OAK-PA Oaktree Capital Group, LLC - 10-K
0001403528-26-000006Year-over-year tone shift - average net-tone change across Risk Factors and MD&A vs the prior 10-K. This filing is -0.04pp more bearish than last year's.
Why YoY instead of absolute: the LM lexicon has ~6.6× more negative words than positive (legal/risk-disclosure language is heavy on hedging), so every 10-K reads bearish on raw tone. Year-over-year change strips that bias and surfaces the actual shift in management's framing.
Tone shift by section
The two components the gauge averages: how Risk Factors and MD&A each shifted in net tone versus last year's 10-K. The headline above is their average, so a green needle over a soft section just means the other section carried it.
Sentence-level sentiment highlighting with category and subcategory filters is coming once the snippet-scoring pipeline lands. For now, dig into the actual section text on the Sections tab.
Language change vs prior 10-K
Risk Factors (Item 1A) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase- litigation+2
- negatively+2
- inability+2
- adverse+1
- loss+1
- greater+1
- attractive+1
- adequately+1
- enhanced+1
Risk Factors (Item 1A)
20,232 words
Item 1A. Risk Factors
We are subject to a number of material risks inherent in our business. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and other information included in this annual report. If any of the events described below occur, our business and financial results could be seriously harmed. The trading price of our preferred units could decline as a result of any of these risks, and you could lose all or part of your investment. References to past events are provided by way of example only and are not intended to be a complete listing or representation as to whether or not such factors have occurred in the past or their likelihood of occurring in the future.
Risks Relating to Our Business
Given Oaktree’s focus on achieving superior investment performance with less-than-commensurate risk, and the priority afforded to its clients’ interests, Oaktree may reduce AUM, restrain its growth, reduce fees or otherwise alter the terms under which Oaktree or we do business when Oaktree or we deem it appropriate—even in circumstances where others might deem such actions unnecessary. This approach could adversely affect our results of operations.
One of the means by which Oaktree seeks to achieve superior investment performance is by limiting the AUM in its strategies to an amount that it believes can be invested appropriately in accordance with Oaktree’s investment philosophy and current or anticipated economic and market conditions. In the past Oaktree has taken, and may continue to take, affirmative steps to limit the growth of AUM, including the AUM of the funds that produce revenues for Oaktree. These steps include:
• from time to time, Oaktree has suspended marketing certain open-end funds, sometimes for long periods, and has declined to participate in searches aggregating billions of dollars;
• from time to time, Oaktree has returned capital from certain closed-end funds prior to the end of such funds’ respective investment periods or declined to call all of the capital committed to certain closed-end funds during those funds’ respective investment periods;
• Oaktree intentionally sized certain closed-ended funds to be smaller than their predecessors even though additional capital could have been raised; and
• since Oaktree’s founding it has turned away substantial amounts of capital offered to Oaktree for management.
From time to time, Oaktree has, and may continue to, afford certain investors in Oaktree’s funds or separate account clients more favorable economic terms than other investors in the same fund or separate account clients within the same or similar investment strategy, including with respect to management fees and performance-based
fees. The availability of such terms is generally based on the aggregate size of commitments of such investor or client to one or more funds or accounts managed by Oaktree.
Oaktree’s practice of putting clients’ interests first and forsaking short-term advantage by, for example, reducing assets under management or management fee or carried interest rates may reduce the profits Oaktree could otherwise realize in the short term and adversely affect our business and financial condition. Our unitholders should understand that in instances in which Oaktree’s clients’ interests diverge from the short-term interests of our unitholders, Oaktree intends to act in the interests of its clients. However, it is Oaktree’s fundamental belief that prioritizing its clients’ interests will maximize the long-term value of its business, which, in turn, will benefit our unitholders.
Our business is materially affected by conditions in the global financial markets and economies, and any disruption or deterioration in these conditions could materially reduce our revenues, earnings and cash flow and adversely affect our overall performance, ability to raise or deploy capital, financial prospects and condition and liquidity position.
Our business and the businesses in which Oaktree’s funds invest are materially affected by conditions in the global financial markets and economic conditions throughout the world that are outside our control, such as interest rates, the availability and cost of credit, inflation rates, general economic uncertainty, political uncertainty, changes in laws (including laws relating to taxation), trade barriers, commodity prices, currency exchange rates and controls, volatility in financial markets, the impacts of public health issues, such as pandemics and epidemics, and national and international political circumstances (including economic and political events in or affecting the world’s major economies, such as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and controversies regarding Greenland). These and other uncertain conditions in the global financial markets and economy have resulted in, and may continue to result in, adverse consequences for many of Oaktree’s funds, including restricting such funds’ investment activities and impeding such funds’ ability to effectively achieve their investment objectives. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other countries in connection with hostilities between Russia and Ukraine and the tensions between China and Taiwan have caused additional financial market volatility and affected the global economy. In addition, concerns over future increases in inflation, economic recession, as well as interest rate volatility and fluctuations in oil and gas prices resulting from global production and demand levels, as well as geopolitical tension, have exacerbated market volatility.
Market uncertainty and volatility have also been magnified as a result of ongoing uncertainties regarding actual and potential shifts in U.S. and foreign trade, economic and other policies, including with respect to treaties and tariffs. Starting in 2025, the U.S. has enacted and proposed to enact significant new tariffs or other trade barriers. In that connection, certain countries subject to such trade barriers have imposed or expressed an intent to impose similar measures in return. Additionally, President Trump has directed various federal agencies to further evaluate key aspects of U.S. trade policy and there has been ongoing discussion and commentary regarding potential significant changes to U.S. trade policies, treaties and tariffs. There continues to exist significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the U.S. and other countries with respect to such trade policies, treaties and tariffs. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between the impacted nations and the U.S. There can be no assurance that future economic conditions in the U.S. or elsewhere around the world will be favorable to our business.
The economic environment in the past has resulted in, and may in the future result in, decreases in the market value of certain publicly-traded securities held by some of Oaktree’s funds. Illiquidity in certain portions of the financial markets could adversely affect the pace of realization of Oaktree’s funds’ investments or otherwise restrict the ability of Oaktree’s funds to realize value from their investments, thereby adversely affecting our ability to generate investment income. There can be no assurance that conditions in the global financial markets will not deteriorate and/or adversely affect our investments and overall performance. These market and economic conditions are not in our control and are often difficult, if not impossible, to predict, manage, mitigate, hedge or foresee.
Our profitability may also be adversely affected by our fixed costs, such as service fees paid to OCM under the Services Agreement, and the possibility that we or Oaktree would be unable to scale back other costs and otherwise redeploy resources within a time frame sufficient to match changes in market and economic conditions to take advantage of the opportunities that may be presented by these changes. As a result, we or Oaktree may not be able to adjust resources to take advantage of new investment opportunities that may be created as a result of specific dislocations in the market.
Inflation has adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect Oaktree’s business, results of operations and financial condition of Oaktree’s funds and their portfolio companies.
Certain of Oaktree’s funds and their portfolio companies are in industries that have been impacted by inflation. Inflationary pressures in recent years have increased the costs of labor, energy and raw materials and have adversely affected consumer spending, economic growth and Oaktree’s funds’ portfolio companies’ operations, and profit margins may be pressured if inflation re-accelerates, particularly for companies that lack pricing power. If such portfolio companies are unable to pass any increases in their costs of operations along to their customers, it could adversely affect their operating results. In addition, any projected future decreases in the operating results of Oaktree’s funds’ portfolio companies due to inflation could adversely impact the fair value of those investments. Any decreases in the fair value of Oaktree’s fund investments could result in future realized or unrealized losses.
Our business depends in large part on Oaktree’s ability to raise capital from investors. If Oaktree were unable to raise such capital, Oaktree would be unable to collect incentive fees or deploy such capital into investments, which would materially reduce our revenues and cash flow and adversely affect our financial condition.
Oaktree’s ability to raise capital from investors depends on a number of factors, including many that are outside its control. These include the general economic environment and the number of other investment funds being raised at the same time by Oaktree’s competitors that are focused on the same or similar investment strategies as Oaktree’s funds. Additionally, investors may reduce (or even eliminate) their investment allocations to alternative investments, including closed-ended private funds and hedge funds. During periods of high interest rates, investors may favor investments that are generally viewed as producing a risk-free return, such as treasury bonds, over investments in Oaktree’s funds. Poor performance of Oaktree’s funds could also make it more difficult for Oaktree to raise new capital. Investors in Oaktree’s funds may decline to invest in future funds Oaktree raises, and investors in open-end and evergreen funds may withdraw their investments in the funds (on specified withdrawal dates) as a result of poor performance. Oaktree’s investors and potential investors continually assess Oaktree’s funds’ performance, both on a standalone basis and relative to market benchmarks and Oaktree’s competitors, and Oaktree’s ability to raise capital for existing and future funds and avoid excessive redemptions depends on Oaktree’s funds’ relative and absolute performance. To the extent economic and market conditions deteriorate, Oaktree may be unable to raise sufficient amounts of capital to support the investment activities of future funds.
In addition, certain institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds, have demonstrated an increased preference for alternatives to the traditional investment fund structure, such as managed accounts, funds-of-one and co-investment vehicles. There can be no assurance that such alternatives will be as profitable for Oaktree as the traditional investment fund structure, or as to the impact such a trend could have on the cost of our operations or profitability. Moreover, certain institutional investors are demonstrating a preference to make direct investments in alternative assets without the assistance of private asset managers like Oaktree. Such institutional investors may become Oaktree’s competitors and could cease to be Oaktree clients. As some existing investors cease or significantly curtail making commitments to alternative investment funds, Oaktree may need to identify and attract new investors in order to maintain or increase the size of Oaktree’s investment funds. There are no assurances that Oaktree can find or secure capital commitments from new investors. If economic conditions were to deteriorate or if Oaktree is unable to find new investors, Oaktree might raise less than its desired amount for a given fund.
If Oaktree were unable to successfully raise capital, it could materially reduce our revenue, earnings and cash flow and adversely affect our financial prospects and condition.
We depend on OCM as the primary investment adviser to Oaktree’s funds to support Oaktree’s funds’ investment activities and a Services Agreement with OCM to support Oaktree’s operations; if the terms of the services provided by OCM were significantly altered or if the arrangements to provide such services were terminated, our ability to achieve our investment objective or operate as a public reporting company could be significantly harmed.
Oaktree’s funds depend on the diligence, skill, judgment, reputation and business contacts of key personnel of OCM provided to them through investment management agreements with OCM and we depend on key personnel of OCM under the Services Agreement between OCM and us. Our future success will depend upon OCM’s ability to retain these key personnel and to recruit additional qualified personnel. These key personnel possess substantial experience and expertise in investing, are responsible for locating and executing Oaktree’s funds’ investments, have significant relationships with the institutions that are the source of many of Oaktree’s funds’ investment opportunities and in certain cases have strong relationships with Oaktree’s investors. Therefore, if these key personnel join competitors or form competing companies, it could result in the loss of significant investment opportunities and certain existing investors. OCM is not obligated to dedicate any specific personnel exclusively to its funds or to us, nor is OCM or its personnel obligated to dedicate any specific portion of their time to the management of our business. Consequently, we may not receive the level of support and assistance that we otherwise might receive if
OCM personnel were employed directly by us and we have no ability to determine the level of support that OCM provides to the Oaktree funds in which we directly and indirectly invest. We are also subject to conflicts of interest arising out of our relationship with OCM, Brookfield and their respective affiliates. For example, Mr. Howard Marks, our Co-Chairman and one of our board members, is also the Co-Chairman of OCM and a board member of Brookfield. As mentioned above (under “Business—Overview”), Brookfield and its affiliates acquired a majority interest in Oaktree upon the completion of the Mergers. Accordingly, Mr. Marks owes duties to OCM and Brookfield, which duties may from time-to-time conflict with the interests of us and our preferred unitholders. Additionally, if our Services Agreement with OCM was significantly altered or terminated, it could result in the loss of significant key personnel of OCM that we depend on to operate as a public reporting company and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation. Also, the services of our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nicholas H. Goodman, are made available by Brookfield. If Brookfield ceased to do so, we would have to identify another person to serve as our chief executive officer, which could be disruptive and/or have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation.
As the appointed investment adviser to Oaktree’s funds, OCM provides Oaktree’s funds services to evaluate, negotiate, structure, execute, monitor and service the funds’ investments. Key personnel of OCM have departed in the past and current key personnel could depart at any time. The termination of the Services Agreement or the departure of key personnel or of a significant number of the investment professionals or partners of OCM could have a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain our operations or Oaktree’s ability to achieve its funds’ investment objectives. OCM may need to hire, train, supervise and manage new professionals to service our business and may not be able to find qualified professionals in a timely manner or at all.
Our revenues are volatile due to the nature and structure of our business, and if we experience a substantial decline in our investment income, we may not be able to pay distributions on our preferred units.
Our revenues and cash flow are more volatile and limited following the 2019 Restructuring, the 2022 Restructuring and the 2024 Restructuring. As a result of the 2024 Restructuring, the Company no longer consolidates the operations of Oaktree Capital I, but rather accounts for the Company’s approximately 74% interest in Oaktree Capital I under the equity method of accounting. As such, subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, the Company’s revenue is primarily the investment income earned from (i) limited partner investments in certain of Oaktree’s flagship opportunistic funds, (ii) an equity method investment in Oaktree Capital I, and (iii) an indirect ownership in Brookfield REIT. If we were to experience a significant reduction in investment income, we may not be able to pay future distributions on our preferred units.
Oaktree’s failure to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest or inter-fund governance matters could damage our reputation and adversely affect our business.
As Oaktree has expanded the number and scope of its strategies and distribution channels, including Oaktree’s advising registered mutual funds and business development companies, Oaktree increasingly confronts potential conflicts of interest that it needs to manage and resolve. In our view, conflicts of interest may describe two types of potential situations: (i) where the interests of the funds Oaktree manages (or the investors in such funds) may conflict with one another; and (ii) where Oaktree’s interests, as manager or adviser, may conflict with the interests of Oaktree’s funds or clients.
Examples of potential inter-fund conflicts include: (i) the allocation of investment opportunities in situations where the investment focus of one or more of Oaktree’s funds overlaps (including certain instances in which funds registered under the Investment Company Act may be precluded from participating in certain opportunities as a result of regulatory restrictions applicable to companies with multiple types of funds with overlapping investment focuses); (ii) opportunities to co-invest directly alongside a fund that are offered to certain fund investors rather than to other Oaktree funds or other fund investors; (iii) investments by different funds at different levels of the capital structure of the same issuer; (iv) receipt of material, non-public information regarding an issuer by one strategy where another strategy does not wish to be restricted in trading the securities of that issuer; and (v) investments by a fund into a portfolio company held or controlled by another fund. Over time Oaktree has developed general guidelines or a course of conduct to manage these potential inter-fund governance matters, including establishing an inter-fund governance work group and standing committee composed of senior officers from Oaktree’s non-investment groups, including Oaktree’s legal and compliance departments. Oaktree seeks to resolve such governance issues in good faith and with a view to the best interests of all of its clients, but there can be no assurance that Oaktree will make the correct judgment or that its judgment will not be questioned or challenged.
