CNL Securities

What CNL Securities does

CNL Securities Corp. is a privately held, FINRA-registered managing dealer (broker-dealer) and SIPC member, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, that distributes alternative investment products exclusively to U.S. financial professionals and their individual investor clients. Founded in 1979/1980 by James M. Seneff and operating as part of the broader CNL Financial Group conglomerate, the company has positioned itself around a 45-year track record in alternative investments, framed by the "Democratization of Investing®" thesis of bringing private-market strategies to retail portfolios.

The company's current product shelf consists of two core offerings: CNL Strategic Capital, a private equity strategy that invests in private companies through debt and equity holdings, and CNL Strategic Residential Credit, a non-traded REIT focused on residential mortgage credit with NAV-based share pricing. Both products are non-traded, long-duration, and illiquid by design, with features disclosed in prospectuses rather than standard retail channels. Distribution is exclusively intermediated through select selling firms, broker-dealers, and registered investment advisers; investors cannot purchase directly. Supporting infrastructure includes the CNL Alternative Institute (advisor education), the CNL Blog (thought leadership), and an investor account portal operated by transfer agent DST Systems, Inc.

CNL Securities earns revenue primarily through commissions and fees on the distribution of these alternative investment products — a transaction-fee revenue model tied to capital-raised volume and trailing fees on assets placed. The company has historically distributed a broader set of non-traded REITs (CNL Lifestyle Properties, CNL Healthcare Properties II), but several prior products have been wound down between 2017 and 2022, narrowing the active shelf. No revenue, AUM, or headcount growth figures are publicly disclosed, limiting quantitative assessment of current scale and trajectory.

Name

CNL Securities

Legal name

CNL Securities Corp.

Website

https://cnlsecurities.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CNL Securities Corp. is a privately held, FINRA-registered managing dealer in Orlando, Florida, distributing non-traded alternative investment products — including private equity and mortgage credit strategies — exclusively through select broker-dealers and financial advisors serving U.S. individual investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Managing Dealer Services: CNL Securities Corp. operates as a managing dealer (broker-dealer) distributing alternative investment products to financial professionals and their clients. The company earns revenue through commissions and fees associated with the distribution of securities offerings including non-traded REITs, private capital strategies, and other alternative investment products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CNL Securities Corp. operates as a FINRA-registered managing dealer and broker-dealer that distributes non-traded alternative investment products to financial professionals and their clients. Its product set consists of CNL Strategic Capital, a private capital/private equity strategy owning private companies through debt and equity, and CNL Strategic Residential Credit, a non-traded residential mortgage credit REIT, both distributed exclusively through select selling firms and registered investment advisers.

Product overview

CNL Securities operates as a managing dealer offering alternative investment solutions for financial professionals and their clients. The product portfolio consists of two primary non-traded investment offerings: CNL Strategic Capital (a private equity/private capital strategy owning private companies through debt and equity investments) and CNL Strategic Residential Credit (a residential mortgage credit REIT offering). Both products provide access to alternative asset classes typically unavailable to retail investors through traditional public markets, with features including limited liquidity, NAV-based pricing, and long-term investment horizons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CNL Strategic Capital A private capital/private equity strategy that owns private companies through debt and equity investments, providing individual investors access to private equity-style returns outside publicly traded markets. Distributed by CNL Securities Corp. through select selling firms and financial professionals.
• CNL Strategic Residential Credit A non-traded REIT private placement offering focused on residential mortgage investments and credit strategies, featuring NAV-based share pricing and periodic distributions. Distributed by CNL Securities Corp. through select selling firms and financial professionals.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CNL Strategic CapitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationCNL Strategic Capital is a company that owns private companies and provides access to a unique private equity strategy for individual investors seeking returns outside of publicly traded markets. This is a related-party product offering under the CNL Securities distribution umbrella.
• DST Systems, Inc.coreOthersDST Systems, Inc. serves as the transfer agent for CNL Securities distributed investments. After significant business disruption, investors can contact DST at 866-563-0650. DST provides investor account services and transaction processing.
• FINRAcoreOthersFinancial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the self-regulatory organization for broker-dealers in the United States. CNL Securities Corp. is a FINRA member firm, registered as broker-dealer.
• SIPCcoreOthersSecurities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) provides protection for securities customers of member broker-dealers. CNL Securities Corp. is a SIPC member, providing investor protection for securities held in customer accounts.
• CNL Financial GroupcoreOthersCNL Financial Group is the parent company/affiliate that includes CNL Securities, CNL Strategic Capital, CNL Healthcare Properties, and other CNL entities as part of the broader CNL family of companies.
• CNL Healthcare PropertiesminorOthersCNL Healthcare Properties is an affiliated REIT that was the subject of a potential acquisition by Sonida Senior Living as reported in November 2025 for approximately $1.8 billion. CNL Securities previously distributed healthcare properties offerings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hines Securities: Dealer-manager distributing Hines' non-traded real estate investment vehicles to financial advisors, mirroring CNL's affiliated-sponsor distribution structure.
• CAIS: Alternative investment marketplace giving financial advisors access to private equity, credit, and non-traded products – the same advisor-channel alts distribution CNL targets, but platform-enabled.
• FS Investments: Alternative investment manager and distributor of non-traded BDCs, REITs, and interval funds to advisors and retail investors, overlapping with CNL's alt-distribution and product structure.
• Bluerock: Alternative asset manager sponsoring and distributing non-traded interval funds and real estate credit products to individual investors through advisors, closely comparable to CNL's offerings.
• Cantor Fitzgerald Capital: Dealer-manager distributing non-traded REITs and alternative investment programs to broker-dealers and RIAs, functioning in the same managing-dealer role as CNL Securities.
• Inland Securities Corporation: Managing dealer / dealer-manager distributing non-traded REITs and alternative investment programs through financial advisors, directly mirroring CNL Securities' managing-dealer model.

Others

• Robert A. Stanger & Co. Investment bank and research firm specializing in non-traded REITs and alternative investment programs; an ecosystem participant and data/advisory provider to the same retail-alts market CNL operates in.

Broad incumbents

• Ares Wealth Management Solutions: Distribution arm of a large alternatives manager bringing non-traded credit, real estate, and private products to the wealth channel, overlapping directly with CNL's retail-alts focus.
• Blackstone Private Wealth Solutions: Wealth-channel distribution unit of a mega alternatives manager offering non-traded REIT and private products to individual investors, competing broadly for retail alts allocations.
• iCapital: Leading technology platform delivering alternative investments to advisors and wealth managers; competes for the same advisor allocations to alts but as a broad, tech-driven marketplace.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cnlsecurities

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CNL Securities