Iran conflict weighs on primary but cross-border European loan deal flow continues
Europe Loan Digest: Electronic Arts prices euro-dollar loan; Grifols launches refi

AI blockbuster deals surge as Middle East conflict test dealmaker confidence
Mergermarkets M&A Highlights 1Q26: Global M&A volume jumped 22% to the second highest start ever

Investors scrutinise AI disruption and opportunities in the European loan market
Lower EV, high leverage elevate credit risk and refi challenges; AI-driven sell-off creates selective buy opportunities

Loan market sell-off set to widen, Sealed Air enters primary despite expected issuance slowdown – Europe Loan Digest
Electronic Arts to price today; strong CLO bid protects prices from macro volatility

EQT, Advent, Cinven embrace deal flexibility as hedge against Middle East chaos
ECM Pulse:Optionality trumps predictions in chasing LP returns; uncertainty dogs IPO prospects as bid-ask gap remains

EU insolvency law harmonisation campaign marches on with new directive
LEGAL ANALYSIS: European Parliament signs off new ‘harmonisation’ directive: Relates to five areas, including avoidance actions and ‘pre-packs’

ABS primary braves geopolitical uncertainty as spreads start to feel pressure – European ABS Weekly Digest
The European ABS primary market mostly shunned geopolitical risk this week as seven deals priced, two of which were pre-placed

CLO portfolios are diversified across sectors — but not by business model
Sector analysis isn’t deep enough to discover which companies will be boosted by AI — and which will nosedive

AI will upend operational models in a very short space of time
With online travel firm equities and life insurer CDS already off by a third, the systemic risk of AI is real

Air Baltic and INEOS Quattro bonds fall, AD Education loan continues to slide – Market Comment
Latvian flagship airline Air Baltic’s EUR 380m 14.5% senior secured 2029 notes are 5 points down from Friday, while UK-based chemicals group INEOS Quattro’s EUR 775m 8.5% senior secured 2029 notes are 4.5 points down at 77.9-mid in the wake of rising costs stemming from the US/Iran conflict

AI’s potential may be underestimated despite investing concerns – Howard Marks
AI’s potential is likely underestimated, but worries about job losses and an AI investment bubble persist, said Oaktree co-founder Howard Marks in a new memo

Schroders, InPost deals boost 2026 takeover pipeline by EUR 19bn
InPost agrees EUR 7.8bn deal with Advent, FedEx; modest premium for Schroders may open for rivals

Group.ONE TLB and Cision loan fall on continued AI selloff
Market Comment: Software leveraged loans are under pressure on continued AI fears

A fiery start to the year
Welcome to the first issue of the Creditflux magazine for 2026. Our cover pays homage to the Lunar New Year, which begins on February 17 and is symbolised by the horse

Software loans face further declines as AI fears persist
The rapid deployment of artificial intelligence is wreaking havoc with software companies that not long ago were darlings of the US leveraged loans market

‘This is a perfect storm for the loan market’
Investing Corner with Michael Sobol, global head of investing at Blackstone

LFFM event makes life-saving return
Leveraged finance leaders meet in London to support the Melanoma Research Alliance, raising millions and spotlighting the breakthroughs that are now helping fight many types of cancer

New filings detail Patrick Drahi's diversion of assets to detriment of certain Altice creditors – report
EUR 4.5bn loan affected, 55% of Altice International's assets; creditors explore litigation, including covenant breach and conveyance claims

US lev loans, CLO spreads move in opposite directions as market worries deepen over software loans
ANALYSIS: The unusual dynamic has been driven by worries about disruption from artificial intelligence, as investors fret about the potentially wide-ranging impacts across a range of sectors

European BSL market upped risk to win deals in 2025 – White & Case
The BSL market issued a higher percentage of loans rated below BB against a backdrop of patchy M&A flow

Largest loan repricing wave sweeps through the market while AI fears drive software sector sell-off
Nord Anglia and INNIO break through 300bps barrier for single-Bs; Team.blue and Dedalus pull deals amid software/tech sell-off

London leveraged finance leaders turn out for melanoma fight
The British Museum played host to the second edition of Leveraged Finance Fights Melanoma (LFFM) London on Wednesday evening, with some 700 attendees from 90 firms across the leveraged finance and private equity helping raise over GBP 1.6m for melanoma research

Loan market steams ahead with new launches as more deals line up in Europe
Flex-downs abound, but Hologic’s sub-300bps spread raises eyebrows, while performance in focus for Archroma, Seqens and Lipton Tea

Key theme for 2026 will be growth in the loan market – Eagle Point founder Tom Majewski

Growth in the loan market will be an important market driver this year, the founder of Eagle Point Credit Management says on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee; also shares Eagle Point ressearch that shows LMEs at 2% per year on top of default rates

Repricings comprise half of European levloans’ record year, new money drops to lowest level since GFC
The European leveraged loan market reached its highest yearly issuance volume ever in 2025, according to Debtwire data, driven by repricings