In addition to the potential for conflict among Oaktree’s funds, we and Oaktree face the potential for conflict between us and Oaktree, on the one hand, and Oaktree’s funds or Oaktree’s clients, on the other hand. These conflicts may include: (i) personal trading by Oaktree personnel in the securities of issuers held by one or more of Oaktree’s funds; (ii) the allocation of investment opportunities among funds with different incentive fee structures, or
where Oaktree personnel have invested more heavily in one fund than another; (iii) the use of subscription lines by Oaktree’s funds, which, among other things, may cause fund investors to indirectly bear interest expense when such investors would prefer to contribute capital and avoid the interest expense; and (iv) the determination of what constitutes fund-related expenses and the allocation of such expenses between Oaktree’s funds and us or Oaktree. Through Oaktree, we maintain internal controls and various policies and procedures, including oversight, codes of ethics and conduct, compliance systems and communication tools, to identify, prevent, mitigate or resolve conflicts of interest that may arise. Notwithstanding these efforts, it is possible that perceived or actual conflicts could give rise to investor dissatisfaction or litigation or regulatory enforcement actions. Appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult, and any mistake could potentially create liability or damage our reputation. Regulatory scrutiny of, or litigation in connection with, conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business in a number of ways, such as causing investors to redeem their capital (to the degree they have that right), making it harder for Oaktree to raise new funds and discouraging others from doing business with Oaktree.
The investment management business is intensely competitive.
The investment management business is intensely competitive, with competition based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, the quality of client service, brand recognition and business reputation. Oaktree’s investment management business competes for clients, personnel and investment opportunities with a large number of private equity funds, specialized investment funds, hedge funds, corporate buyers, traditional investment managers, commercial banks, investment banks, other investment managers and other financial institutions, and we expect that competition will increase. Numerous factors serve to increase Oaktree’s competitive risks, some of which are outside of our control:
• a number of Oaktree’s competitors have more personnel and greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than Oaktree does, and, in the case of some competitors, longer operating histories, more established relationships and/or greater experience;
• some of Oaktree’s funds may not perform as well as competitors’ funds or other available investment products;
• many of Oaktree’s competitors have raised, or are expected to raise, significant amounts of capital, and many of them have investment objectives similar to Oaktree’s, which may create additional competition for investment opportunities and reduce the size and duration of pricing inefficiencies that Oaktree seeks to exploit;
• some of Oaktree’s competitors (including strategic competitors) may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us, which may create competitive disadvantages for Oaktree with respect to Oaktree’s funds, particularly Oaktree’s funds that directly use leverage or rely on debt financing of their portfolio companies to generate superior investment returns;
• some of Oaktree’s competitors have higher risk tolerances, different risk assessments or lower return thresholds, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and to bid more aggressively than Oaktree for investments;
• Oaktree’s competitors may be able to achieve synergistic cost savings in respect of an investment that Oaktree cannot, which may provide them with a competitive advantage in bidding for an investment;
• there are relatively few barriers to entry impeding new investment funds, and the successful efforts of new entrants into Oaktree’s various lines of business, including major commercial and investment banks and other financial institutions, have resulted in increased competition;
• some of Oaktree’s competitors may have better expertise or be regarded by investors as having better expertise in a specific asset class or geographic region than Oaktree does;
• some investors may prefer to pursue investments directly instead of investing through one of Oaktree’s funds; and
• other industry participants will from time to time seek to recruit Oaktree’s investment professionals and other employees away from Oaktree.
Oaktree may find it harder to raise funds, and may lose investment opportunities in the future, if Oaktree does not match or improve on the fees, structures, products and terms offered by competitors to their fund clients. Alternatively, Oaktree may experience decreased profitability, rates of return and increased risk of loss if Oaktree matches or improves on the prices, structures, products and terms offered by competitors. This competitive
pressure could adversely affect Oaktree’s ability to make successful investments and limit Oaktree’s ability to raise future funds, either of which would adversely impact our business, revenues, results of operations and cash flow.
Additionally, technological innovation, including the use of artificial intelligence and data science, has the potential to disrupt the financial industry and change the way financial institutions, including asset managers, do business. Some of Oaktree’s competitors may be more successful than Oaktree in the development and implementation of new technologies, including services and platforms based on artificial intelligence, to address investor demand or improve operations. If Oaktree is unable to adequately advance Oaktree’s capabilities in these areas, or does so at a slower pace than others in Oaktree’s industry, Oaktree may be at a competitive disadvantage.
Poor performance of Oaktree funds could adversely affect Oaktree’s assets under management and ability to raise capital for future funds and poor performance of funds in which we are directly or indirectly invested would cause a decline in our revenues, net income and cash flow.
When any of Oaktree’s funds performs poorly, either by incurring losses or underperforming benchmarks or Oaktree’s competitors, Oaktree’s investment record suffers. Poor investment performance by Oaktree funds in which we are directly or indirectly invested also adversely affects our investment income and, all else being equal, may lead to a decline in Oaktree’s AUM. In such circumstances, we may experience losses on our investments of our own capital or losses through our equity method investment in Oaktree Capital I. Poor performance of Oaktree’s funds could also make it more difficult for Oaktree to raise new capital for Oaktree. Investors in Oaktree’s closed-end funds may decline to invest in future closed-end funds Oaktree raises, and investors in open-end and evergreen funds may withdraw their investments in the funds (on specified withdrawal dates) as a result of poor performance. During periods of market volatility, investor redemption or repurchase requests for open-end and evergreen funds are likely to be elevated, which may negatively impact the fees we earn from such vehicles. Investor subscriptions to certain of such vehicles have also at times been, and may in the future be, reduced, and investor redemptions or repurchase requests elevated, in the face of negative media or public sentiment with respect to the asset classes of such vehicles. To the extent appropriate and permissible under a vehicle’s constituent documents, we have previously and may in the future limit or prorate redemptions or repurchases in such vehicle for a period of time. This has, and may in the future, make such vehicles less attractive to investors and negatively impact subscriptions to such vehicles for a period of time, which could have a material adverse effect on the revenues we derive from such vehicles. Oaktree’s investors and potential investors continually assess Oaktree’s funds’ performance, both on a standalone basis and relative to market benchmarks, Oaktree’s competitors, and other investment products, and Oaktree’s ability to raise capital for Oaktree’s existing and future funds and avoid excessive redemption levels depends on Oaktree’s funds’ performance.
Oaktree may not be able to maintain its current incentive fee structure as a result of industry pressure from clients to reduce fees, which could have an adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.
Oaktree may not be able to maintain its current incentive fee structure as a result of industry pressure from clients to reduce fees. Although Oaktree’s incentive fee rates may vary among and within asset classes, historically Oaktree has competed primarily on the basis of its performance and not on the level of Oaktree’s fees relative to those of Oaktree’s competitors. In recent years, however, there has been a general trend toward lower fees in the investment management industry, and Oaktree has in certain cases lowered the fees Oaktree charges in order to remain competitive. Additionally, Oaktree has afforded, and reserved the right in Oaktree’s sole discretion to continue to afford, certain clients more favorable economic terms, including with respect to incentive fee rates, in cases where such clients have committed capital to Oaktree’s funds or strategies that in the aggregate exceeds certain threshold amounts. In order to maintain Oaktree’s fee structure in a competitive environment, Oaktree must be able to continue to provide clients with investment returns and service that incentivize Oaktree’s investors to pay its current fee rates. We cannot provide any assurance that Oaktree will succeed in providing investment returns and service that will allow Oaktree to maintain its current fee structure. Fee reductions on existing or new business could have an adverse effect on Oaktree’s profit margins and results of operations. For more information about Oaktree’s fees please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
Oaktree often pursues investment opportunities that involve business, regulatory, legal or other complexities.
Oaktree often pursues unusually complex investment opportunities involving substantial business, regulatory or legal complexity that would deter other investment managers. Oaktree’s tolerance for complexity presents risks, as such transactions can be more difficult, expensive and time-consuming to finance and execute; it can be more difficult to manage or realize value from the assets acquired in such transactions; and such transactions sometimes entail a higher level of regulatory scrutiny or a greater risk of contingent liabilities. Any of these risks could harm the performance of Oaktree’s funds.
Technological developments in artificial intelligence could disrupt the markets in which Oaktree operates and subject Oaktree and us to increased competition, legal and regulatory risks and compliance costs.
Technological developments in artificial intelligence, including machine learning technology and generative artificial intelligence (collectively, “AI Technologies”) and their current and potential future applications, including in the private investment and financial sectors, as well as the legal and regulatory frameworks within which they operate, are rapidly evolving. The full extent of current or future risks related thereto is not possible to predict. AI Technologies could significantly disrupt the markets in which Oaktree operates and subject Oaktree and us to increased competition, legal and regulatory risks and compliance costs, which could have a material adverse effect on Oaktree’s business or our business, financial condition and results of operations. Oaktree intends to seek to avail itself of the potential benefits, insights and efficiencies that are available through the use of AI Technologies, which presents a number of potential risks that cannot be fully mitigated. Data in models that AI Technologies utilize are likely to contain a degree of inaccuracy and error, which could result in flawed algorithms. This could reduce the effectiveness of AI Technologies and adversely impact us and our operations to the extent we rely on the work product of such AI Technologies in such operations. There is also a risk that AI Technologies may be misused or misappropriated by Oaktree’s employees and/or third parties engaged by us or Oaktree. For example, a user may input confidential information, including material non-public information or personal information, into AI Technology applications, resulting in such information becoming part of a dataset that is accessible by third-party AI Technology applications and users, including Oaktree’s competitors. Such actions could subject Oaktree and/or us to legal and regulatory investigations and/or actions. Further, Oaktree or we may not be able to control how third-party AI Technologies that Oaktree or we choose to use are developed or maintained, or how data Oaktree or we input is used or disclosed, even where Oaktree has sought contractual protections with respect to these matters. The misuse or misappropriation of Oaktree’s or our data could have an adverse impact on our reputation and could subject Oaktree and/or us to legal and regulatory investigations and/or actions. In addition, Oaktree or we may communicate externally regarding AI Technology-related initiatives, including Oaktree’s development and use of AI Technologies, which subjects Oaktree and us to the risk of being accused of making inaccurate or misleading statements regarding Oaktree’s and our ability to avail ourselves of the potential benefits of AI Technology.
Regulations related to AI Technologies continue to evolve and may also impose on Oaktree and us certain obligations and costs related to monitoring and compliance. In October 2023, the former Presidential Administration signed an executive order (the “October 2023 Executive Order”) that established new standards for AI safety and security. However, in January 2025, the current Presidential Administration signed an executive order that rescinded the October 2023 Executive Order and required the development of an AI action plan that is consistent with the current Presidential Administration’s policy; such AI action plan was subsequently released in July 2025. Further, in the absence of a comprehensive federal AI law in the United States, AI-related legislation is emerging as a patchwork of laws and regulations on the federal and state levels. For example, the Colorado AI Act, which goes into effect on June 30, 2026, imposes various obligations on developers and deployers of “high-risk” AI systems. Other states, including California, Texas, and Utah, among others, have passed or are in the process of enacting or considering additional laws and regulations relating to the use and development of AI Technologies. However, the AI regulatory environment in the U.S. is still evolving; for example, on December 11, 2025, the current Presidential Administration signed an executive order aimed at limiting state-level AI legislation and enforcement, but such executive order may be subject to legal challenge. In the EU, a regulation applicable to certain AI Technologies and the data used to train, test and deploy them (the “EU AI Act”) entered into force in August 2024, with most of its obligations applying in phases from 6 to 36 months thereafter. The EU AI Act imposes significant requirements on both the providers and deployers of AI Technologies, and significant sanctions for breaches. Moreover, claims for damages in respect of AI Technologies may also be possible (and in certain jurisdictions, facilitated by revisions to regulations on liability). The EU is also currently considering further targeted amends to the EU AI Act. The costs of preparing for, monitoring and complying with laws and regulations related to AI Technologies, and any claims or penalties as the result of any use of or reliance on AI Technologies, could, if applicable, adversely affect Oaktree, us and/or third parties connected to Oaktree or us (whether directly or indirectly), which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Extensive regulation in the United States and abroad affects Oaktree’s activities and creates the potential for significant liabilities and penalties that could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Potential regulatory action poses a significant risk to our reputation and our business. Oaktree’s business, and by extension our business, is subject to extensive regulation in the United States and in the other countries in which Oaktree’s investment activities occur, including periodic examinations, inquiries and investigations by governmental and self-regulatory organizations in the jurisdictions in which Oaktree operates around the world. Many of these regulators, including U.S. federal and state and foreign government agencies and self-regulatory organizations, are empowered to impose fines, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including censure, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders or the suspension or expulsion of applicable licenses and memberships. Even if an investigation
did not result in a sanction, or the sanction imposed against us, Oaktree or Oaktree’s personnel were small in monetary amount, adverse publicity relating to the investigation could harm our or Oaktree’s reputation and cause Oaktree to lose existing investors or fail to gain new investors.
Each of the regulatory bodies with jurisdiction over Oaktree or us has regulatory powers dealing with many aspects of financial services, including the authority to grant, and in specific circumstances to cancel, permissions to carry on particular activities. A failure to comply with the applicable obligations imposed by the Advisers Act and the Investment Company Act, including recordkeeping, custody, advertising and operating requirements, disclosure obligations and prohibitions on fraudulent activities, could result in investigations, sanctions and reputational damage. Similarly, a failure to comply with the obligations imposed by the Commodity Exchange Act, including recordkeeping, reporting requirements, disclosure obligations and prohibitions on fraudulent activities, could also result in investigations, sanctions and reputational damage. Oaktree’s funds are involved regularly in trading activities that implicate a broad number of U.S. securities law regimes, including laws governing trading on inside information, market manipulation and a broad number of technical trading requirements that implicate fundamental market regulation policies. Violation of these laws could result in severe restrictions on Oaktree’s activities and damage to Oaktree’s reputation and our reputation.
Oaktree’s or our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations could result in litigation, fines, censure, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including revocation of the registration of relevant affiliated entities as an investment adviser, CPO, CTA or registered broker-dealer. The regulations to which Oaktree’s business is subject are designed primarily to protect investors in Oaktree’s funds and to ensure the integrity of the financial markets. They are not designed to protect our preferred unitholders. Even if a sanction imposed against Oaktree or us, one of Oaktree’s or our subsidiaries or Oaktree personnel by a regulator is for a small monetary amount, the adverse publicity related to the sanction could harm our reputation, which in turn could materially adversely affect our or Oaktree’s business in a number of ways, such as causing Oaktree’s investors to redeem their capital (to the extent they have that right), making it harder for Oaktree to raise new funds and discouraging others from doing business with Oaktree.
Some of Oaktree’s funds from time to time invest in businesses that operate in highly-regulated industries, including businesses that are regulated by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. federal and state banking authorities and U.S. state gaming authorities, as well as equivalent foreign regulatory bodies. The regulatory regimes to which such businesses are subject may, among other things, condition Oaktree’s funds’ ability to invest in those businesses upon the satisfaction of applicable ownership restrictions or qualification requirements or, absent any applicable exemption, require Oaktree or its subsidiaries to comply with registration, reporting or other requirements. Moreover, Oaktree’s failure to obtain or maintain any regulatory approvals necessary for Oaktree’s funds to invest in such industries may disqualify Oaktree’s funds from participating in certain investments or require Oaktree’s funds to divest themselves of certain assets.
Regulatory changes in the United States, regulatory compliance failures and the effects of negative publicity surrounding the financial industry in general could adversely affect our reputation, business and operations.
