CWAN research insight: Are “alternatives” still alternative?  

Alternative investments have moved into the mainstream. Once viewed as niche, they now represent a cornerstone of institutional portfolios. Yet questions remain — have alternatives truly displaced traditional assets like bonds and equities?

In this report, we analyze the evolution of the alternatives market for insurers, drawing on CWAN’s proprietary database (~400 insurers with $4.4 trillion in assets) to reveal real-time allocation trends.

Key insights you’ll find: 

• The recent history of alternatives and the factors influencing their growth
• The extent to which alternatives have displaced traditional investments among insurers
• How insurers are positioning their portfolios, especially with respect to private credit
• Whether the shift toward alts is cyclical or structural, and what that means for institutional investors today
• 5 questions for the future of alternative investment

About our data

Based on trillions in assets tracked daily across thousands of insurers on the CWAN platform, the anonymized and aggregated data reveals meaningful trends in allocations and investment strategy. While each portfolio is unique, these collective patterns provide a clear view of how insurers are positioning their portfolios amid evolving market dynamics.

Download the report now.