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Vanguard Group is considering the launch of private equity funds and has spoken with a few private equity firms about the plan, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Over the past year, the index fund giant has held exploratory talks with HarbourVest Partners of Boston, Pantheon of London and at least one more firm, according to the Journal.
"We continually evaluate a range of products and services, but have no immediate plans to offer a private equity fund," a Vanguard spokesperson said in a statement shared with CNBC over the weekend.
News that the fund giant has been exploring private equity funds comes a month after CEO Tim Buckley — who took the reins from William McNabb at the end of 2017 — said the firm was working on plans to give all financial advisors the ability to use its investment modeling and related technology.
This effort focuses on Vanguard's Personal Advisor Services — which combines robo-investing and some access to its own financial professionals — and was launched four years ago.
Like Vanguard's robo plans, the firm's possible expansion into alternatives could be yet another sign that asset managers must find news ways to produce profits in light of decreasing fund fees and intense competition.
The fund giant's average expense ratio is 0.11%, and it had some $5.6 trillion in assets under management worldwide as of April 30.