The business in which we and Oaktree operate both in and outside the United States may be subject to new or additional regulations from time to time. We and Oaktree may be adversely affected as a result of new or revised legislation or regulations imposed by the SEC, the CFTC or other U.S. governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets and businesses such as Oaktree’s and ours. The financial services industry in recent years has been the subject of heightened scrutiny and the SEC has specifically focused on private equity and the private funds industry. In that connection, in recent years the SEC’s stated examination priorities and published observations from examinations have included, among other things, private equity firms’ collection of fees and allocation of expenses, their marketing and valuation practices, allocation of investment opportunities, investor side letter terms, consistency of firms’ practices with disclosures, handling of material non-public information and insider trading, disclosures of investment risk, conflicts of interest, adherence to notice, consent and other contractual requirements regarding limited partnership advisory committees, fiduciary standards of conduct, financial technologies, and compliance with the SEC’s recently adopted rules, including those referenced herein. In recent years, the SEC has proposed, and in some instances, adopted, a number of new rules and amendments to existing rules that impact our or Oaktree’s business and operations.
For example, the SEC (in May 2023) and the SEC and CFTC jointly (in February 2024) adopted changes to Form PF, a confidential form relating to reporting by private fund advisers and intended to be used by the Financial Stability Oversight Counsel (“FSOC”) for systemic risk oversight purposes, that expand existing reporting
obligations. Such increased obligations may increase Oaktree’s costs, including if it is required to spend more time, hire additional personnel, or buy new technology to comply effectively.
The SEC has also proposed and can be expected to propose other rules that may impact our or Oaktree’s operations. Such rules could expose Oaktree’s registered investment advisers to additional regulatory liability, increase compliance costs, impose limitations on Oaktree’s investing activities and place burdens on Oaktree’s resources, including the time and attention of Oaktree’s personnel, and heighten the risk of regulatory action. In addition, the SEC has recently indicated an intention to focus on making alternative investments more available to retail investors. As an example, the President’s 2025 Executive Order to the U.S. Department of Labor to provide 401(k) plan fiduciaries with greater protection against litigation when offering investment options that include alternative assets supports the SEC’s enhanced focus and efforts to expand access to the “alternative asset” class. The Executive Order considers “alternative assets” to include private market investments, direct and indirect holdings in real estate, digital assets, commodities and infrastructure investments. While the full extent of the anticipated SEC rulemaking or guidance is still to be determined, potential changes relating to (i) accredited investor and/or qualified purchaser status or (ii) disclosure requirements surrounding fees are likely to have an impact on the operations of our or Oaktree’s funds, including the types of products we and Oaktree offer and the investor base we target.
We and Oaktree also may be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules by these governmental authorities and self-regulatory organizations. For example, in recent years, senior officials at the SEC have shown a willingness to pursue violations that could be viewed as minor on the theory that publicly pursuing minor violations could reduce the prevalence of more significant violations.
In June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its longstanding approach under the Chevron doctrine, which provided for judicial deference to regulatory agencies. As a result of this decision, we cannot be sure whether there will be increased challenges to existing agency regulations or how lower courts will apply the decision in the context of other regulatory schemes without more specific guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court. For example, the decision could significantly impact consumer protection, advertising, privacy, artificial intelligence, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering practices and other regulatory regimes with which we, Oaktree and Oaktree’s portfolio companies are or may be required to comply. Any such regulatory developments could result in uncertainty about and changes in the ways such regulations apply to us, Oaktree and Oaktree’s portfolio companies, and may require additional resources to ensure continued compliance. We cannot predict which, if any, of these actions will be taken or, if taken, their effect. Such actions could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
It is difficult to determine the full extent of the impact on us or Oaktree of any new laws, regulations or initiatives that may be proposed or whether any of the proposals will become law. Any changes in the regulatory framework applicable to our or Oaktree’s business, including the changes described above, may impose additional costs on us, require the attention of Oaktree’s senior management or result in limitations on the manner in which Oaktree and we conduct our businesses. Moreover, as calls for additional regulation have increased, there may be a related increase in regulatory investigations of the trading and other investment activities of alternative asset management funds, including Oaktree’s funds. In addition, Oaktree and we may be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules by these governmental authorities and self-regulatory organizations. Compliance with any new laws or regulations could make our overall compliance activities more difficult and expensive, affect the manner in which Oaktree and we conduct our businesses and adversely affect our profitability.
Changes in law and government regulations may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The current regulatory environment in the United States may be impacted by future legislative developments, such as amendments to key provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Any changes in the regulatory framework applicable to our business, Oaktree’s business or the businesses of the portfolio companies of Oaktree’s funds may impose additional costs or result in limitations on the manner in which business is conducted, or may ultimately have an adverse impact on the competitiveness of certain nonbank financial service providers vis-à-vis traditional banking organizations.
Regulatory changes in jurisdictions outside the United States could adversely affect Oaktree’s business.
Certain of Oaktree’s subsidiaries operate outside the United States. A number of these subsidiaries are regulated by governmental authorities in foreign jurisdictions where they operate. In addition, Oaktree regularly relies on exemptions from various requirements of the regulations of certain foreign countries in conducting its asset management and fundraising activities.
Each of the regulatory bodies with jurisdiction over Oaktree has regulatory powers dealing with many aspects of Oaktree’s business generally and financial services specifically, including the authority to grant, and in specific circumstances to cancel, permissions to carry on particular activities. Oaktree is involved regularly in trading activities that implicate a broad number of foreign (as well as U.S.) securities law regimes, including laws governing trading on inside information and market manipulation and a broad number of technical trading requirements that implicate fundamental market regulation policies. Additionally, Oaktree must comply with foreign laws governing the sale of interests in Oaktree’s funds and laws that govern other business activities. Violation of these laws could result in severe penalties, restrictions or prohibitions on Oaktree’s activities and damage to Oaktree’s reputation and our reputation, which in turn could materially adversely affect Oaktree’s or our business in a number of ways, such as causing investors to redeem their capital (to the degree they have that right) from Oaktree’s funds, making it harder for Oaktree to raise new funds and discouraging others from doing business with Oaktree.
SEC rules barring so-called “bad actors” from relying on Rule 506 of Regulation D in private placements could materially adversely affect Oaktree’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Rules 501 and 506 of Regulation D under the Securities Act prohibit issuers deemed to be “bad actors” from relying on the exemptions available under Rule 506 of Regulation D (“Rule 506”) in connection with private placements (the “disqualification rule”). Specifically, an issuer will be precluded from conducting offerings that rely on the exemption from registration under the Securities Act provided by Rule 506 (“Rule 506 offerings”) if a “covered person” of the issuer has been the subject of a “disqualifying event” (each as defined below). “Covered persons” include, among others, the issuer, affiliated issuers, any investment manager or solicitor of the issuer, any director, executive officer or other officer participating in the offering of the issuer, any general partner or managing member of the foregoing entities, any promoter of the issuer and any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the issuer’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power. A “disqualifying event” includes, among other things, certain (1) criminal convictions and court injunctions and restraining orders issued in connection with the purchase or sale of a security or false filings with the SEC; (2) final orders from the CFTC, federal banking agencies and certain other regulators that bar a person from associating with a regulated entity or engaging in the business of securities, insurance or banking or that are based on certain fraudulent conduct; (3) SEC disciplinary orders relating to investment advisers, brokers, dealers and their associated persons; (4) SEC cease-and-desist orders relating to violations of certain anti-fraud provisions and registration requirements of the federal securities laws; (5) suspensions or expulsions from membership in a self-regulatory organization (“SRO”) or from association with an SRO member; and (6) U.S. Postal Service false representation orders.
If any Oaktree covered person is subject to a disqualifying event, one or more of Oaktree’s funds could lose the ability to raise capital in a Rule 506 offering for a significant period of time. Most of Oaktree’s funds rely on Rule 506 to raise capital from investors during their fundraising periods. If one or more of Oaktree’s funds were to lose the ability to rely on the Rule 506 exemption because an Oaktree covered person has been the subject of a disqualifying event, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Oaktree’s failure to comply with “pay to play” regulations implemented by the SEC and certain states, and changes to the “pay to play” regulatory regimes, could adversely affect Oaktree’s business.
In recent years, the SEC and several states have initiated investigations alleging that certain private equity firms and hedge funds or agents acting on their behalf have paid money to current or former government officials or their associates in exchange for improperly soliciting contracts with state pension funds. The SEC has also initiated a similar investigation into contracts awarded by sovereign wealth funds. Rule 206(4)-5 under the Advisers Act addresses “pay to play” practices by investment advisers involving campaign contributions and other payments to government officials able to exert influence on potential U.S. state and local government entity clients. Among other restrictions, the rule prohibits investment advisers from providing advisory services for compensation to a government entity for two years, subject to very limited exceptions, after the investment adviser, its senior executives or its personnel involved in soliciting investments from government entities make contributions to certain candidates and officials in a position to influence the hiring of an investment adviser by such government entity. The rule does not require any showing that a donation was made with intent to exert influence. Any donation that exceeds the limits set forth in Rule 206(4)-5 may lead to an investment adviser being required to forgo compensation from applicable government entities for two years; to the extent such fees have already been paid, the investment adviser may be required to forfeit the already-received compensation. Advisers are required to implement compliance policies designed, among other matters, to track contributions by certain of the adviser’s employees and engagements of third parties that solicit government entities and to keep certain records in order to enable the SEC to determine compliance with the rule. Additionally, California law requires placement agents (including in certain cases employees of investment managers) who solicit funds from California state retirement
systems, such as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, to register as lobbyists, thereby becoming subject to increased reporting requirements and prohibited from receiving contingent compensation for soliciting investments from California state retirement systems. New York has adopted similar rules. In July 2018, OCM reached a settlement with the SEC related to its “pay to play” rules pursuant to which OCM paid a monetary settlement to the SEC and agreed not to violate the rule in the future. Any failure by OCM or another of Oaktree’s affiliated entities or their respective personnel involved in soliciting investment from government entities to comply with these rules could expose Oaktree or us to reputational damage since we are affiliated with OCM. Additionally, the SEC’s amended rules for investment adviser marketing that went into effect in 2022 impose more prescriptive requirements and will impact the marketing of Oaktree’s funds as well as placement agent arrangements globally. Compliance with the new rule may result in higher compliance and operational costs and less overall flexibility in Oaktree’s marketing.
Oaktree’s failure to maintain the security of its information and technology networks, including personal data and client information, intellectual property and proprietary business information could have a material adverse effect on us.
Security breaches and other disruptions of or incidents affecting Oaktree’s information and technology networks could result in compromising our or Oaktree’s information and intellectual property and expose us or Oaktree to significant liability, reputational harm, regulatory investigation and remediation costs, which could cause material harm to our business and financial results. In the ordinary course of our and Oaktree’s business, Oaktree collects, processes and stores sensitive data, including proprietary business information and intellectual property, and personal data of Oaktree employees and its clients, in Oaktree’s data centers and on Oaktree’s networks (including data stored on systems maintained by third parties). The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information are critical to our operations. In many cases, this information is provided or made available to third-party vendors who agree to protect it, which has in the past and may in the future become compromised through a cyber-attack or data breach, misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification or accidental release or loss of information by Oaktree or a third-party vendor. Although Oaktree and its third-party vendors take various measures and have made, and will continue to make, significant investments in an attempt to ensure the integrity of their respective systems and to safeguard against such failures or security breaches, there can be no assurance that these measures and investments will provide adequate protection. Despite security measures, Oaktree’s and its third-party vendor’s information technology and infrastructure are vulnerable to different types of attacks by third parties or breaches due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Certain of Oaktree’s funds invest in strategic assets having a national or regional profile or in infrastructure assets, the nature of which could expose them to a greater risk of being subject to a cyberattack or security breach. In addition, we, Oaktree, Oaktree’s employees and Oaktree’s third-party vendors have been and may continue to be the target of fraudulent emails or other targeted attempts to gain unauthorized access to proprietary or sensitive information, including personal data.
There has been an increase in the frequency and sophistication of the data security threats Oaktree faces, with attacks ranging from those common to businesses generally to those that are more advanced and persistent, which may target us or Oaktree because, as an investment management firm, Oaktree holds confidential and other price-sensitive information about the portfolio companies of Oaktree’s funds and their potential investments. As a result, through Oaktree we face a heightened risk of a security breach or disruption with respect to sensitive information resulting from an attack by computer hackers, foreign governments, cyber-terrorists or other bad actors. If successful, these types of attacks on Oaktree’s network or other systems could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations, due to, among other things, the loss, unauthorized access to or other misuse of personal, regulated, investor or proprietary data, interruptions or delays in our business and damage to our reputation. We are not currently aware of any current or past cyberattacks or other incidents that, individually or in the aggregate, have materially affected, or would reasonably be expected to materially affect, our or Oaktree’s business strategy operations or financial condition. There can be no assurance that the various procedures and controls Oaktree utilizes to mitigate these threats will be sufficient to prevent or detect disruptions to its systems. Because cyberattacks can originate from a wide variety of sources and the techniques used change frequently and are not recognized until launched, Oaktree may not learn about an attack until well after the attack occurs, and the full scope of a cyberattack may not be realized until an investigation has been performed. The costs related to data security threats or disruptions may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means. In addition, privacy and data security have become a top priority for regulators around the world and a cybersecurity incident impacting our business could result in regulatory scrutiny, investigations or actions.
A significant actual or potential theft, loss, corruption, exposure, fraudulent use or misuse of client, employee or other personal data, regulated or proprietary business data, whether by third parties or as a result of Oaktree’s employee malfeasance or otherwise, non-compliance with our contractual or other legal obligations regarding such data or intellectual property or a violation of Oaktree’s privacy and security policies with respect to such data could result in significant remediation and other costs, fines, litigation or regulatory actions against Oaktree or us. Such an
event could additionally disrupt Oaktree’s or our operations and the services Oaktree provides to clients, damage Oaktree’s reputation and our reputation, result in a loss of a competitive advantage, impact our ability to provide timely and accurate financial data, and cause a loss of confidence in Oaktree’s services and our financial reporting, which could adversely affect our business, revenues, competitive position and investor confidence.
Additionally, the General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”) became applicable in all European Union (“EU”) member states on May 25, 2018. This regulation added a broad array of requirements for handling personal data of individuals that are residents of the EU and the processing and transfer of that data from the EU and could impose a fine of up to 4% of global annual revenue or 20 million euros, whichever is higher, for violations. The GDPR has resulted in and will continue to result in significantly greater compliance burdens and costs for companies like Oaktree. Further, due to Brexit (discussed below), Oaktree is required to comply with the GDPR and also the U.K. equivalent (“U.K. GDPR”). The relationship between the UK and the EU in relation to certain aspects of data protection law remains unsettled, and any changes may lead to additional costs and increase our overall risk exposure. In particular, both the UK and the EU have in 2025 enacted or proposed changes to their data protection regimes that have introduced or will introduce increasing divergence.
In the U.S., the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (the “GLBA”) imposes privacy requirements on financial institutions, including obligations to protect and safeguard consumers' nonpublic personal information and records, and limits the ability to share and reuse such information. Under the GLBA, beginning in May 2024, the Federal Trade Commission will require financial institutions to report the unauthorized acquisition of unencrypted customer information involving at least five hundred customers, within thirty days of discovery. Additionally, the SEC has adopted amendments to Regulation S-P, an underlying regulation of GLBA, that took effect December 3, 2025. These amendments impose operationally challenging notification requirements and obligations to implement written policies and procedures to govern oversight of service providers that will likely increase associated compliance costs. In December 2023, an SEC rule went into effect which requires us to report within four days on a Form 8-K any cybersecurity incident determined to be material. Material incidents requiring such disclosure include those involving a third party provider. At the state level, California was the first state to pass a comprehensive privacy law when it enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which initially went into effect on January 1, 2020, and was subsequently amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (“CPRA”) and all implementing regulations thereto (collectively, the “CCPA”). The CCPA imposes sweeping data protection obligations on many companies doing business in California and provides for substantial fines for non-compliance and, in some cases, a private right of action for consumers who are victims of data breaches involving their unencrypted personal information. The CCPA is enforceable by the California Attorney General and the California Privacy Protection Agency. In March of 2021, Virginia enacted the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, creating the second comprehensive U.S. state privacy law, which took effect on January 1, 2023 (the same day CPRA took effect). Many additional states have since also passed comprehensive state privacy laws with additional obligations and requirements on businesses, with many more states considering passing their own similar laws. In addition to the state of Virginia, Colorado, Utah and Connecticut enacted data privacy laws that went into effect in 2023; Montana, Oregon and Texas enacted data privacy laws that went into effect in 2024; Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Tennessee enacted data privacy laws that went into effect in 2025; and Indiana, Kentucky, and Rhode Island enacted data privacy laws that went into effect on January 1, 2026. Many regulators, including the Federal Trade Commission, have indicated an intention to take more aggressive enforcement actions regarding data privacy and security matters, and related private litigation is increasing and resulting in progressively larger judgments and settlements.
