New HarbourVest Private Equity Sector Benchmarks: Financials Outperformed in US while Information Technology Led in Europe

HarbourVest’s 2025 private equity benchmarks show Financials leading US private equity returns at 19.2%, while IT topped Europe and global ex-US. The report attributes outperformance to ongoing software disruption pressures from AI, implying stronger relative winners among software-oriented strategies.

Analysis

HarbourVest’s 2025 private equity benchmarks show Financials leading US private equity returns at 19.2%, while IT topped Europe and global ex-US. The report attributes outperformance to ongoing software disruption pressures from AI, implying stronger relative winners among software-oriented strategies.