Our first-ever AGM after our successful IPO last year. Many of you will be familiar with our performance, so I'll keep it brief and provide a high-level overview of our 2024 results. Let's kick off on slide two, which underlines what a landmark year 2024 was in the history of CVC. As I just mentioned, there was, of course, our IPO on Euronext Amsterdam in April. We're delighted with how this has gone and how it positions us to continue our growth. In May 2024, we activated Europe America's Fund 9, the largest private equity fund ever raised globally, and also Asia 6. Both of these funds exceeded their hard caps and reinforced our leadership in private equity. In 2024, we saw a strong recovery in activity levels, with deployment up 71% and realizations more than doubling over 2023. We continued to deliver strong investment performance for our clients.
Our exits in 2024 delivered four times gross multiple of money and a 30% IRR. In addition to this, we continue to build for the future. We completed the acquisition of our infrastructure business and the remaining shareholding in our secondary business. On the client side, we took a major step forward in private wealth, launching CVC Cred, our first evergreen product focused on European private credit. This was followed in January of this year by CVC PE, focused on private equity. Across these two evergreen structures, as of 31st March, we had already raised more than EUR 1.3 billion. Turning to slide three, I would characterize 2024 as a year of strong growth. Total AUM reached EUR 200 billion, and we continued to deliver on the strategic priorities set out at the time of the IPO.
We're very pleased by our continued fundraising momentum, with approximately EUR 16 billion of capital raised in 2024 across our highly diversified client base. This success is underpinned by our deep and long-standing client relationships, resulting from our long-term consistent investment performance. As I have mentioned, we saw a strong recovery in activity levels. The CVC network continues to enable us to identify a large number of investment opportunities, allowing us to select the most compelling for each of our seven investment strategies. Notwithstanding the current economic uncertainty, we've seen continued resilience across our investment portfolios and strong realized returns for our clients. Fundamentally, we are, of course, a people business, and as such, we place a high priority on continuing to invest in our people and our network. This is particularly important as we are accelerating investment into future growth, including private wealth, insurance, and AI.
From a financial perspective, our 40% increase in MFE drove a 31% increase in EBITDA and delivered a 59% MFE margin in 2024. In addition, our near-term management fee earnings trajectory is highly predictable, given recent fundraising success. We announced our Q1 activity update last week, so let me give a brief update on the first quarter of 2025. Whilst there has been an increase in economic uncertainty over recent months, we continue to execute on plan. Deployment grew strongly year on year, up 44% in the last 12 months, driven by a recovery in private equity deployment and good growth in credit. Overall, deployment remains consistent with our three to four-year fund cycles. Similarly, realizations grew significantly year on year, up 49% in the last 12 months, supported by our strong realization performance in Q1.
Looking ahead, we continue to expect realizations for 2025 to be at or indeed slightly above 2024 levels. Fee-paying AUM ended the period up 42% over the last 12 months, and value creation across the private equity and infrastructure portfolios was around 10% over the last 12 months, this despite the ongoing market volatility. Finally, our fundraising momentum remains strong across strategies and channels. In summary, while the geopolitical landscape remains uncertain, we believe that we are extremely well positioned as we continue to benefit from the underlying structural tailwinds which are favoring scaled global multi-asset managers such as CVC. We are a global market leader with particular strength in Europe. We have a unique network of talent across the globe, deep client relationships, and an exceptional track record. Based on this, I hope you can see why we are so optimistic about the future. Thank you.
Thank you, Rob. Meeting formalities, I think the AGM was convened via notice on our website on 20th of March 2025, satisfying all legal requirements. I propose that we take the notice of the meeting as read. In compliance with applicable regulations, the 2024 annual report and accounts and all the relevant AGM documentation were made available to shareholders through our website and upon request. For ease of reference, shareholders include both direct holders of CVC shares and those who hold them through Euroclear and Netherlands facilities. We will start by addressing questions submitted electronically in advance of the AGM, and it should be noted that we're not in a position to answer any specific questions on our portfolio companies in which the group invests. The focus of this meeting is on CVC as a group.
We've received the following questions in advance, of which Fiona Evans, our Company Secretary, will now read out.