It remains unclear how various provisions of these newer laws will be interpreted and enforced. These and other data privacy, security and use laws and regulations and their interpretations continue to develop and may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The effects of the GDPR and U.K. GDPR, CCPA, and other U.S. state, U.S. federal, and international data privacy, security and use laws and regulations are significant and may require Oaktree to modify its data processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and potential liability in an effort to comply with such laws and regulations. Any inability, or perceived inability, by us or Oaktree funds’ portfolio companies to adequately address data protection or privacy concerns, or comply with applicable laws, regulations, policies, industry standards and guidance, contractual obligations, or other legal obligations, even if unfounded, could result in significant legal, regulatory and third-party liability, increased costs, disruption of our and Oaktree funds’ portfolio companies’ business and operations, and a loss of client (including investor) confidence and other reputational damage. Many regulators have indicated an intention to take more aggressive enforcement actions regarding data privacy matters, and private litigation resulting from such matters is increasing and resulting in progressively larger judgments and settlements. For example, the SEC’s stated 2026 examination priorities included an intended focus on advisers’ policies and procedures related to information security and operational risks in the safeguarding of customer records and information. Furthermore, as new data protection and privacy-related laws and regulations are implemented, the time and resources needed for Oaktree and Oaktree funds’ portfolio companies to comply with such laws and regulations continues to increase and become a significant compliance workstream.
Interruption of certain information technology, communications systems or data services could disrupt our business, result in losses and/or limit our growth.
We rely on Oaktree’s financial, accounting, communications and other information technology systems. If these systems do not operate properly, are disabled or are compromised, we could suffer financial loss, a disruption of our business, regulatory intervention or reputational damage. Oaktree’s information technology and communications systems are vulnerable to damage or disruption from fire, power loss, telecommunications failure, system malfunctions, natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, acts of war or terrorism, employee errors or malfeasance, computer viruses, cyberattacks, or other events which are beyond our or Oaktree’s control.
We depend on Oaktree’s headquarters in Los Angeles, where a substantial portion of Oaktree’s personnel are located, for the continued operation of our business. An earthquake, fire or other disaster or a disruption in the infrastructure that supports our business, including a disruption involving electronic communications or other services used by Oaktree or third parties with whom we conduct business, or directly affecting Oaktree’s headquarters, could have a material adverse impact on our ability to continue to operate our business without interruption. Insurance and other safeguards might only partially reimburse us for certain losses, if at all.
In addition, we rely on unaffiliated third party service providers for certain other aspects of our business, including software vendors for portfolio management and accounting software, outside financial institutions for back office processing and custody of securities and third party broker dealers for the execution of trades. An interruption or deterioration in the performance of these third parties or failures of their information systems and technology, over which we have no control, could cause system interruption, delays, loss, corruption or exposure of critical data or intellectual property and impair the quality of the funds’ operations, which could impact our reputation and hence adversely affect our business. These risks could increase as vendors increasingly offer cloud-based software services rather than software services that can be operated within our own data centers. Oaktree’s portfolio companies also rely on data processing systems and the secure processing, storage and transmission of information, including payment and health information. A disruption or compromise of these systems could have a material adverse effect on the value of these businesses. Such an event may have adverse consequences on our investments or assets of the same type, or may require Oaktree’s portfolio companies to increase preventative security measures or expand insurance coverage.
Any such interruption or deterioration in Oaktree’s operations could result in substantial recovery and remediation costs and liability to Oaktree’s clients, business partners and other third parties. While Oaktree has implemented disaster recovery plans, business continuity plans and backup systems designed to lessen the risk of any material adverse impact, such disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient to mitigate the harm and cannot account for all eventualities, and a catastrophic event that results in the destruction or disruption of any of Oaktree’s or our data or critical business or information technology systems could severely affect Oaktree’s or our ability to conduct business operations, and as a result, our future operating results could be materially adversely affected.
Oaktree is subject to substantial litigation risks and may face significant liabilities and damage to its professional reputation as a result.
Oaktree makes investment decisions on behalf of its clients that could result in substantial losses. This may subject Oaktree to the risk of legal liabilities or actions alleging negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract or other causes of action. Heightened standards of care or additional fiduciary duties may apply in certain of Oaktree’s managed accounts or other advisory contracts. To the extent Oaktree enters into agreements with clients containing such terms or applicable law mandates a heightened standard of care or duties, Oaktree could, for example, be liable to certain clients for acts of simple negligence or breach of such duties.
Further, Oaktree may be subject to litigation arising from investor dissatisfaction with the performance of Oaktree’s funds or from third-party allegations that Oaktree improperly exercised control or influence over portfolio investments or that Oaktree is liable for actions or inactions taken by portfolio companies that such third parties argue Oaktree controls. In addition, Oaktree and its affiliates that are the investment managers and general partners of Oaktree’s funds, Oaktree’s funds themselves and those individuals who are Oaktree’s affiliates’ or the funds’ officers and directors are each exposed to the risks of litigation specific to the funds’ investment activities and portfolio companies and, in cases where Oaktree’s funds own controlling interests in public companies, to the risk of shareholder litigation by the public companies’ other shareholders. Moreover, Oaktree is exposed to risks of litigation or investigation by investors and regulators relating to Oaktree having engaged, or Oaktree’s funds having engaged, in transactions that presented conflicts of interest that were not properly addressed. Please see also “—Extensive regulation in the United States and abroad affects Oaktree’s activities and creates the potential for significant liabilities and penalties that could adversely affect our business and results of operations.”
Substantial legal liability of Oaktree could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations or cause significant reputational harm to Oaktree, which could seriously harm our business. The Oaktree funds in which we directly and indirectly invest depend on Oaktree’s business relationships and reputation for integrity and high-caliber professional services. As a result, allegations of improper conduct asserted by private litigants or regulators, regardless of whether the ultimate outcome is favorable or unfavorable to Oaktree, as well as negative publicity and press speculation about Oaktree, its investment activities or the investment industry in general, whether or not valid, may harm Oaktree’s reputation, which may be more damaging to our business than to other types of businesses.
Oaktree employee misconduct, which is difficult to detect and deter, could subject Oaktree to significant regulatory sanctions and reputational harm. Fraud and other deceptive practices or other misconduct at the portfolio companies of Oaktree’s funds could similarly subject Oaktree or us to liability and reputational damage and also harm our performance.
There have been a number of highly publicized cases involving fraud or other misconduct by individuals in the financial services industry, and there is a risk that Oaktree employees could engage in misconduct that adversely affects our business. Oaktree is subject to a number of obligations and standards arising from its investment management business and the authority over the assets Oaktree manages. The violation of any of these obligations or standards by any of Oaktree’s employees or advisors could adversely affect Oaktree clients and us. Oaktree’s business often requires that Oaktree deal with confidential matters of great significance to companies in which Oaktree’s funds may invest or to Oaktree clients. If Oaktree employees improperly use or disclose confidential information, Oaktree could be subject to regulatory sanctions and suffer serious harm to its reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships. It is not always possible to deter employee misconduct, and the precautions Oaktree takes to prevent this activity may not be effective in all cases. If Oaktree employees engage in misconduct, or if they are accused of misconduct, its business and reputation could be adversely affected, which may cause adverse effects on our business.
Any determination that Oaktree personnel have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”), UK anti-bribery laws or other applicable anti-corruption laws could subject Oaktree to, among other things, civil and criminal penalties, material fines, profit disgorgement, injunctions on future conduct, securities litigation and a general loss of investor confidence, any one of which could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition or results of operations. Although the current U.S. Presidential administration has signed an executive order to pause, subject to certain exceptions, the initiation of new investigations and enforcement actions under the FCPA, such laws have attracted significant regulatory focus in recent years, including outside of the United States. For example, the SEC will be responsible for examining investment advisers’ compliance with a U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) rule currently scheduled to go into effect January 2026, that requires registered investment adviser and exempt reporting advisers to, among other measures, adopt an anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (“AML/CFT”) program, file certain reports with FinCEN and to maintain records related to such activities. The application of these rules would impose significant compliance costs on us. The EU and the U.K. are similarly revising their respective anti-money laundering regimes. The EU’s revised anti-money laundering regime is expected to come into effect as early as June 2026 and the U.K. has also significantly expanded the reach of its anti-bribery laws. While Oaktree has policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by its personnel with the FCPA, such policies and procedures may not be effective in all instances to prevent violations. In addition, in light of the executive order to pause initiation of new FCPA investigations and enforcement actions in the U.S., other asset managers, particularly those who, unlike Oaktree, are not subject to the anti-corruption laws of a jurisdiction outside of the United States, may implement changes to their FCPA or anti-money laundering policies that would provide such managers access to investment opportunities that may not be available to Oaktree because of its current policies and procedures.
In addition, we may also be adversely affected if there is misconduct by personnel of portfolio companies in which Oaktree’s funds invest. For example, financial fraud or other deceptive practices at such portfolio companies, or failures by personnel at such portfolio companies to comply with anti-bribery, trade sanctions or other legal and regulatory requirements could adversely affect our business and reputation. Such misconduct might undermine our due diligence efforts with respect to such companies and could negatively affect the valuation of Oaktree’s funds’ investments. In addition, we may face increased risk of such misconduct to the extent Oaktree’s funds’ investment in markets outside the United States, particularly emerging markets, increases.
Risks Relating to Oaktree’s Funds
Our results of operations are dependent on the performance of Oaktree’s funds. Poor fund performance will result in reduced revenues. Poor performance of Oaktree’s funds will also make it difficult for Oaktree to retain and attract investors to Oaktree’s funds, to retain and attract qualified professionals and to grow Oaktree’s business. The performance of each fund Oaktree manages is subject to some or all of the following risks.
The historical returns attributable to Oaktree’s funds should not be considered indicative of the future results of Oaktree’s funds or of our future results or of any returns expected on an investment in our preferred units.
The historical returns attributable to Oaktree’s funds should not be considered indicative of the future results of Oaktree’s funds. Poor performance of the funds Oaktree manages will cause a decline in our revenues and would therefore have a negative effect on our operating results.
Moreover, with respect to the historical returns of Oaktree’s funds:
• we may create new funds in the future that reflect a different asset mix and different investment strategies, as well as a varied geographic and industry exposure as compared to Oaktree’s present funds, and any such new funds could have different returns from Oaktree’s existing or previous funds;
• Oaktree’s funds’ returns have previously benefited from investment opportunities and general market conditions that may not repeat themselves, and there can be no assurance that Oaktree’s current or future funds will be able to avail themselves of profitable investment opportunities;
• many of Oaktree’s funds’ historical investments were made over a long period of time and over the course of various market and macroeconomic cycles, and the circumstances under which Oaktree’s current or future funds may make future investments may differ significantly from those conditions prevailing in the past;
• newly established funds may generate lower returns during the period in which they initially deploy their capital;
• Oaktree’s funds may not be able to successfully identify, make and realize upon any particular investment or generate returns for their investors; and
• any material increase or decrease in the size of Oaktree’s funds could result in materially different rates of returns.
The future internal rate of return for any current or future fund may vary considerably from the historical internal rate of return generated by any particular fund, or for Oaktree’s funds as a whole. In addition, future returns will be affected by the applicable risks described elsewhere in this annual report, including risks of the industries and businesses in which a particular fund invests. Moreover, the Company’s investment income earned from the Company’s equity method investment in Oaktree Capital I generally reflects only one-third of the incentive income attributable to Oaktree Capital I in respect of Oaktree’s closed-end funds established in 2022 or later and in respect of incentive income from Oaktree’s evergreen funds earned subsequent to January 1, 2023.
Certain of Oaktree’s funds make investments in distressed businesses that involve significant risks and potential additional liabilities.
Certain of Oaktree’s funds invest in obligors and issuers with weak financial conditions, poor operating results, substantial financing needs, negative net worth or significant competitive issues and/or securities that are illiquid, distressed or have other high-risk features. These funds also invest in obligors and issuers that are involved in bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings. In these situations, it may be difficult to obtain full information as to the exact financial and operating conditions of these obligors and issuers. Furthermore, some of Oaktree’s funds’ distressed debt investments may not be widely traded or may have no recognized market. Depending on the specific fund’s investment profile, a fund’s exposure to the investments may be substantial in relation to the market for those investments, and the acquired assets are likely to be illiquid and difficult to transfer. As a result, it may take a number of years for the market value of the investments to ultimately reflect their intrinsic value as Oaktree perceives it.
A central strategy of Oaktree’s opportunistic credit funds, for example, is to anticipate the occurrence of certain corporate events, such as debt or equity offerings, restructurings, reorganizations, mergers, takeover offers
and other transactions. If the relevant corporate event that Oaktree anticipates is delayed, changed or never completed, the market price and value of the applicable fund’s investment could decline sharply.
In addition, these investments could subject a fund to certain potential additional liabilities that may exceed the value of its original investment. Under certain circumstances, payments or distributions on certain investments may be reclaimed if any such payment or distribution is later determined to have been a fraudulent conveyance, a preferential payment or similar transaction under applicable bankruptcy and insolvency laws. In addition, under certain circumstances, a lender that has inappropriately exercised control of the management and policies of a debtor may have its claims subordinated or disallowed or may be found liable for damages suffered by parties as a result of such actions. In the case where the investment in securities of troubled companies is made in connection with an attempt to influence a restructuring proposal or plan of reorganization in bankruptcy, the fund may become involved in substantial litigation.
Certain of Oaktree’s funds may be subject to risks arising from potential control group liability.
Certain of Oaktree’s investment funds could potentially be liable under U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA") for the pension obligations of one or more of Oaktree’s portfolio companies if the investment fund were determined to be a "trade or business" under ERISA and deemed part of the same "controlled group" as the portfolio company under ERISA’s controlled group rules. While a number of cases have held that managing investments is not a “trade or business” for tax purposes, at least one federal Circuit Court has determined that a private equity fund could be a “trade or business” for ERISA controlled group liability purposes based on a number of factors, including the fund’s level of involvement in the management of its portfolio companies and the nature of its management fee arrangements. Litigation related to the Circuit Court’s decision suggests that additional factors may be relevant, including the structure of the investment and the nature of the fund’s relationship with other affiliated investors and co-investors in the portfolio company.
If any of Oaktree’s funds were determined to be a trade or business for purposes of ERISA controlled group liability, it is possible that pension liabilities incurred by a portfolio company could result in liability being incurred by the fund, with a resulting need for additional capital contributions, the appropriation of such fund’s assets to satisfy such pension liabilities and/or the imposition of a lien by the PBGC on certain fund assets. Moreover, regardless of whether any of Oaktree’s funds were determined to be a trade or business for purposes of ERISA controlled group liability, a court might hold that one of Oaktree’s fund’s portfolio companies is jointly and severally liable for another portfolio company’s unfunded pension liabilities pursuant to the ERISA “controlled group” rules, depending upon the relevant investment structures and ownership interests as noted above.
