US insurer Aflac purchases minority stake in direct lender Varagon
Varagon Capital Partners has sold a non-controlling, minority stake of the firm to Aflac Global Investments, the asset management division of US insurance company Aflac Incorporated

HIG WhiteHorse reaches $1.1 billion final close for direct lending fund
HIG WhiteHorse has announced a final close on its direct lending fund, HIG WhiteHorse Principal Lending Fund

Sound Point creates its first fund geared exclusively to direct lending
Sound Point, which has experience of investing in middle market loans through various funds, has launched its first dedicated speciality lending fund 

Apollo fills gap in European direct lending team with senior hire from Alcentra
Apollo Global Management has filled a void in its European direct lending team by hiring Alcentra’s Natalia Tsitoura, according to market sources

PineBridge launches first commingled direct lending fund
Two years after launching its private credit platform, PineBridge Investments closed its inaugural direct lending fund at $396 million, plus a $200 million leverage facility

Golub makes its way into Europe with big direct lending hire in London
Golub Capital has ticked off one of its big targets for 2020 – establishing a European direct lending business – with market sources indicating that the firm has hired a senior official from Guggenheim in London

Private debt takes centre stage as Arizona looks to bolster credit allocation to 25%
Arizona State Retirement System remains bullish on credit with the $41.9 billion institution looking to bolster its entire credit allocations to almost a quarter of the fund - and private debt will take centre stage in the Arizona pension’s growth plans

US pension backs two private debt managers, but retreats from syndicated loans
San Antonio Fire & Police Pension Fund ended 2019 bullish on private debt but shying away from syndicated loans

BNP Paribas AM hits €345 million on first close of European SME debt fund
BNP Paribas Asset Management has attracted €345 million from 13 investors for its second European debt fund focused on small and medium-sized enterprises, marking the fund’s first close

Texas pension commits $250 million to large US direct lender
Texas County & District Retirement System closed out 2019 with a $250 million allocation to US direct lending

Insurance companies could ramp exposure to CLOs and private credit in 2020
US-based insurers have roughly $7 trillion in assets and a small increase in allocations could have huge implications for the leveraged loan market, CLOs and private credit managers—a dynamic that could unfold in 2020

Värde launches $2.5 billion global credit fund
Värde Partners has raised $2.47 billion for a new global credit fund, according to an announcement today

European Direct Lending Perspectives: fundraising records shatter
Fundraising in European direct lending hit €32.2 billion in September to mark a record-breaking year for the industry, according to the latest version of European Direct Lending Perspectives

Private debt tops the private markets agenda for insurers, finds Schroders
Insurers currently allocate the largest proportion of their private assets’ portfolio to private debt, followed by real estate, according to study published by asset manager Schroders  

Maine pension boosts alternative credit bucket with $100 million to US direct lending fund
Maine Public Employees Retirement System has earmarked $100 million to a US direct lending fund

NNIP hires head of alternative credit as it shakes up private markets platform
The hire will be responsible for overseeing NNIP’s €40 billion alternative credit platform – including its corporate debt, residential mortgages, commercial real estate lending, eca/government loans and infrastructure debt/project finance strategies

US pension hires Wilshire as ESG consultant
The Rhode Island State Investment Commission has appointed investment advisor Wilshire Associates as environmental, social, and governance consultant at a contract worth up to $75,000  

Ex-CQS portfolio manager resurfaces at Axa IM
A former European leveraged loan portfolio manager who left CQS in July 2018 has resurfaced at Axa Investment Management

CDP commits to Italian private debt
Italian state-owned investor Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) has committed €40 million to a private debt fund managed by Anthilia Capital Partners

MidOcean Credit co-founder leaves to head PE firm's credit expansion
Multi-strategy private equity firm Siguler Guff has poached a co-founder of MidOcean Credit Partners to lead the expansion of its credit platform

US pension backs special opportunities fund
Virginia Retirement System (VRS) has committed $150 million to a special opportunities fund, managed by Ares Management Corporation  

SSG collects $2.7 billion for Asian special situations fund
SSG Capital Management has raised $2.7 billion for its fifth Asia Pacific-focused credit and special situations strategy, SSG Capital Partners V, surpassing the strategy's original $1.5 billion target size

Direct lenders seek flexibility as leverage facilities disperse
European direct lending funds are frequently taking on leverage, and with some of these facilities topping €1 billion, leverage providers are looking to syndicate their exposures among other banks.

JP Morgan AM moves CFO to head up private credit
The chief financial officer of JP Morgan Asset Management has switched to a newly created role as head of private credit

Private debt secondaries expected to soar in 2020
Private debt secondaries grew massively in 2019 — and more is expected this year.