Ucits at a glance: Ucits continue to chart a steady course

Goldman Sachs AM explores interval structure for credit fund
Goldman Sachs Asset Management has begun marketing for an interval fund primarily focused on credit investments

Ucits at a glance: ucits continue to chart a steady course

First Eagle buys US CLO manager THL Credit
Two years after establishing its credit business with the acquisition of NewStar Financial, First Eagle Investment Management is aiming big again after striking a deal to buy THL Credit Advisors

Astor and Armory team up for US mid-market credit interval fund
Astor Investment Management has teamed up with Armory Capital to launch a middle-market credit interval fund, according to US regulatory filings

CIFC beefs up investor relations team in London with two hires
CIFC Asset Management has hired from Muzinich and Murano in a bid to strengthen its European investor relations effort

S&P acquires ESG rating business from RobecoSam
S&P Global has acquired an ESG ratings business from RobecoSam, according to an announcement. The acquisition includes that of SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), an evaluation tool.

Azimut hires ex-Dyal official as it aims to buy minority equity in asset managers
Azimut will initially focus on acquiring minority stakes in alternative asset managers with under $3 billion AUM – including private credit, private equity, infrastructure and real estate firms

Finnish life insurer assembles European loan investment business
The firm has brought over a loan portfolio manager from parent company Sampo Group to head the new unit and added a former Deutsche Bank official 

Western adds 5% CLO bucket to listed US loan fund
Western Asset Management has added CLO debt and equity tranches to the investment mandate on a loan fund that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Western to launch European loan business after hiring portfolio manager
Western Asset Management is launching a European corporate loan business after hiring an experienced credit portfolio manager with a background rooted in the CLO industry

Ares hires head of credit trading
Ares Management has appointed a head of credit trading in a newly created role

Investors increasingly see ESG as fiduciary duty, State Street survey reveals
North American investors are most likely to view ESG as a fiduciary duty, while European investors are driven by regulation, performance and reputational risk, according to results from a survey conducted by State Street Global Advisors

Managers dispel myth that lenders can’t influence ESG
There’s a growing belief among credit fund managers that they can influence borrowers to take on ESG-friendly practices, contrary to the widely-accepted notion that the business practices of companies are dictated by their private equity owners.

ESG integration is part of fiduciary duty, finds UNPRI
The United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) report ‘Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century’, published late last month, concludes that ESG is a source of investment value, ending debate that using ESG criteria might violate fiduciary duties.

BTIG founds European fixed income credit division and adds four traders
The London-based division will be led by Michael Carley, who BTIG hired last year as a fixed income managing director in New York

Ropes & Gray names leveraged finance partners in New York
Law firm Ropes & Gray has named 16 new partners across its offices – including several credit-related promotions

Proskauer promotes eight to partner in credit
Law firm Proskauer has promoted 15 lawyers to partners in its London, New York and Boston offices – including eight who work in credit

Mayer Brown adds leveraged finance partner in Frankfurt
Mayer Brown has appointed Bernina Butt to its banking and finance practice as partner

Distressed loans get IHS Markit workover as tech service aims to cut settlement times
IHS Markit is unveiling an electronic solution through its ClearPar platform aimed at simplifying trade settlement for distressed leveraged loans, an area that has greatly lagged efficiency in the par loans market    

CLO supply set for double-digit drop in 2020, says JP Morgan
US CLO supply in 2020 will be as much as 20% down on 2019, while European issuance will fall 13% year-on-year, predict JP Morgan strategists in a research note. Even so, new CLOs should still outpace existing deal paydowns, as well as high yield primary market net new issuance

Schroders integrates ESG into corporate revolving credit facility
The firm is the first asset manager to convert its corporate revolving credit facility into an ESG-linked facility, it claims, and will link pricing to three ESG-related key performance indicators

Baker McKenzie hires co-head of North America leveraged finance from Kirkland
Based in New York, the hire will work closely with co-head Garry Jaunal, who also joined from Kirkland a few years ago 

ESG phenomenon leads to talk of incentive fee models
For asset managers that are diving into environmental social and governance (ESG) investment standards, an ugly truth is the lack of any standardised performance fees. But that could change as more investors begin picking and choosing allocations based on ESG rubrics.

Credit CIO Finch leaves GLG
Simon Finch has parted ways with Man GLG, according to market sources, ending an 18-month stay at the firm where he served as chief investment officer for credit