Poor investment performance during periods of adverse market conditions may result in relatively high levels of investor redemptions, which can exacerbate the liquidity pressures on the affected funds, force the sale of assets at distressed prices or reduce the funds’ returns.
Poor investment performance during periods of adverse market conditions, together with investors’ increased need for liquidity given adverse conditions in the credit markets during such periods, can prompt relatively high levels of investor redemptions at times when many funds may not have sufficient liquidity to satisfy some or all of their investor redemption requests. During times when market conditions are deteriorating, many funds may face additional redemption requests and/or compulsory investor withdrawals or redemptions, which will exacerbate the liquidity pressures on the affected funds. If such funds cannot satisfy their current and future redemption requests, they may be forced to sell assets at distressed prices or cease operations. Various measures taken by funds to improve their liquidity profiles (such as the implementation of “gates” or the suspension of redemptions) that reduce the amounts that would otherwise be paid out in response to redemption requests may have the effect of incentivizing investors to “gross up” or increase the size of the future redemption requests they make, thereby exacerbating the cycle of redemptions.
Valuation methodologies for certain assets in Oaktree’s funds can be subject to significant subjectivity, and the values of assets established pursuant to the methodologies may never be realized.
Oaktree’s funds make investments for which market quotations are not readily available, and thus the process by which Oaktree value such investments involves inherent uncertainties. Oaktree is required by GAAP to make good faith determinations as to the fair value of these investments on a quarterly basis in connection with the preparation of Oaktree’s funds’ financial statements.
There is no single method for determining fair value in good faith. The types of factors that may be considered when determining the fair value of an investment in a particular company include acquisition price of the investment,
discounted cash flow valuations, historical and projected operational and financial results for the company, the strengths and weaknesses of the company relative to its comparable companies, industry trends, general economic and market conditions, information with respect to offers for the investment, the size of the investment (and any associated control) and other factors deemed relevant. Because valuations of investments for which market quotations are not readily available are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have resulted if a ready market had existed. Even if market quotations are available for Oaktree’s investments, the quotations may not reflect the value that Oaktree would actually be able to realize because of various factors, including the possible illiquidity associated with a large ownership position, subsequent illiquidity in the market for a company’s securities, future market price volatility or the potential for a future loss in market value based on poor industry conditions or the market’s view of overall company and management performance.
Because there is significant uncertainty in the valuation of, or in the stability of the value of, illiquid investments, the fair values of such investments as reflected in a fund’s NAV do not necessarily reflect the prices that would actually be obtained on behalf of the fund when such investments are sold. Sales at values significantly lower than the values at which investments have previously been reflected in a fund’s NAV may result in losses for the applicable fund and the loss of incentive income that may have been accrued by the applicable fund.
Oaktree’s funds make investments in companies that are based outside the United States, which exposes us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in companies that are based in the United States.
Many of Oaktree’s funds invest a portion of their assets in the equity, debt, loans or other securities of issuers located outside the United States, while certain of Oaktree’s funds invest substantially all of their assets in these types of securities. Investments in securities outside the United States involve certain factors not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities, including risks relating to:
• a fund’s ability to exchange local currencies for U.S. dollars and other currency exchange matters, including fluctuations in currency exchange rates and costs associated with conversion of investment principal and income from one currency into another;
• controls on, and changes in controls on, foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital;
• less developed or less efficient financial markets than exist in the United States, which may lead to price volatility and relative illiquidity;
• the absence of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and disclosure requirements and less government supervision and regulation;
• differences in legal and regulatory environments, particularly with respect to bankruptcy and reorganization, less developed corporate laws regarding fiduciary duties and the protection of investors and less reliable judicial systems to enforce contracts and applicable law;
• less publicly available information in respect of companies in non-U.S. markets;
• heightened exposure to corruption risk;
• certain economic and political risks, including potential exchange control regulations and restrictions on investments and repatriation of capital, potential political, economic or social instability, the possibility of nationalization or expropriation or confiscatory taxation and adverse economic and political developments; and
• the possible imposition of non-U.S. taxes or withholding on income and gains recognized with respect to the securities.
There can be no assurance that adverse developments with respect to these risks will not adversely affect Oaktree’s funds that invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers.
We have made and expect to continue to make significant investments in Oaktree’s current and future funds, and we may lose money on some or all of our investments.
We have had a practice of making significant principal investments in Oaktree funds and expect to continue to make significant principal investments in Oaktree’s funds both directly and indirectly through Oaktree Capital I and we or Oaktree Capital I may increase the amount we invest at any time. Further, from time to time Oaktree Capital I makes loans or otherwise extends credit or guarantees to Oaktree’s funds. Contributing capital, making other investments or extending credit to these funds is risky, and we and/or Oaktree Capital I may lose some or all of these investments. Any such loss could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations whether directly or through its impact on Oaktree Capital I.
Oaktree’s funds often invest in companies that are highly leveraged, a fact that may increase the risk of loss associated with the investments.
Oaktree’s funds often invest in companies whose capital structures involve significant leverage. These investments are inherently more sensitive to declines in revenues and to increases in expenses and interest rates. The leveraged capital structures of these companies place significant burdens on their cash flows and increases the exposure of Oaktree’s funds to adverse economic factors such as downturns in the economy or deterioration in the condition of the portfolio company or its industry. Additionally, the securities acquired by Oaktree’s funds may be the most junior in what could be a complex capital structure and thus subject the funds to the greatest risk of loss in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of one of these companies.
The use of leverage by Oaktree’s funds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operation and cash flow.
Some of Oaktree’s funds use leverage (including through credit facilities, swaps and other derivatives) as part of their respective investment programs and may borrow a substantial amount of capital. The use of leverage poses a significant degree of risk and can enhance the magnitude of a significant loss in the value of the investment portfolio. To the extent that any fund leverages its capital structure, it is subject to the risks normally associated with debt financing, including the risk that its cash flows will be insufficient to meet principal and interest payments, which could significantly reduce or even eliminate the value of such fund’s investments. In addition, the interest expense and other costs incurred in connection with such leverage may not be recovered by the appreciation in the value of any associated securities or bank debt and will be lost – and the timing and magnitude of such losses may be accelerated or exacerbated – in the event of a decline in the market value of such securities or bank debt. In addition, such funds may be subject to margin calls or acceleration in the event of a decline in the value of the posted collateral. To meet liquidity needs as a result of margin calls or acceleration, Oaktree Capital I may elect to invest additional capital into or loan money to such funds. Any such investment or loan would be subject to the risk of loss. In addition, if Oaktree were to elect to enforce its rights against any fund with respect to a loan to such fund, Oaktree may damage its relationships with its investors and have difficulty raising additional capital. Any of the foregoing circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.
Changes in the debt financing markets and higher interest rates may negatively impact the ability of Oaktree’s funds and their portfolio companies to obtain attractive financing for their investments or refinance existing debt and may increase the cost of such financing if it is obtained, leading to lower-yielding investments and potentially decreasing our investment income.
The markets for debt financing are subject to retrenchment, resulting in more restrictive covenants or other more onerous terms (including posting additional collateral) in order to obtain financing, and in some cases lenders may refuse to provide any financing that would have been readily obtained under different credit conditions. In addition, higher interest rates generally impact the investment management industry by making it harder to obtain financing for new investments, refinance existing investments or liquidate debt investments, which can lead to reduced investment returns and missed investment opportunities.
If Oaktree’s funds are unable to obtain committed debt financing or can only obtain debt at an increased interest rate or on other less advantageous terms, such funds’ investment activities may be restricted and their profits may be lower than they would otherwise have achieved, either of which could lead to a decrease in the investment income earned by us. Similarly, the portfolio companies owned by Oaktree’s funds regularly utilize the corporate debt markets to obtain financing for their operations. To the extent that credit markets render such financing difficult or more expensive to obtain, the operating performance of those portfolio companies and therefore the investment returns on Oaktree’s funds may be negatively impacted. In addition, to the extent that the then-current markets make it difficult or impossible to refinance debt or extend maturities on outstanding debt, a portfolio
company may be unable to repay such debt at maturity and may be forced to sell assets, undergo a recapitalization or seek bankruptcy protection. Any of the foregoing circumstances could impair the value of Oaktree’s funds’ investments in those portfolio companies and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.
Oaktree’s funds are subject to risks in using prime brokers, custodians, counterparties, administrators, other agents and third-party service providers.
Many of Oaktree’s funds depend on the services of prime brokers, custodians, counterparties, administrators and other agents and third-party service providers to carry out certain securities and derivatives transactions and other business functions. The terms of these contracts are often customized and complex, and many of these arrangements occur in markets or relate to products that are subject to limited or no regulatory oversight. In particular, some of Oaktree’s funds utilize prime brokerage arrangements with a relatively limited number of counterparties, which has the effect of concentrating the transaction volume (and related counterparty default risk) of such funds with these counterparties.
Oaktree’s funds are subject to the risk that the counterparty to one or more of these contracts defaults, either voluntarily or involuntarily, on its performance under the contract. Any such default may occur suddenly and without notice to us. Moreover, if a counterparty defaults, Oaktree’s funds may be unable to take action to cover their exposure, either because they lack contractual recourse or because market conditions make it difficult to take effective action. This inability could occur in times of market stress, which is when defaults are most likely to occur.
In addition, risk-management models that Oaktree may employ from time to time may not accurately anticipate the impact of market stress or counterparty financial condition, and as a result, Oaktree may not have taken sufficient action to reduce risks effectively. Default risk may arise from events or circumstances that are difficult to detect, foresee or evaluate. In addition, concerns about, or a default by, one large participant could lead to significant liquidity problems for other participants, which may in turn expose us to significant losses.
In the event of a counterparty default, particularly a default by a major investment bank, one or more of Oaktree’s funds could incur material losses, and the resulting market impact of a major counterparty default could harm our business, results of operation and financial condition.
In the event of the insolvency of a prime broker, custodian, counterparty or any other party that is holding assets of Oaktree’s funds as collateral, Oaktree’s funds might not be able to recover equivalent assets in full as they will rank among the prime broker’s, custodian’s or counterparty’s unsecured creditors in relation to the assets held as collateral. In addition, Oaktree’s funds’ cash held with a prime broker, custodian or counterparty generally will not be segregated from the prime broker’s, custodian’s or counterparty’s own cash, and Oaktree’s funds may therefore rank as unsecured creditors in relation thereto.
Risks Relating to Our Preferred Units
The market price of our preferred units could be adversely affected by various factors.
The market price for the preferred units may fluctuate based on a number of factors, including:
• variations in our quarterly operating results or distributions, which may be substantial;
• the incurrence of additional indebtedness or additional issuances of other series or classes of preferred units;
• whether we declare or fail to declare distributions on the preferred units from time to time and our ability to make distributions under the terms of our indebtedness;
• the credit ratings of the preferred units;
• a lack of liquidity in the trading of our preferred units (including, if the preferred units are voluntarily or involuntarily delisted from the NYSE);
• the prevailing interest rates or rates of return being paid by other companies similar to us and the market for similar securities; and
• general market, political and economic conditions.
Our performance, market conditions and prevailing interest rates have fluctuated in the past and can be expected to fluctuate in the future. Fluctuations in these factors could have an adverse effect on the price and
liquidity of the preferred units. In general, as market interest rates rise, securities with fixed interest rates or fixed distribution rates, such as the preferred units, decline in value. Consequently, if you purchase the preferred units and market interest rates increase, the market price of the preferred units may decline. We cannot predict the future level of market interest rates.
Our ability to pay quarterly distributions on the preferred units will be subject to, among other things, general business conditions, our financial results, restrictions under the terms of any indebtedness we may incur or senior units we may issue, Oaktree Capital I’s existing and future indebtedness or senior equity securities, and our and Oaktree Capital I’s liquidity needs. Any reduction or discontinuation of quarterly distributions could cause the market price of the preferred units to decline significantly. Accordingly, the preferred units may trade at a discount to their purchase price.
If we, including any service organizations that we use, fail to maintain effective internal controls over our financial reporting in the future, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that as a public company we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. We are required under Section 404 to provide an annual management assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. Following the 2019 Restructuring, we are no longer required to include in our annual reports an opinion from our independent registered public accounting firm addressing its assessment of such controls. To maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, significant resources and management oversight are required. We have implemented and continue to implement procedures and processes to address the standards and requirements applicable to public companies.
If it is determined that we are not in compliance with Section 404 in the future, we would be required to implement remedial procedures and re-evaluate our internal controls over financial reporting and our operations, financial reporting or financial results could be adversely affected. Matters impacting our internal controls may cause us to be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis and thereby subject us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions by the SEC, or violations of applicable stock exchange listing rules. Moreover, if a material misstatement occurs, we may need to restate our financial results and there could be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. This could materially adversely affect us and lead to a decline in the market price of our preferred units.
Preparing our consolidated financial statements involves a number of complex manual and automated processes, which are dependent on individual data input or review and require significant management judgment. One or more of these elements may result in errors that may not be detected and could result in a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements.
Distributions on the preferred units are discretionary and non-cumulative.
Distributions on each of the Series A preferred units and Series B preferred units are discretionary and non-cumulative. Holders of each series of our preferred units will only receive distributions when, as and if declared by our board of directors. Consequently, if the board of directors does not authorize and declare a distribution for a distribution period, holders of each of our preferred units would not be entitled to receive any distribution for such distribution period, and such unpaid distribution will not be payable in such distribution period or in later distribution periods. We will have no obligation to pay distributions for a distribution period if our board of directors does not declare such distribution before the scheduled record date for such period, whether or not distributions are declared or paid for any subsequent distribution period with respect to our outstanding preferred units or any other preferred units we may issue in the future. This may result in holders of our preferred units not receiving the full amount of distributions that they expect to receive, or any distributions, and may make it more difficult to resell our preferred units, or to do so at a price that the holder finds attractive. Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, determine to suspend distributions on our outstanding preferred units, which may have a material adverse effect on the market price of those units. There can be no assurances that our operations will generate sufficient cash flows to enable us to pay distributions on our preferred units. Our financial and operating performance is subject to prevailing economic and industry conditions and to financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Risks Relating to Our Organization and Structure
We have an indirect economic interest in only a portion of the Oaktree Operating Group, which may negatively impact our ability to pay distributions on our preferred units.
Following the 2022 Restructuring, the only entity within the Oaktree Operating Group in which we have an indirect economic interest is Oaktree Capital I. As a result of the 2024 Restructuring, the Company no longer consolidates the operations of Oaktree Capital I, but rather accounts for the Company’s approximately 74% interest in Oaktree Capital I under the equity method of accounting. As such, subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, the Company’s revenue is primarily the investment income earned from (i) limited partner investments in certain of Oaktree’s flagship opportunistic funds, (ii) an equity method investment in Oaktree Capital I, and (iii) an indirect ownership in Brookfield REIT. Please see “Item 1. Business—Structure and Operation of our Business.”
