Partners Group, the Swiss alternatives manager, has moved into Italy by setting up a joint venture that aims to capitalise on the growing appetite for the asset class among investors in the country.

Partners, which was set up a decade ago by three ex-Goldman Sachs bankers and has European offices in London and Guernsey as well as its Swiss headquarters, today announced a tie-up with Poli e Associati, an Italian advisory and merchant banking boutique run by Roberto Poli, chairman of Eni, the Italian utility.