We have had the following question from Leon Baressi. Reports, excuse me, have been circulating around CVC seeking to buy a U.S. private credit platform. Please, could management explain its criteria for making such an acquisition? Valuations for U.S. alternatives are extremely high at the moment, and given the current relatively low valuation of CVC's own shares, I question the relative value of chasing U.S. private credit trend versus other options for capital allocation, such as buybacks or domestic European M&A.
Thank you, Fiona. Rob, do you want to take this question?
Yep, sure. Thanks, Rolly. And thank you for the question. I think the key point to make upfront is that we are very selective about anything that we are looking at. We have very strict criteria that we apply to anything. We applied these criteria to the acquisition of Glendower on the secondary side three years ago, and more recently on the acquisition of DIF on the infrastructure side. They are size. We want businesses that are not too big, that they distort our structure, but are large enough that they can move the dial, move the needle internally, given the size of CVC. We're looking for quality of business, of course, but we're also looking for scalability. We need to be able to scale these businesses across our platform. We have these seven amazing strategies.
We have this incredible network, and we are looking for businesses where we can add real value through scaling them across that network. Probably most importantly of all, we're looking for a cultural fit and a relationship fit. We all know that the thing that makes all the difference in terms of making these acquisitions a success are those relationships and the cultural fit. When you look at all of those criteria, you can see that we are being very selective around this. Just to the second part of the question, we are incredibly mindful in terms of where our own share price is at any given point, and we're also very mindful of the U.S. credit cycle in particular and where valuations are over there. That is absolutely front of mind, and we're not in any rush to do anything.
We're not under any pressure to do anything. If the right thing comes along at the right time with the right fit, as I've just described, we will look at it seriously. Our focus is on driving the business in terms of what we have already. We've got a huge amount of growth potential within the strategies that we have already and across the new distribution platforms that we're looking at as well. No pressure, and we will be very selective. Thank you.
Thanks, Rob. There were no further questions submitted prior to the meeting, so I think we'll now move to asking shareholders in the room if they have any questions. When you ask, please raise your hand and state your name, and a microphone will be given to you. Mr. Burgers.
Thank you. Mr. Chairman, Willem Burgers, private investor from Amsterdam. It's a privilege to be here today on this first ever meeting of CVC. I have only very few questions at this first meeting because I'm relatively new, and I have to get fully acquainted with what's going on in this company. But then there are always questions, and my first one would refer to your dividend policy. Later on the agenda, there will be a proposed dividend for past year, and I can it says there will be a 27% payout ratio if you look at the restated earnings per share number. Now, for this year, it appears that there will be an initial half-year dividend and a final dividend at the end of the year, I presume. So maybe you can put some light on your strategy, especially with regards to the payout percentage.
The second question relates to the share price performance. It has been a greatly upward-moving trend in the past book year, but during the correction we saw from the moment you were listed to the mid-cap segment as of the end of March of this year, there was a 40% share price correction. That does not match with the great forward-looking statement Mr. Lucas made in his introduction, and that puts the question, and I ask it right away, that refers to what would agenda item number 14, and maybe it is better to ask the question at that moment.
No, I think we can deal with both questions.
The second part then is your strategy on share buyback programs, if applicable, because given the current uncertain investment climate, there may be an opportunity with the share price falling by 40% in only three weeks' time that there is a good opportunity to buy back own shares if that fits into your strategy. I'm wondering if that's a scenario that we may see in the coming period, given the risk that there is such a correction.
Thank you very much. Much appreciated. I think three questions: the dividend policy, the share price performance, recent share price performance since the end of March, and what is our policy towards share buyback. I think, Fred, probably all three questions are best dealt with by you.
I will make a good attempt at that, and thank you for your questions, Mr. Burgers. On item one, which is the resolution number two, really on the agenda today, I can confirm that the board has adopted a policy of paying a growing dividend and distributing the majority of our cash profits over time. For this year, as you rightly say, we have recommended a EUR 225 million dividend in respect of the second half of 2024 to be paid in June of this year, so next month. In addition, we would expect a 2025 interim dividend to be paid in October of this year. To reiterate, it is our policy to distribute the majority of our cash profits over time.
In terms of your question about the share price performance, we too obviously tracked what's been happening in the marketplace, and until obviously corrections in the market, particularly around Q1 of this year, we were tracking very favorably with the sector. Since then, the sector that we operate in, so the alternative markets, alternative private market manager sector, we have seen a correction backwards following some of the uncertainty around global economic outlook. We can't predict when that will reverse, nor can we do much about it in the near term. On that, in terms of your subsequent question, in terms of use of capital to potentially buy back shares, it's right and it's correct that we've adopted what we've put forward today for approval, a resolution that gives the board the authority to buy back shares of up to 10%.
