripe for private equity firms to pounce on unloved assets wasting away inside ASX-listed companies, says law firm Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer.In an interview with Street Talk outlining his predictions for private mergers and acquisitions, HSFK partner Kam Jamshidi pointed to challenged pockets of the economy as a trigger for boards and management to optimise their portfolios.Sarah Thompson has co-edited Street Talk since 2009, specialising in private equity, investment banking, M&A and equity capital markets stories. Prior to that, she spent 10 years in London as a markets and M&A reporter at Bloomberg and Dow Jones.Kanika Sood is a journalist based in Sydney who writes for the Street Talk column.Emma Rapaport covers technology for the Australian Financial Review, specialising in private companies and venture capital. Before that, she was a co-editor of the Street Talk column and a markets reporter. Connect with Emma on encrypted messaging platform Signal (rap_reports.97).Angira Bharadwaj is a co-editor of Street Talk. She covers IPOs, capital raises, mergers and acquisitions and other breaking news in Australia’s capital markets. Previously, she covered financial services, state, and federal politics. Send tips to @angirab.60 on encrypted messaging platform Signal.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?
Unloved assets, old-school business back in favour with private equity
Freehills is predicting more businesses will sell off their underperforming assets to private equity buyers to avoid shareholder backlash come results time.
TL;DRAI
Private equity targets neglected assets within ASX-listed firms as economic pressure drives portfolio rationalization by boards. M&A pivot signals market return to fundamentals: PE seeks consolidation and operational upside in challenged sectors, away from speculative growth.
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