We hold a limited partner interest in, and made a capital commitment of, $750.0 million to Oaktree Opportunities Fund XI, L.P., a parallel investment vehicle thereof or a feeder fund in respect of one of the foregoing (such limited partner interest, the “Opps XI Investment” and such fund entities collectively, “Opps XI”). In order to fund the Opps XI Investment, our sole Class A unitholder, or one of its affiliates, contributes cash as a capital contribution (the “Opps XI Investment Cash”) as and to the extent required to satisfy our obligations to Opps XI. We will use the Opps XI Investment Cash solely to fund the Opps XI Investment and satisfy our obligations in respect of Opps XI. Distributions from the Opps XI Investment are intended for the benefit of the Class A unitholder, subject to applicable law. Our preferred unitholders should not rely on distributions received by us in respect of our Opps XI Investment for payment of distributions on or redemption of the preferred units. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has funded in the aggregate $637.5 million of the $750.0 million capital commitment. $379.0 million of the investment interest was pledged as collateral for two non-recourse credit facilities of an affiliate. The potential exposure is limited to the pledged interests.
In addition, we hold a limited partner interest in, and made a capital commitment of, $750.0 million to Oaktree Opportunities Fund XII, L.P., a parallel investment vehicle thereof or a feeder fund in respect of one of the foregoing (such limited partner interest, the “Opps XII Investment” and such fund entities collectively, “Opps XII”). Subsequently, the Company made an additional commitment of $46.2 million. In order to fund the Opps XII Investment, our sole Class A unitholder, or one of its affiliates, contributes cash as a capital contribution (the “Opps XII Investment Cash”) as and to the extent required to satisfy our obligations to Opps XII. We will use the Opps XII Investment Cash solely to fund the Opps XII Investment and satisfy our obligations in respect of Opps XII. Distributions from the Opps XII Investment are intended for the benefit of the Class A unitholder, subject to applicable law. Our preferred unitholders should not rely on distributions received by us in respect of our Opps XII Investment for payment of distributions on or redemption of the preferred units. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has funded in the aggregate $218.9 million of the $796.2 million capital commitment.
The distributions to holders of the Series A and Series B preferred units have been, and are expected to continue to be, generally serviced by distributions we receive from Oaktree Capital I. There can be no assurances that the distributions we receive from Oaktree Capital I will generate sufficient cash flows to enable us to pay distributions on our preferred units.
If we or any of Oaktree’s private funds were deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business or for Oaktree to continue such funds as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
A person will generally be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the Investment Company Act if:
• it is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities; or
• absent an applicable exemption, it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis.
We believe that we are engaged primarily in the business of providing asset management services and not primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. We also believe that the primary source of income from our business is properly characterized as income earned in exchange for the provision of services. We hold ourselves out as an asset management firm and do not propose to engage primarily in the business of
investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Accordingly, we do not believe that we are an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
The Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder contain detailed parameters for the organization and operation of investment companies. Among other things, the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder limit or prohibit transactions with affiliates, impose limitations on the issuance of debt and equity securities, generally prohibit the issuance of options and impose certain governance requirements. Oaktree and we intend to conduct our respective operations so that Oaktree and we will not be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. While Oaktree does advise or sub-advise funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act, Oaktree operates its private funds so that they are not deemed to be investment companies that are required to be registered under the Investment Company Act. If anything were to happen that would cause us to be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act or that would require us to register its private funds under the Investment Company Act, requirements imposed by the Investment Company Act, including limitations on capital structure, ability to transact business with affiliates and ability to compensate senior employees, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as currently conducted or Oaktree to continue management of its private funds as currently conducted, impair the agreements and arrangements between and among OCGH, us, Oaktree’s private funds and Oaktree’s senior management, or any combination thereof, and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be required to limit the amount of investments that we make as a principal or otherwise conduct our business in a manner that does not subject us to the registration and other requirements of the Investment Company Act.
Our operating agreement contains provisions that substantially limit remedies available to our preferred unitholders for actions that might otherwise result in liability for our officers and/or directors.
While our operating agreement provides that our officers and directors have fiduciary duties equivalent to those applicable to officers and directors of a Delaware corporation under the Delaware General Corporation Law, the agreement also provides that our officers and directors are liable to us or our unitholders for an act or omission only if such act or omission constitutes a breach of the duties owed to us or our unitholders, as applicable, by any such officer or director and such breach is the result of willful malfeasance, gross negligence, the commission of a felony or a material violation of law, in each case, that has, or could reasonably be expected to have, a material adverse effect on us or fraud. Moreover, we have agreed to indemnify each of our directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by law, against all expenses and liabilities (including judgments, fines, penalties, interest, amounts paid in settlement with our approval and counsel fees and disbursements) arising from the performance of any of their obligations or duties in connection with their service to us, including in connection with any civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other action, suit or proceeding to which any such person may be made party by reason of being or having been one of our directors or officers, except for any expenses or liabilities that have been finally judicially determined to have arisen primarily from acts or omissions that violated the standard set forth in the preceding sentence. Furthermore, our operating agreement provides that OCGH does not have any liability to us or our other unitholders for any act or omission and is indemnified in connection therewith.
Under our operating agreement, each of our directors and us is entitled, subject to certain consent rights, to take actions or make decisions in its “sole discretion” or “discretion” or that it deems “necessary or appropriate” or “necessary or advisable.” In those circumstances, each of our directors or us is entitled to consider only such interests and factors as it desires, including our own or our directors’ interests, and neither it nor our board of directors has any duty or obligation (fiduciary or otherwise) to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting us or any unitholders, and neither we nor our board of directors is subject to any different standards imposed by our operating agreement, the Act or under any other law, rule or regulation or in equity, except that we must act in good faith at all times. These modifications of fiduciary duties are expressly permitted by Delaware law. These modifications are detrimental to our unitholders because they restrict the remedies available to them for actions that without those limitations might constitute breaches of duty (including fiduciary duty).
Our ability to make distributions to holders of any series of preferred units may be limited by our holding company structure, applicable provisions of Delaware law, contractual restrictions and the terms of any senior securities we may issue in the future.
We are a limited liability holding company and have no independent means of generating revenues. In connection with the issuance of our preferred units, Oaktree Capital I issued ”mirror” preferred units to a holding company in which we indirectly own an interest to correspond with each series of our preferred units. The terms of the mirror preferred units state that, subject to certain exceptions, no distributions may be declared or paid with respect to the common units of Oaktree Capital I until distributions have been declared and paid or declared and set aside with respect to each series of mirror preferred units and the series of our preferred units to which they correspond. Accordingly, our ability to receive distributions from Oaktree Capital I may be impaired to the extent
Oaktree Capital I has not declared and paid or declared and set aside distributions on each series of mirror preferred units.
Under the Act, we may not make a distribution to a member if, after the distribution, all our liabilities, other than liabilities to members on account of their limited liability company interests and liabilities for which the recourse of creditors is limited to specific property of the limited liability company, would exceed the fair value of our assets. If we were to make such an impermissible distribution, any member who received a distribution and knew at the time of the distribution that the distribution was in violation of the Act would be liable to us for three years for the amount of the distribution. In addition, Oaktree Capital I’s cash flow may be insufficient to enable it to make required minimum tax distributions to holders of its units, in which case it may have to borrow funds or sell assets and thus our liquidity and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. Our operating agreement contains provisions authorizing the issuance of preferred units in us by our board of directors at any time without unitholder approval.
Risks Relating to United States Taxation
If the amount of distributions on the preferred units is greater than our gross ordinary income, then the amount that a holder of preferred units would receive upon liquidation may be less than the preferred unit liquidation value.
In general, to the extent of our gross ordinary income in any taxable year, we will specially allocate to the preferred units items of our gross ordinary income in an amount equal to the distributions paid in respect of the preferred units during the taxable year. Similar allocations will be made with respect to any equity securities we issue in the future that rank equally with the preferred units. Allocations of gross ordinary income will increase the capital account balances of the holders of the preferred units. Distributions will correspondingly reduce the capital account balances of the holders of the preferred units. So long as our gross ordinary income equals or exceeds the distributions paid to the holders of the preferred units, the capital account balances of the holders of the preferred units with respect to the preferred units will equal the aggregate preferred unit liquidation value at the end of each taxable year. If the distributions paid in respect of the preferred units in a taxable year exceed our gross ordinary income, items of our gross ordinary income will be allocated to the preferred units pro-rata based on the amount of distributions paid in respect of the preferred units in such taxable year. If the distributions paid in respect of the preferred units in a taxable year exceed the proportionate share of our gross ordinary income allocated in respect of the preferred units for such year, the capital account balances of the holders of the preferred units with respect to the preferred units will be reduced below the aggregate preferred unit liquidation value by the amount of such excess. In that event, we will allocate additional gross ordinary income, to the extent available in any taxable year, in subsequent years until such excess is eliminated. If we were to have insufficient gross ordinary income to eliminate such excess, holders of preferred units would be entitled, upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, to less than the aggregate preferred unit liquidation value. In addition, to the extent that we make additional allocations of gross ordinary income in a taxable year to eliminate such excess from prior years, the gross ordinary income allocated to holders of the preferred units in such taxable year would exceed the distributions paid to the preferred units during such taxable year. In such taxable year, holders of preferred units may recognize taxable income in respect of their investments in the preferred units in excess of our cash distributions, thus giving rise to an out-of-pocket tax liability for such holders. Future issuances of equity securities that rank equally with the preferred units could increase the likelihood that the capital account balances of holders of the preferred units decrease below the aggregate preferred unit liquidation value and holders of preferred units bear an out-of-pocket tax liability in future taxable years.
Holders of preferred units who are U.S. taxpayers should anticipate the need to file annually a request for an extension of the due date of their income tax return. In addition, it is possible that holders of preferred units may be required to file amended income tax returns.
Holders of preferred units are required to take into account items of gross ordinary income that are allocated to them for our taxable year ending within or with their taxable year. It may require a substantial period of time after the end of our fiscal year to obtain the requisite information from all lower-tier entities so that tax information (including IRS Schedules K-1) may be prepared by us. For this reason, holders of preferred units who are U.S. taxpayers should anticipate the need to file annually with the IRS (and certain states) a request for an extension past the applicable due date of their income tax return for the taxable year. Because holders of our preferred units will be required to report the items of gross income that are allocated to them, tax reporting for such holders will generally be more complicated than for shareholders of a corporation. In addition, it is possible that a holder of preferred units will be required to file amended income tax returns as a result of adjustments to items on the
corresponding income tax returns of the Company. Any obligation for a holder of preferred units to file amended income tax returns for that or any other reason, including any costs incurred in the preparation or filing of such returns, is the responsibility of each holder of preferred units.
An investment in preferred units will give rise to UBTI to certain tax-exempt holders.
We will make investments through entities classified as partnerships or disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes in “debt-financed” property and, thus, an investment in preferred units will give rise to unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) to tax-exempt holders of preferred units. Moreover, if the IRS successfully asserts that we are engaged in a trade or business, then additional amounts of income could be treated as UBTI. Tax-exempt holders of our preferred units are strongly urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of owning our preferred units. Because we are under no obligation to minimize UBTI, tax-exempt U.S. holders of preferred units should consult their own tax advisers regarding all aspects of UBTI.
Non-U.S. holders face unique U.S. tax issues from owning preferred units that may result in adverse tax consequences to them.
In light of our investment activities, we may be, or may become, engaged in a U.S. trade or business for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which case some portion of our income would be treated as effectively connected income, or “ECI,” with respect to non-U.S. holders of our preferred units. Moreover, dividends paid by real estate investment trust, or “REIT,” investments that are attributable to gains from the sale of U.S. real property interests may be treated as ECI with respect to non-U.S. holders of our preferred units. In addition, certain income of non-U.S. holders from U.S. sources not connected to any U.S. trade or business conducted by us could be treated as ECI. We may earn ECI and/or income treated as ECI. To the extent our income is treated as ECI, each non-U.S. holder generally would be subject to withholding tax on distributions attributable to such income, would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return for such year reporting such income effectively connected with such trade or business and any other income treated as ECI, and would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular U.S. tax rates on any such income (state and local income taxes and filings may also apply in that event). Non-U.S. holders that are corporations may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax (potentially reduced under an applicable tax treaty) on their allocable share of such income. In addition, if we are treated as being engaged in a U.S. trade or business, a portion of any gain recognized by non-U.S. holders on the sale or exchange of preferred units may be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as ECI. Consequently, such non-U.S. holders could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and branch profits tax on the sale or exchange of preferred units. In certain circumstances, for transfers on or after January 1, 2022, the transferee of such preferred units (or a broker through which the transfer is effected) may be required to deduct and withhold a tax equal to 10% of the amount realized (or deemed realized) on the sale or exchange of such preferred units, or such other amount as is specified in the Treasury Regulations. Because this guidance is recent, it is unclear how this provision may impact transfers of preferred units in the future. In addition, certain income from U.S. sources that is not ECI allocable to non-U.S. holders may be subject to withholding taxes imposed at the highest effective applicable tax rate. Non-U.S. holders of our preferred units are strongly urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of owning our preferred units.
Holders of preferred units may be subject to state and local taxes and return filing requirements as a result of investing in our preferred units.
In addition to U.S. federal income taxes, holders of our preferred units may be subject to other taxes, including state and local taxes, unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we do business or own property now or in the future, even if the holders of our preferred units do not reside in any of those jurisdictions. Holders of our preferred units may also be required to file state and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in some or all of these jurisdictions. Further, holders of our preferred units may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. It is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all U.S. federal, state and local tax returns that may be required of such unitholder.
Amounts distributed in respect of the preferred units could be treated as “guaranteed payments” for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The treatment of interests in a partnership such as the preferred units and the payments received in respect of such interests is uncertain. The IRS may contend that payments on the preferred units represent “guaranteed payments,” which would generally be treated as ordinary income and may not have the same character when received by a holder as our gross ordinary income had when earned by us. If distributions on the preferred units are treated as “guaranteed payments,” a holder’s taxable income would be equal to the guaranteed payment accrued or received, regardless of the amount of our gross ordinary income. Our limited liability company agreement provides that we and all holders agree to treat payments made in respect of the preferred units as other than guaranteed payments. Potential holders of preferred units are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the treatment of payments on the preferred units as “guaranteed payments.”
Holders of preferred units who do not hold the units through the record date for a distribution may be allocated gross ordinary income even though no distribution is received.
While distributions (if any) with respect to preferred units will be made on a quarterly basis, under the allocation methodology we have adopted we will prorate the total amount of gross ordinary income allocated to preferred units for a taxable year among holders of the preferred units on a monthly basis. As a result, a holder of a preferred unit who does not hold the preferred unit through the record date for a distribution may be allocated gross ordinary income even though no distribution is received. Holders of preferred units will remain liable for any income taxes associated with allocations of gross ordinary income even if they do not receive a distribution with respect to their preferred units or if the amount of such allocations exceed the amount of distributions they receive with respect to their preferred units. Any such gross ordinary income allocation will increase the holder’s adjusted basis in its preferred units.
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MD&A (Item 7)
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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of Brookfield Oaktree Holdings, LLC and the related notes included within this annual report. For a discussion and analysis of historical periods ended before January 1, 2024, please refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, financial results, financial condition, business prospects, growth strategy and liquidity. The factors listed under “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” in this annual report provide examples of risks, uncertainties and events that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations described in any forward-looking statements.
Business Overview
Brookfield Oaktree Holdings, LLC holds Credit, Real Estate and Equity investments managed by leading alternative asset management firms Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. and Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. The Company both directly invests in funds and has indirect exposure through its approximately 74% economic interest in Oaktree Capital I, L.P. (“Oaktree Capital I”), which holds a majority of Oaktree’s investments in its funds.
