Washington, DC – Global private equity firm The Carlyle Group today released its 2008 annual report. The 60-page document, which is Carlyle's ninth consecutive annual report and the second one made available to the public, is available on Carlyle's website at www.carlyle.com.

The report features the following:
• Summary of the firm's global investment activities
• Fifteen investment case studies
• Special section on Carlyle's ten years of activity in China
• Expanded coverage of Carlyle’s growing Corporate Responsibility initiative

The Overview section of the report notes that:
• 900 professionals in 20 countries manage $85 billion in 64 funds across three asset classes (corporate private equity, leveraged finance/distressed and real estate)
• $54.6 billion of equity invested in 896 corporate private equity and real estate transactions since 1987
• $3.3 billion of employee money committed to Carlyle funds

In the Founders’ letter, William E. Conway, Jr., Daniel A. D’Aniello and David M. Rubenstein, said:

“The Carlyle Group general partnership finished 2008 in excellent financial shape. Our balance sheet is strong, enabling us to withstand the global financial crisis and positioning us well when the markets begin to recover. Nonetheless, the year 2008 was a humbling experience for us and most of the financial services industry. After several years of unprecedented growth, product innovation, geographic expansion, capital deployment and investment gains, our world changed dramatically.”

They concluded: “Our mission is clear: we must deploy our resources to protect the investments we have already made while seeking ways to profit from the extraordinary opportunities that exist in the new environment.”

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