Now, I can also confirm that we have no present intention to exercise that. We have other uses for capital, we believe, in helping the business grow and develop. You've heard from my colleague, Rob Lucas, about the number of initiatives we have underway where we see the application of capital being very beneficial for the company. Whilst we're seeking approval for that ability to buy back shares, the board currently has no intention, certainly in the near term, of exercising that authority.
Does that address all three questions? Very good. Are there any other further questions from the shareholders present here today in Jersey? Okay, then we have now come to the formal business of the meeting, and I would like to hand over to Fiona Evans to take us through the voting procedures today.
Thank you, Rolly. Information relating to the number of shares that may be cast at this meeting are as follows. The company has an issued share capital of 1,062,984,492 shares. The holders of 929,712,777 shares of the company are represented at this meeting either in person or by proxy. As the required quorum of registered shareholders present in person is met, we can vote on the resolutions at this meeting. The resolutions are listed on the screen and are as follows. To receive the 2024 annual report and accounts. To approve the payment of a final dividend. For clarification, the board proposes to approve a final dividend in cash of EUR 0.21668 per share. The dividend is in line with the total dividend payable being EUR 225 million and is marginally more than the EUR 0.21 figure in the notice of meeting which was rounded down.
To approve the 2024 remuneration report on an advisory basis, to approve the reelection and the remuneration of the external auditor, Deloitte, to reelect in turn each of the directors of the board, to approve the allotment or grant of share capital by the board, to authorize the company to disapply preemption rights, and finally, to authorize the company to purchase shares in the company. All resolutions will be decided by poll using electronic voting devices. Only shareholders attending in person or by proxy are able to vote in real time. Some shareholders have provided their voting instructions in advance of the AGM. These votes have been pre-submitted and recorded. No votes may be cast on shares held by the company or subsidiaries.
As stipulated in the company's articles of association, ordinary resolutions require a simple majority of votes cast, while special resolutions require a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, which applies to resolutions 13 and 14 only. I now declare voting on the resolutions open. I will now take a few moments to explain the voting procedure that we will use today. You can vote at any time during the proceedings until I declare the voting closed. For those who have registered for the meeting in the room, you would have been given a white plastic smart card and an electronic voting handset. If you have not already done so, please insert your card into the slot at the top of the handset with the barcode at the bottom and facing you. When inserted correctly, a welcome message will appear briefly on the screen.
You will be returned to the holding screen where your name will now appear at the top of the display. As voting is already open, you will be able to see all the resolutions on your device. To vote on an item, select it using the track ball, then press the green button to view the resolution, then press again to vote. To vote for the resolution, press one. To vote against, press two, and if you wish to abstain from voting, press three. Your selection and the word received will appear on screen, confirming your vote has been cast. To advance to the next resolution, press the green button, or to return to the list of resolutions, press the red triangle. If you wish to change your mind, simply select a new option by pressing one, two, or three.
Your original vote will be canceled and your new selection will be counted. If you wish to cancel your vote and have no selection recorded, press the X button. If you would like to vote with the board's recommendations, select this from the keypad menu and confirm your selection. This will cast your vote for all resolutions. If anyone present in the room has any issues with their voting device, please raise your hand and someone will come to assist you. There will now be a pause while we enable those present to complete their votes. If any problems at all, please raise your hand. Does anybody need any help? Has everybody finished voting? Are they happy that they've used their devices? If everyone present has voted, I will now—oh, I think you need a bit more time. Yeah, fine.
As everyone has voted, I will now close the poll. The provisional results will be shown on the screens shortly. As you can see from the screens, the resolutions have been received and do have the required approval. I can confirm on behalf of the Chair that all resolutions have been passed. Later today, we will announce the results on our website. Thank you, and I would now like to hand back to Rolly to close the meeting.
Thank you, Fiona. Ladies and gentlemen, as there are no further items, that concludes the formal business of the meeting today, and I will have to close the meeting. I would like to thank you very much for attending the AGM online and specifically in person. Please return your voting devices and have a safe journey home. Thank you very, very much.