Key facts
- Wealthy Asian investors are buying into private funds that hold or track AI startup shares, per Nikkei Asia.
- Some bankers said clients will pay premiums for positions in those funds, according to the report.
- Anthropic shares are set to start trading on Nov. 19, the report said.
Wealthy investors in Asia are putting money into private funds that give them indirect exposure to shares of AI startups including Anthropic and OpenAI, Nikkei Asia reported on November 15, 2026. Some bankers said their clients are willing to pay premiums for positions in such funds.
The activity comes as Anthropic shares are set to begin trading on Nov. 19 in what the report describes as the largest initial public offering in history. The report gives no size for the offering and no figure for the premiums investors are said to offer.
The report frames the fund buying as behind-the-scenes trading that carries growing risk as interest in the listing builds. It names no fund, banker or investor involved.