November 26, 2025
Alyson Velati reports that more fund sponsors are considering converting unlisted interval funds into listed closed-end funds—a move analysts say could significantly expand the listed interval fund market by improving liquidity, reducing expenses, and enhancing capital deployment. The shift is gaining momentum as large funds such as the $3.7 billion Bluerock Total Income + Real Estate Fund and the $750 million Priority Income Fund pursue exchange listings to offer daily liquidity and streamline operations.
XA Investments President Kimberly Flynn noted that pressures leading sponsors to consider listing often stem from challenging liquidity environments. “When demand dries up and interval funds go into proration, it can become expensive for interval fund sponsors to tread water on assets given high sales compensation expenses,” she wrote. Proration, she explained, occurs when redemption demand exceeds the fund’s limits. “Furthermore, when interval funds have been in proration for an extended period of time, the remaining shareholders are potentially left with a more concentrated investment portfolio (since liquid securities have already been sold off in prior quarterly redemption rounds),” Flynn added.
Flynn also highlighted key structural differences that investors should understand. While unlisted interval funds offer continuous share issuance and quarterly redemptions at NAV, listed closed-end funds depend on market pricing for liquidity, and future capital raises require shelf offerings. She emphasized the appeal of the listed structure for alternative strategies, writing: “[The listed fund product wrapper is a] great fit for less liquid or illiquid alternatives because the exchange-mechanism allows shareholders to have liquidity intraday on demand.”
For investors, Flynn pointed out several trade-offs. “One benefit of the exchange listing is full liquidity on the exchange at market price (not NAV) … Listed CEFs may trade at a market price that represents a premium or a discount to NAV,” she noted. While investors gain daily liquidity, “they may be disappointed if the listed [closed-end fund’s] shares sell at a discount to NAV at the time they choose to sell,” she cautioned.
Industry observers believe listings can help stem asset outflows and broaden the listed fund universe, though they also introduce greater price transparency and the possibility of discounts. Flynn and other experts agree that the shift—if adopted more widely—could meaningfully “grow the universe” of listed interval funds while reshaping how investors access liquidity in alternative strategies.
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