Paul Singer

Paul Singer
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Nationality	American
Occupation	Hedge fund manager, investor
Title	CEO, Elliott Investment Management
Known for	Founder and CEO of Elliott Investment Management

Paul Elliott Singer (born 1944) is an American hedge fund manager, activist investor, and billionaire who founded Elliott Investment Management (formerly Elliott Management Corporation), one of the largest and most prominent activist hedge funds in the world. With approximately $76 billion in assets under management as of late 2025, Elliott has become what Bloomberg has described as "arguably the most famous name in shareholder activism." Singer has been a significant figure in American finance for decades, known for his firm's aggressive investment strategies, including distressed debt investing, sovereign debt litigation, and corporate activism. Beyond finance, Singer has been active in political fundraising and conservative policy advocacy, serving as chairman of the board of the Manhattan Institute until 2025. In recent years, Singer and Elliott have attracted attention for their involvement in the acquisition of Citgo Petroleum, the U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, a deal that intersected with U.S. foreign policy toward Venezuela under the administration of Donald Trump.

Early Life

Paul Elliott Singer was born in 1944 in the United States. Details regarding his upbringing and family background are not extensively documented in available sources.

Career

Founding of Elliott Management

Singer founded Elliott Management Corporation, which later became known as Elliott Investment Management. The firm grew from its origins into one of the largest hedge funds in the world, with approximately $76 billion in assets under management by late 2025. Elliott became known for a multi-strategy approach that encompassed distressed debt investing, activist investing, and sovereign debt litigation.

Activist Investing

Elliott Investment Management under Singer's leadership became one of the most prominent practitioners of shareholder activism, a strategy in which investors acquire significant positions in publicly traded companies and then push for changes in corporate strategy, governance, or management to increase shareholder value. As the firm's assets under management grew, Bloomberg noted that Elliott faced "a growing challenge: size," observing that the $76 billion fund was "playing for higher stakes" in its corporate activism campaigns. The scale of the fund's operations meant that it increasingly needed to target larger companies and pursue bigger deals to generate meaningful returns for its investors.

Singer's 13F filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have been closely tracked by financial analysts and media for insights into the firm's investment strategy. As of early 2026, filings revealed Elliott's positions across a range of sectors, including investments in companies such as OR Royalties Inc, reflecting Singer's ongoing strategic portfolio management.

Sovereign Debt and Distressed Investing

One of the defining aspects of Singer's career has been Elliott's involvement in sovereign debt investing, particularly the acquisition of distressed government bonds at discounted prices and subsequent legal campaigns to obtain full repayment. This strategy has been both lucrative and controversial, drawing criticism from some governments and international organizations while also being defended as a legitimate enforcement of contractual obligations.

Venezuela and Citgo

Among the most prominent examples of Elliott's distressed debt strategy has been the firm's involvement with Venezuelan sovereign debt and the subsequent acquisition of Citgo Petroleum, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Venezuela's state-owned oil company.

Elliott, through its subsidiary Amber Energy, moved to acquire Citgo at what critics described as a "rock-bottom price." The acquisition was part of a forced sale process connected to Venezuela's defaulted debts. By early 2026, Elliott's Amber Energy was reported to be "poised to close the sale of Citgo and receive more Venezuelan crude barrels," according to Fortune.

The Citgo acquisition attracted significant public attention in January 2026 when it intersected with U.S. foreign policy toward Venezuela. Following moves by the Trump administration regarding the potential removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, multiple media outlets reported on how Singer and Elliott stood to benefit financially from changes in U.S.-Venezuela relations. NPR reported on "how billionaire and Trump donor Paul Singer could benefit from Maduro's removal," noting the connection between Singer's political donations and the potential financial windfall from the Citgo deal. The Wall Street Journal reporter Benoît Morenne was among those who examined the financial implications of the geopolitical situation for Elliott's investments.

