Senior figures in the global private equity industry believe more than a fifth of buyout firms will be unable to raise funds within the next seven years, echoing a report by Private Equity News earlier this week, which predicted this would lead to a wave of consolidation in the sector.

An electronic straw poll at the SuperReturn International conference in Berlin yesterday day showed 54% of respondents believed that between 21% and 40% of firms will be unable to raise funds within the next seven years, while a further 16% thought over 40% would be unable to do so.