FILE PHOTO: Trading information for KKR & Co is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., August 23, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Global private equity group KKR & Co KKR.N has raised $1.5 billion for its first Asia-focused infrastructure fund, roughly half the total targeted, one person with direct knowledge said. KKR began to target Asia's infrastructure sector with a series of hires beginning about a year ago and launched its fundraising in 2019.

The source declined to be named because the information was not public. KKR declined to comment.

The fundraising comes as private equity firms globally shift from focusing purely on buyouts towards becoming all-round investment houses with a series of alternative assets, such as infrastructure, real estate, hedge funds and credit.

KKR has about a dozen people in the region focused on infrastructure, according to the person. It made its first investment in the sector with a $400 million deal taking control of India Grid Trust (IndiGrid).

Separately, the firm has begun raising its fourth Asian private equity fund, aiming to raise $15 billion, Reuters reported this month.

The firm has also been raising a real estate fund for Asia,targeting $1.5 billion, Reuters reported in March.