Brookfield Oaktree Holdings, LLC is a Delaware limited liability company that was formed on April 13, 2007 under the name Oaktree Capital Group, LLC. The Company’s ownership and operational structure through December 31, 2025 are the result of certain mergers and restructurings. The Company’s holdings and operations currently primarily represent (i) limited partner investments in certain of Oaktree’s flagship opportunistic credit funds, (ii) an approximately 74% economic interest in Oaktree Capital I, which holds a majority of Oaktree’s investments in its funds, and (iii) an indirect ownership interest in Brookfield Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (“Brookfield REIT”). The Company is the issuer of the Series A and Series B preferred units listed on the NYSE.
See Part I, Item I included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020 for more information regarding the Mergers and the 2019 Restructuring. See Item 1.01 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 6, 2022 and Part I, Item I included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 21, 2023 for more information about the 2022 Restructuring . See Item 8.01 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 1, 2024 for more information about the 2024 Restructuring.
The results of the Company are largely driven by the performance of certain funds and other investments held directly or indirectly by Oaktree Capital I, which is one of the key operating entities of Oaktree, and managed by Oaktree. The distributions to holders of the Series A and Series B preferred units listed on the NYSE are generally serviced by the distributions from Oaktree Capital I, and payments to the preferred unitholders must be satisfied prior to declaration of any distributions to Class A or Class B unitholders, subject to the terms of the Series A and Series B preferred units and certain limitations and exceptions set forth therein.
OCM provides certain administrative and other services relating to the operations of the Company’s business pursuant to the Services Agreement between the Company and OCM.
Business Environment and Developments
The Company and Oaktree are affected by a wide range of factors, including the condition of the global economy and financial m arkets; the relative attractiveness of Oaktree’s investment strategies and investors’ demand for them; and regulatory or other governmental policies or actions. Global economic conditions can significantly impact the values of fund investments and the ability to make new investments or sell existing investments for these funds. Historically, however, Oaktree’s diversified nature, of both investment strategies and revenue mix, has generally allowed it to benefit from both strong and weak economic environments. Weak economies and the declining financial markets that typically accompany them tend to dampen revenues from asset-based management fees, investment realizations or price appreciation, but their prospect can present opportunities to raise relatively larger amounts of capital for certain strategies, especially opportunistic credit. Additionally, weak financial markets may also present more opportunities for funds to make investments at reduced prices. Conversely, strong financial markets generally increase the value of fund investments, which typically create favorable exit opportunities that enhance the prospect for incentive income and fund-related realized investment income proceeds for Oaktree and enhance the prospect for investment income for us.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, including global sanctions imposed on Russia, conflict in the Middle East, controversies regarding Greenland, and changes in trade policies of the United States and other countries, including the imposition of tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, create continued uncertainty and volatility in the global
financial markets and economy and, as a result, may adversely impact Oaktree’s businesses and its funds’ and their respective portfolio companies’ business. As of the date of this filing, we are not aware of any material risk to the stability of our consolidated financial statements caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the conflict in the Middle East or changes in U.S. and global trade policies, or the materiality of any effect such uncertainties may have on our business and operations.
There has been significant recent progress and developments in the area of generative artificial intelligence but the impact to our business of such evolving technology cannot be fully determined at this time.
Understanding Our Results—Consolidation of Oaktree Funds
Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) requires us to consolidate entities in which we have a direct or indirect controlling financial interest based on either a variable interest model or voting interest model. A limited partnership or similar entity is a variable interest entity (“VIE”) if the unaffiliated limited partners do not have substantive kick-out or participating rights. Most of the Oaktree funds are VIEs because they have not granted unaffiliated limited partners substantive kick-out or participating rights. The Company consolidates those VIEs in which we are the primary beneficiary. For entities that are not VIEs, consolidation is evaluated through a majority voting interest model. Please see note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for more information.
As a result of the 2024 Restructuring, effected to facilitate the change of the general partner of Oaktree Capital I, the Company no longer indirectly controls Oaktree Capital I. Therefore, Oaktree Capital I was deconsolidated as of July 1, 2024. As such, certain Oaktree funds and CLOs which were consolidated by Oaktree Capital I are no longer consolidated by the Company. The Company continues to consolidate the respective vehicles through which interests are held in Oaktree Opportunities Fund XI, L.P. and Oaktree Opportunities Fund XII, L.P. as the Company remains the primary beneficiary.
Revenues
We earn interest and dividend income which is primarily earned by our consolidated funds from their investment holdings.
Historically, we had the potential to earn incentive income from many of the closed-end funds and certain evergreen funds managed by Oaktree in Oaktree Capital I’s capacity as the general partner of those funds. These closed-end funds generally provided that we received incentive income only after we had returned to Oaktree’s investors all of their contributed capital plus an annual preferred return, typically 8%. Once this occurred, we generally received as incentive income 80% of all distributions otherwise attributable to Oaktree’s investors, and those investors received the remaining 20% until we had received, as incentive income, 20% of all such distributions in excess of the contributed capital from the inception of the fund. Thereafter, all such future distributions attributable to Oaktree’s investors were distributed 80% to those investors and 20% to us as incentive income. As a result of the 2022 Restructuring, we were generally only entitled to earn one-third of the incentive income attributable to Oaktree Capital I in respect of Oaktree’s closed-end funds established in 2022 or later and in respect of incentive income from Oaktree’s evergreen funds earned subsequent to January 1, 2023. We were generally earning 100% of the incentive income attributable to Oaktree Capital I in respect of Oaktree’s closed-end funds established prior to 2022. Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, the Company no longer earns incentive income as a result of the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I. Rather the economics resulting from Oaktree Capital I’s right to earn incentive income are reflected in the Company’s results through investment income earned from the Company’s approximately 74% equity method investment in Oaktree Capital I.
We earn revenue from investment income, which represents our pro-rata share of income or loss from our investments. Historically, investment income was generally from Oaktree Capital I’s capacity as general partner in Oaktree funds and as an investor in Oaktree’s CLOs and third-party managed funds and companies. Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, we no longer earn investment income from the direct fund-related holdings of Oaktree Capital I. Rather the economics resulting from Oaktree Capital I’s investments are reflected in the Company’s investment income earned from the Company’s approximately 74% equity method investment in Oaktree Capital I.
Our consolidated revenues reflect the elimination of all revenues, if any, related to funds that are consolidated by the Company.
Please see “Business—Structure and Operation of Our Business—Structure of Funds” in this annual report for a detailed discussion of the structure of Oaktree funds.
Expenses
Compensation, General and Administrative Expenses
Compensation has historically primarily reflected compensation expense directly related to incentive income, which generally consists of percentage interests (sometimes referred to as “points” or an allocation of shares received upon the completion of a successful SPAC merger) that are granted to Oaktree investment professionals associated with the particular fund or SPAC that generated the incentive income, and secondarily, compensation directly related to investment income. There was no fixed percentage for the incentive income-related portion of this compensation, either by fund, SPAC or strategy. The percentage that consolidated incentive compensation expense represented of the particular period’s consolidated incentive income may not have been meaningful because incentive income from consolidated funds or SPACs was eliminated in consolidation, whereas no incentive income compensation expense was eliminated in consolidation.
Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, the Company no longer earns incentive income as a result of the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I, and therefore will no longer record incentive compensation expense. Compensation and benefits following the 2024 Restructuring primarily reflects compensation to the Company’s board of directors.
Subsequent to the 2022 Restructuring, general and administrative expenses generally included costs related to outside auditors, tax professionals, derivative and hedging activity, and other general items related directly to the Company’s operations. Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring and deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I, the Company no longer directly incurs costs related to derivative and hedging activity.
Consolidated Fund Expenses
Consolidated fund expenses consist primarily of costs, expenses and fees that are incurred by, or arise out of the operation and activities of or otherwise are related to, our consolidated funds, including, without limitation, travel expenses, professional fees, research and software expenses, insurance, and other costs associated with administering and supporting those funds. Inasmuch as most of these fund expenses are borne by third-party investors, they reduce the investors’ interests in the consolidated funds and have no impact on net income or loss attributable to the Company.
As a result of the 2024 Restructuring, the Company deconsolidated Oaktree Capital I as of July 1, 2024. As such, certain Oaktree funds and CLOs which were consolidated by Oaktree Capital I are no longer consolidated by the Company. The Company continues to consolidate the respective vehicles through which interests are held in Oaktree Opportunities Fund XI, L.P. and Oaktree Opportunities Fund XII, L.P. as the Company remains the primary beneficiary.
Interest Expense
Interest expense has historically primarily reflected the interest expense of the consolidated funds, as well as the interest expense of Oaktree and its operating subsidiaries. Subsequent to the 2022 Restructuring, our financial statements reflected debt obligations, interest expense or related liabilities associated with our operating subsidiary when Oaktree Capital I directly borrowed under Oaktree’s credit agreements, issued private placement notes or entered into another debt arrangement. Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, as a result of the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I, the Company no longer records interest expense for debt obligations of Oaktree Capital I or funds that were consolidated due to interests held by Oaktree Capital I.
Other Income (Loss)
Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Consolidated Funds’ Investments
Net realized gain (loss) on consolidated funds’ investments consists of realized gains and losses arising from dispositions of investments held by Oaktree’s consolidated funds.
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on Consolidated Funds’ Investments
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on consolidated funds’ investments reflects both unrealized gains and losses on investments held by Oaktree’s consolidated funds and the reversal upon disposition of investments of unrealized gains and losses previously recognized for those investments.
Income Taxes
The Company is a publicly traded partnership. Because it satisfies the qualifying income test, it is not required to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes; rather it is taxed as a partnership.
The Company analyzes its tax filing positions for all open tax years in all of the U.S. federal, state and local tax jurisdictions where it is required to file income tax returns. If the Company determines that uncertainties in tax positions exist, a reserve is established. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions within income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective governmental taxing authorities. Significant judgment is required in determining tax expense and in evaluating tax positions, including evaluating uncertainties. The Company reviews its tax positions quarterly and adjusts its tax balances as new information becomes available.
The Oaktree funds are generally not subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes and, consequently, no income tax provision has been made in the accompanying consolidated financial statements because individual partners are responsible for their proportionate share of the taxable income.
Net Income Attributable to Non-controlling Interests
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests represents the ownership interests that third parties hold in entities that are consolidated in our financial statements. These interests fall into two categories:
• Net Income Attributable to Non-controlling Interests in Consolidated Funds. This category represents the economic interests of the unaffiliated investors in the consolidated funds. The net income of these interests is primarily driven by the investment performance of the consolidated funds. In comparison to net income, this measure excludes our operating results and other items solely attributable to the Company. Following the 2024 Restructuring, with the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I, we no longer reflect the economic interest owned by other investors in the funds consolidated by Oaktree Capital I as noncontrolling interests; and,
• Net Income Attributable to Non-controlling Interests in Consolidated Subsidiaries. This category primarily represents the economic interest in the Oaktree Operating Group owned by OCGH and OEP (“OCGH and other non-controlling interest”), as well as the economic interest in certain consolidated subsidiaries held by third parties. Subsequent to the 2022 Restructuring, this category included only the OCGH and other non-controlling interest in Oaktree Capital I. The OCGH and other non-controlling interest was determined at the Oaktree Operating Group level based on the weighted average proportionate share of Oaktree Operating Group units held by OCGH and other unitholders. Inasmuch as the number of outstanding Oaktree Operating Group units corresponded with the total number of outstanding Class A, OCGH and OEP units, changes in the economic interest held by the OCGH and other unitholders were driven by additional issuances of our Class A units and driven by additional issuances of OCGH, OEP and OEP II units, as well as repurchases and forfeitures of, and exchanges between, Class A, OCGH, OEP and OEP II units. Certain of our expenses, such as income tax and related administrative expenses of Brookfield Oaktree Holdings, LLC and the holding companies through which we hold interests in Oaktree Capital I, were solely attributable to the Class A unitholders. Please see note 11 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for additional information on the economic interest in the Oaktree Operating Group owned by OCGH. Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, we no longer reflect the economic interest owned by OCGH and OEP as noncontrolling interests.
Net Income Attributable to Preferred Unitholders
This category represents distributions declared, if any, on our preferred units. Please see note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for more information.
GAAP Consolidated Results of Operations
The following table sets forth our audited consolidated statements of operations:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands, except per unit data)
Revenues:
Interest and dividend income
Incentive income
Investment income
Total revenues
Expenses:
Compensation and benefits
Incentive income compensation
General and administrative
Consolidated fund expenses
Interest expense
Total expenses
Other income (loss):
Net realized gain (loss) on consolidated funds’ investments
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on consolidated funds’ investments
Total other income (loss)
Income before income taxes
Income taxes
Net income
Less:
Net income loss attributable to non-controlling interests in consolidated funds
Net income loss attributable to non-controlling interests in consolidated subsidiaries
Net income attributable to Brookfield Oaktree Holdings, LLC
Net income attributable to preferred unitholders
Net income attributable to Brookfield Oaktree Holdings, LLC Class A unitholders
Distributions declared per Class A unit
Net income per Class A unit (basic and diluted):
Net income per Class A unit
Weighted average number of Class A units outstanding
Year Ended December 31, 2025 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2024
Revenues
Interest and Dividend Income
Interest and dividend income decreased $7.4 million, or 1.5%, to $483.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $490.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily attributable to the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I as a result of the 2024 Restructuring, partially offset by higher income from our investments in Opps XI and Opps XII.
Incentive Income
Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, we no longer earn incentive income due to the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I.
Investment Income
A summary of investment income is set forth below:
Year Ended December 31,
Income (loss) from investments in funds:
(in thousands)
Oaktree funds:
Credit
Equity
Real Estate
Non-Oaktree
Total investment income - Before equity-method investment in Oaktree Capital I
Equity-method investment in Oaktree Capital I
Total investment income - Oaktree and operating subsidiaries
Eliminations
Total investment income
Investment income increased $26.5 million, or 15.6%, to $196.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $170.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 primarily reflecting the performance of Oaktree Capital I and Brookfield REIT.
Expenses
Incentive Income Compensation
Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, we no longer incur incentive income compensation expense due to the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expense was unchanged at $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024.
Consolidated Fund Expenses
Consolidated fund expenses increased $3.2 million, or 3.9%, to $84.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $81.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase is primarily due to higher general costs incurred by Opps XII, partially offset by the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I’s consolidated funds following the 2024 Restructuring.
Interest Expense
Interest expense decreased $11.2 million, or 11.2%, to $88.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $99.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease is primarily driven by the deconsolidation of Oaktree Capital I and its consolidated funds as a result of the 2024 Restructuring.
Other Income (Loss)
Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Consolidated Funds’ Investments
Net realized gain on consolidated funds’ investments decreased $13.3 million, to $52.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $65.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The net realized gain during the year ended December 31, 2025 reflects our consolidated funds’ performance on investments sold and the decline is primarily due to Opps XII.
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on Consolidated Funds’ Investments
The net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on consolidated funds’ investments decreased $182.2 million, to a depreciation of $31.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from an appreciation of $150.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Excluding the impact of the reversal of net realized gain (loss) on consolidated funds’ investments, the net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on consolidated funds’ investments decreased $195.5 million to a net gain of $20.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from a net gain of $216.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily resulting from our investments in Opps XI.
Net (Income) Loss Attributable to Non-controlling Interests in Consolidated Funds
Net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests in consolidated funds decreased $145.5 million, or 34.8% to net income of $272.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from net income of $417.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease reflected our consolidated funds’ performance attributable to third-party investors in each period. These effects are described in more detail under “—Other Income (Loss)” above.
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Brookfield Oaktree Holdings, LLC Class A Unitholders
Net income (loss) attributable to Brookfield Oaktree Holdings, LLC Class A unitholders decreased $58.3 million, or 20.8%, to $221.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $280.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily reflecting lower other income related to our consolidated funds. These effects are described in more detail under “— Other Income (Loss)” above.
