Credit Fundraising: mega funds contribute to record-breaking month as volume hits $39bn
The sheer size of the funds raised in November more than compensated for a drop in the number of funds raised as fundraising volume in credit reached $38.9 billion. This beat September by $2.4 billion to make it the most productive month of credit fundraising in 2021

Ares rounds out bumper year for direct lending with $14 billion US fund
Ares Management is ending 2021 with yet another massive direct lending fund-raise

Firm claims to cut loan settlement times with blockchain based securitisation
Cadeia, a German technology firm, claims to have undertaken the first ever fully blockchain based corporate loan securitisation transaction

Muzinich adds UK and Ireland institutional sales head
Muzinich & Co has hired a head institutional sales for the UK and Ireland

BNP Paribas AM launches Article 9 social bond fund
BNP Paribas Asset Management has launched a sustainable bond fund that will be classified as article nine under the EU’s sustainable financial disclosure regulation

Amundi replaces European loan head and appoints deputy
Amundi has shaken up the hierarchy of its loan business with a personnel shuffle at the top

Oaktree raises largest ever fund with $15.9 billion for "opportunistic credit" strategy
Oaktree Capital Management has closed its largest ever fund, collecting a whopping $15.9 billion on its latest opportunistic credit strategy, Oaktree Opportunities Fund XI

Fidelity appoints former CVC official as global head of private assets solutions
Fidelity has hired from CVC to a newly created role of global head of private assets solutions, following the expansion of its private credit businesses earlier this year

HPS targets $9.5 billion for fifth mezzanine debt fund
HPS Investment Partners is targeting $9.5 billion for its fifth global mezzanine debt fund, HPS Strategic Investment Partners V - but unlike earlier vintages, HPS says it will not target opportunities within the upstream energy space

Pemberton closes €1.75 billion strategic credit fund 40% deployed
Pemberton Asset Management has closed its second strategic credit fund, Pemberton Strategic Credit Fund II, at around €1.75 billion

Blackstone Credit names tech investing head
Blackstone Credit has promoted a New York-based official as its global head of technology investing

Supply chain crisis hits credit amid shift to physical products
Credit investors are bracing for choppy waters as the supply chain crisis makes itself felt on company balance sheets heading into the year end

Credit Fundraising: Private credit and CLO captive equity feature strongly as closes mount up
Credit funds have made a fair start to the fourth quarter, although the $21 billion raised during October is down substantially on September’s impressive record for 2021

Arcmont raises €5 billion for upper-mid market strategy
Arcmont Asset Management has raised €5 billion for a direct lending fund that will target senior loans

Credit funds at a glance (November 2021)
A round up of fundraising and people moves in credit

Niche credit funds make mid-market flexibility count
Funds that have the flexibility to invest in mid-cap debt issuers prospered in September, amid the usual swarm of outperforming CLO funds

FCA draws up new fund structure for long-term assets
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has finalised a new fund structure that is designed to make it easier for defined contribution pension plans to invest in long-term assets

Hayfin creates head of ESG role in London
Hayfin Capital Management says it has hired a head of ESG. This is a newly-created role, but Hayfin says it has “well-established environmental, social and governance capabilities”

Most investors still behind target with sustainability and impact investing, survey finds
72% of global investors plan to increase their allocation targets to sustainability and impact investing. That is according to a limited partner survey by private markets firm HarbourVest Partners HarbourVest’s 2021 ESG, Sustainability, and Impact Investing Survey of LPs

LP round up: no Stoptober as investors allocate $5 billion to credit
US institutional investors allocated $5 billion to credit funds in October, with Oak Hill and Pimco among the biggest mandates    

Alcentra appoints liquid credit PM as head of responsible investing
Alcentra has built out a dedicated responsible investing team and has appointed its liquid credit portfolio manager to the newly created role of head of responsible investing

Brookfield hires industry veteran as public securities CIO
Brookfield Asset Management has hired a long-serving credit and equity market professional as chief investment officer for its public securities group

New York pension favours credit as it pumps $1.1 billion into tech, loans and distressed
New York State Common Retirement Fund has splurged over $1 billion in credit, topping allocations it made in equities and real estate

UK pension readies £1.3 billion listed alternatives fund
The fund will provide liquid access to infrastructure, specialist real estate, private equity and alternative credit

Certior holds first close on direct lending fund of funds
Certior Capital, the Helsinki-based private credit and alternative investment manager, has held a first close of a European direct lending fund of funds backed by Finnish, Benelux and Spanish institutions