Mother Jones reported that Singer, whom it described as a "MAGA Billionaire," had "much to gain from Nicolás Maduro's ouster," characterizing the Citgo acquisition as having been made "at a bargain price." Common Dreams similarly drew attention to the convergence of Singer's role as a major Trump campaign donor and the potential financial benefits of the administration's Venezuela policy, noting that Singer "bought Citgo, the US subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company, at a rock-bottom price."

The situation highlighted the intersection of private investment, sovereign debt markets, and geopolitics that has characterized much of Elliott's distressed debt strategy throughout Singer's career. The Citgo deal represented one of the largest and most complex transactions in Elliott's history, combining elements of sovereign debt collection, corporate acquisition, and the politically sensitive dynamics of U.S.-Latin American relations.

Growth and Scale Challenges

By November 2025, Bloomberg reported on the challenges posed by Elliott's growing scale. With $76 billion under management, the fund needed to pursue increasingly large and complex deals to maintain its performance record. The publication noted that Elliott was "playing for higher stakes" in corporate activism, reflecting the broader trend of large activist hedge funds moving into bigger target companies and more capital-intensive strategies. This evolution from a smaller, more nimble operation to one of the world's largest hedge funds represented a significant transition in Singer's management of the firm, requiring adaptation of strategies that had been developed when the fund was substantially smaller.

Political Activity and Policy Advocacy

Singer has been a significant political donor in American politics. Multiple news outlets have described him as a major donor to Donald Trump's political campaigns and related political entities, with NPR referring to him as a "Trump donor," Common Dreams calling him a "Billionaire Trump Megadonor," and Mother Jones describing him as a "MAGA Billionaire."

Manhattan Institute

Singer served as chairman of the board of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative and libertarian think tank based in New York City. In May 2025, the Manhattan Institute announced that Singer was stepping down from the chairmanship after what the organization described as a substantial tenure. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was announced as his successor. The announcement indicated that Singer had played a significant leadership role at the organization over an extended period, though the full details of his tenure and contributions to the institute's programming and direction were not specified in the available announcement.

Recognition

Singer's status as one of the most prominent figures in the hedge fund industry has been widely documented in financial media. Bloomberg described Elliott Investment Management as "arguably the most famous name in shareholder activism," a characterization that reflects both the firm's track record and Singer's personal prominence in the investment world. His 13F filings and investment moves are regularly covered by major financial news outlets including Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, Fortune, and the Wall Street Journal, indicating the degree of attention his investment decisions command in financial markets.

Singer's political influence has also been documented by a range of publications. His simultaneous roles as a major hedge fund manager, political donor, and policy advocate have made him a subject of coverage not only in financial media but also in political journalism, with outlets ranging from NPR to Mother Jones and Common Dreams examining the interplay between his financial interests and political activities.

Legacy

As of early 2026, Singer remains an active figure in both finance and American public life. His career at Elliott Investment Management has spanned multiple decades, during which the firm grew from a smaller operation to a $76 billion fund that is one of the largest in the hedge fund industry. Elliott's evolution and the challenges associated with its scale—the need to pursue larger and more complex deals while maintaining returns—reflect broader trends in the hedge fund industry, where the most successful firms have had to adapt their strategies as their assets under management have grown.

Singer's involvement in sovereign debt disputes, particularly with respect to Venezuela and the Citgo acquisition, has placed him at the center of debates about the role of private investors in sovereign debt markets and the relationship between financial interests and foreign policy. The Citgo deal, which remained in the process of being finalized in early 2026, represented a case study in the intersection of distressed debt investing, corporate acquisition strategy, and geopolitical dynamics.

His transition from the chairmanship of the Manhattan Institute to the appointment of Betsy DeVos as his successor marked the end of one chapter in Singer's involvement in conservative policy advocacy, though his broader political and philanthropic activities continued. Singer's career has encompassed roles as a fund manager, activist investor, sovereign debt litigator, political donor, and policy advocate, making him one of the more multifaceted figures in contemporary American finance.