GAAP Statement of Financial Condition
We manage our financial condition without the consolidation of Oaktree funds. Since Oaktree’s founding, Oaktree and, by extension, we have managed our financial condition in a way that builds our capital base and maintains sufficient liquidity for known and anticipated uses of cash.
The following table presents our GAAP consolidating statement of financial co ndition:
As of December 31, 2025
Oaktree and Operating Subsidiaries
Consolidated Funds
Eliminations
Consolidated
(in thousands)
Assets:
Cash and cash-equivalents
Corporate investments
Receivables and other assets
Assets of consolidated funds
Total assets
Liabilities and Capital:
Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
Liabilities of consolidated funds
Total liabilities
Non-controlling redeemable interests in consolidated funds
Capital:
Capital attributable to BOH preferred unitholders
Capital attributable to BOH Class A unitholders
Non-controlling interest in consolidated subsidiaries
Non-controlling interest in consolidated funds
Total capital
Total liabilities and capital
Corporate Investments
As of December 31,
(in thousands)
Oaktree funds:
Credit
Real Estate
Total corporate investments – Before equity-method Investment in Oaktree Capital I
Equity-method Investment in Oaktree Capital I
Total corporate investments – Oaktree and operating subsidiaries
Eliminations
Total corporate investments – Consolidated
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We manage our liquidity and capital requirements by focusing on our cash flows before the consolidation of Oaktree funds and the effect of normal changes in short-term assets and liabilities. Prior to the 2024 Restructuring, our primary cash flow activities on an unconsolidated basis involved (a) generating cash flow from operations, (b) generating realized income and return of principal from investment activities, including strategic investments in certain third parties, (c) funding capital commitments that we have made to Oaktree funds, (d) funding our growth initiatives, (e) distributing cash flow to our Class A unitholders and to OCGH and OEP, (f) borrowings, interest
payments and repayments under credit agreements, our senior notes and other borrowing arrangements, and (g) issuances of, and distributions made on, our preferred units. Subsequent to the 2024 Restructuring, our primary cash flow activities on an unconsolidated basis involve (a) generating realized income and return of principal from investment activities, (b) funding capital commitments that we have made to Oaktree funds, (c) distributing cash flow to our Class A unitholders, (d) issuances of, and distributions made on, our preferred units, and (e) equity contribution from the investors of the Company to fulfill certain contractual capital commitments to its subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2025, the Company on an unconsolidated basis had $6.8 million of cash and cash equivalents.
Ongoing sources of cash include distributions from our equity method corporate investments. We primarily use distributions from our corporate investments to pay compensation and related expenses, service fees under the Services Agreement with OCM and distributions. Subject to applicable law and certain consent rights contained in our operating agreement, pursuant to a covenant in our operating agreement Oaktree plans to cause its operating group entities to distribute, on a quarterly basis, at least 85% of its adjusted distributable earnings, as defined in our operating agreement, and we plan to distribute amounts we receive in respect of such distributions, less any tax and tax receivable obligations, to holders of our Class A units. Distributions from each Oaktree Operating Group entity may not be proportionate to its share of adjusted distributable earnings.
Distributions on the preferred units are discretionary and non-cumulative. We may redeem, at our option, out of funds legally available, at any time, in whole or in part, the Series A preferred units or the Series B preferred units, at a price of $25.00 per preferred unit plus declared and unpaid distributions to, but excluding, the redemption date, without payment of any undeclared distributions. Holders of the preferred units have no right to require the redemption of the preferred units.
We have subscribed for a limited partner interest in, and made a capital commitment of, $750.0 million to Oaktree Opportunities Fund XI, L.P., a parallel investment vehicle thereof or a feeder fund in respect of one of the foregoing (such limited partner interest, the “Opps XI Investment” and such fund entities collectively, “Opps XI”). In order to fund the Opps XI Investment, our sole Class A unitholder, or one of its affiliates, will contribute cash as a capital contribution (the “Opps XI Investment Cash”) as and to the extent required to satisfy our obligations to Opps XI. We will use the Opps XI Investment Cash solely to fund the Opps XI Investment and satisfy our obligations in respect of Opps XI. Distributions from the Opps XI Investment are intended for the benefit of the Class A unitholder, subject to applicable law. Our preferred unitholders should not rely on distributions received by us in respect of the Company’s Opps XI Investment for payment of distributions on or redemption of the preferred units. As of December 31, 2025, $637.5 million of the $750.0 million capital commitment was funded. $346.8 million of the investment interest was pledged as collateral for two non-recourse credit facilities of an affiliate. The potential exposure is limited to the pledged interests.
We have subscribed for a limited partner interest in, and made a capital commitment of, $796.2 million to Oaktree Opportunities Fund XII, L.P., a parallel investment vehicle thereof or a feeder fund in respect of one of the foregoing (such limited partner interest, the “Opps XII Investment” and such fund entities collectively, “Opps XII”). In order to fund the Opps XII Investment, our sole Class A unitholder, or one of its affiliates, will contribute cash as a capital contribution (the “Opps XII Investment Cash”) as and to the extent required to satisfy our obligations to Opps XII. We will use the Opps XII Investment Cash solely to fund the Opps XII Investment and satisfy our obligations in respect of Opps XII. Distributions from the Opps XII Investment are intended for the benefit of the Class A unitholder, subject to applicable law. Our preferred unitholders should not rely on distributions received by us in respect of the Company’s Opps XII Investment for payment of distributions on or redemption of the preferred units . As of December 31, 2025, the Company has funded in the aggregate $218.9 million of the $796.2 million capital commitment. $102.0 million of the investment interest was pledged as collateral for one non-recourse credit facility of an affiliate. The potential exposure is limited to the pledged interests.
On June 27, 2023, the Company entered into a contribution agreement (the “Treasury Contribution Agreement”) with Brookfield Corporate Treasury Ltd. (“Treasury”). Treasury holds all of the outstanding Class A units of the Company. Pursuant to the Treasury Contribution Agreement, Treasury agreed to contribute to the Company an amount (the “Contributed Amount”) equal to the value of BUSI II GP-C LLC, BUSI II-C L.P., BUSI II SLP-GP LLC and Brookfield REIT OP Special Limited Partner L.P. (collectively, and together with any additional entities that may become direct or indirect subsidiaries of NTR (as defined below) and that beneficially own shares of Brookfield REIT (as defined below), the “REIT Entities”), including their indirect ownership in Brookfield Real Estate Income Trust Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Brookfield REIT”), as of June 30, 2023, and the Company agreed to contribute the Contributed Amount to OCG NTR Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“NTR”), in connection with the Company’s indirect acquisition (the “Acquisition”) of 100% of the interests in the REIT Entities. An amount of $307.0 million in respect of the Contributed Amount was contributed to the Company on June 27, 2023 (the “Purchase Price”) and a true-up contribution of $13.9 million was made on July 31, 2023 (the “True-Up Payment”). Also on June 27, 2023, the Company entered into a contribution agreement (the “NTR Contribution Agreement”)
with NTR whereby the Company contributed the Purchase Price to NTR and agreed to make a contribution in an amount equal to the True-Up Payment to NTR, and NTR agreed to use the Contributed Amount in connection with the Acquisition. On June 29, 2023, NTR entered into an agreement of purchase and sale (the “Agreement of Purchase and Sale”) to effect the Acquisition, whereby NTR acquired 100% of the interests in the REIT Entities from BUSI II NTR Sub LLC in exchange for cash. The Acquisition was completed on June 30, 2023.
As of December 31, 2025, the carrying value of the REIT Entities included in corporate investments was $311.0 million.
In connection with the Acquisition, on June 29, 2023, the Company entered into a letter agreement (the “Restructuring Letter Agreement”) with Treasury whereby, among other things, the Company agreed that, notwithstanding any provision of the operating agreement of the Company to the contrary, Treasury will have the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to make up to $200.0 million of additional capital contributions to the Company to be utilized in connection with the Company’s indirect ownership of Brookfield REIT or any other matters with respect to the operations of NTR and the REIT Entities, and no vote, approval or other authorization will be required in connection with such additional capital contributions. Also on June 29, 2023, the Company entered into a letter agreement (the “Indemnification Letter Agreement”) with BP US REIT LLC (“BP US”) whereby, among other things, BP US agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its members and the Company’s and such members’ respective officers, directors, employees, agents, successors, and assigns from any third-party claims brought against any of them related to the ownership, management or ongoing operating of the REIT Entities, and any subsidiaries thereof.
Consolidated Cash Flows
The accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows include our consolidated funds, despite the fact that we typically have only a minority economic interest in those funds. The assets of consolidated funds, on a gross basis, are larger than the assets of our business and, accordingly, have a substantial effect on the cash flows reflected in our consolidated statements of cash flows. The primary cash flow activities of our consolidated funds involve:
• raising capital from third-party investors;
• using the capital provided by us and third-party investors to fund investments and operating expenses;
• financing certain investments with indebtedness;
• generating cash flows through the realization of investments, as well as the collection of interest and dividend income; and
• distributing net cash flows to fund investors and to us.
Because our consolidated funds are either treated as investment companies for accounting purposes or represent CLOs whose primary operations are investing activities, their investing cash flow amounts are included in our cash flows from operations. We believe that we and each of the consolidated funds has sufficient access to cash to fund our and their respective operations in the near term. Subsequent to the 2022 Restructuring, the Company no longer consolidates CLOs whose direct ownership interests are held by OCM Cayman. As a result of the 2024 Restructuring, the Company no longer consolidates Oaktree Capital I, and the cash inflows and outflows related to Oaktree Capital I are now presented under the investing activities of the Company’s cash flow.
Significant amounts from our consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 are discussed below.
Operating Activities
Operating activities provided $0.5 billion of cash in 2025 and used $0.5 billion and $0.7 billion of cash in 2024 and 2023, respectively. These amounts principally reflected net income, purchases of securities, net of non-cash adjustments, and net realized and unrealized (gain) loss from consolidated fund investments in each of the respective periods as well as net purchases of securities of the consolidated funds.
Investing Activities
Investing activities provided $66.1 million of cash in 2025 and used $1.1 million and $366.6 million of cash in 2024 and 2023, respectively. No cash was invested in corporate investments in funds and companies in 2025. Corporate investments in funds and companies were $34.9 million and $488.3 million in 2024 and 2023,
respectively. Distributions and proceeds from corporate investments in funds and companies of $66.1 million, $203.8 million and $121.6 million in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Financing Activities
Financing activities used $0.8 billion of cash in 2025 and provided $0.8 billion and $1.3 billion of cash in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Financing activities included: (a) net distributions from non-controlling interests in consolidated funds of $0.3 billion and $0.2 billion in 2025 and 2024, respectively, and net contributions of $0.9 billion in 2023; (b) net repayments of credit facilities of the consolidated funds of $0.2 billion and $48.9 million in 2025 and 2023, respectively, and borrowings of $1.3 billion in 2024; (c) distributions to unitholders of $0.5 billion, $0.4 billion and $0.2 billion in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively; and (d) net capital contributions of $0.1 billion, $0.1 billion and $0.6 billion in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity
We expect to continue to make distributions to our preferred unitholders in accordance with their contractual terms and our Class A unitholders pursuant to our distribution policy for our common units as described in our operating agreement. In the future, subject to our operating agreement we may also issue additional units or debt and other equity securities with the objective of increasing our available capital. In addition, we may, from time to time, repurchase our preferred units in open market or privately negotiated purchases or otherwise, redeem our preferred units pursuant to the terms of their respective governing documents, or repurchase OCGH, OEP or OEP II units. The distributions from our corporate investments, including the distributions from the equity investment in Oaktree Capital I, also provide the Company with ongoing cash inflow.
We believe that the sources of liquidity described above will be sufficient to fund our working capital requirements for at least the next twelve months.
Preferred Unit Issuances
On May 17, 2018, we issued 7,200,000 of our 6.625% Series A preferred units representing limited liability company interests with a liquidation preference of $25.00 per unit. The issuance resulted in $173.7 million in net proceeds to us. Distributions on the Series A preferred units, when and if declared by the board of directors of Oaktree, will be paid quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year. Distributions on the Series A preferred units are non-cumulative.
On August 9, 2018, we issued 9,400,000 of our 6.550% Series B preferred units representing limited liability company interests with a liquidation preference of $25.00 per unit. The issuance resulted in $226.9 million in net proceeds to us. Distributions on the Series B preferred units, when and if declared by the board of directors of Oaktree, will be paid quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year. Distributions on the Series B preferred units are non-cumulative.
Unless distributions have been declared and paid or declared and set apart for payment on the preferred units for a quarterly distribution period, during the remainder of that distribution period we may not repurchase any common units or any other units that are junior in rank, as to the payment of distributions, to the preferred units and we may not declare or pay or set apart payment for distributions on any common units or junior units for the remainder of that distribution period, other than certain Permitted Distributions (as defined in the unit designation related to the applicable preferred units (each, the “Preferred Unit Designation”)).
We may redeem, at our option, out of funds legally available, at any time, in whole or in part, the Series A preferred units or the Series B preferred units, at a price of $25.00 per preferred unit plus declared and unpaid distributions to, but excluding, the redemption date, without payment of any undeclared distributions. Holders of the preferred units have no right to require the redemption of the preferred units.
The preferred units are not convertible into Class A units or any other class or series of our interests or any other security. Holders of the preferred units do not have any of the voting rights given to holders of our Class A units, except that holders of the preferred units are entitled to certain voting rights under certain conditions.
Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies
In the ordinary course of business, we and our consolidated funds enter into contractual arrangements that may require future cash payments. The following table sets forth information related to anticipated future cash payments as of December 31, 2025:
Thereafter
Total
(in thousands)
Oaktree and Operating Subsidiaries:
BOH limited partner commitments to Oaktree funds (1)
Subtotal
Consolidated Funds:
Debt obligations payable
Interest obligations on debt (2)
Total
(1) These obligations represent commitments by us to provide limited partner capital funding to our funds. These amounts are generally due on demand and are therefore presented in the 2026 column. Capital commitments are generally expected to be called over a period of several years.
(2) Interest obligations include accrued interest on outstanding indebtedness. Where applicable, current interest rates are applied to estimate future interest obligations on variable-rate debt.
In some of Oaktree’s service contracts or management agreements, Oaktree has agreed to indemnify third-party service providers or separate account clients under certain circumstances. The terms of the indemnities vary from contract to contract and the amount of indemnification liability, if any, cannot be determined and has neither been included in the above table nor recorded in our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2025.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Please see note 14 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for information on our commitments and contingencies and notes 9 and 15 for information on our joint and several liability as co-obligors on certain debt obligations with affiliates of the Company prior to the 2024 Restructuring.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. In applying many of these accounting principles, we need to make assumptions, estimates or judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. These assumptions, estimates or judgments, however, are both subjective and subject to change, and actual results may differ from our assumptions and estimates. If actual amounts are ultimately different from our estimates, the revisions are included in our results of operations for the period in which the actual amounts become known. We believe our critical accounting policies could potentially produce materially different results if we were to change underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments. Our most significant assumptions and estimates are related to the valuation of our corporate investments and the investments of our consolidated funds. For a summary of our significant accounting policies and estimates, please see the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report.
Recent Accounting Developments
Please see note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for information regarding recent accounting developments.
- Ticker
- OAK-PA
- CIK
0001403528- Form Type
- 10-K
- Accession Number
0001403528-26-000006- Filed
- Mar 24, 2026
- Period
- Dec 31, 2025 (Q4 25)
- Industry
- Investment Advice
External resources
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