White & Case bolsters direct lending practice with partner in London
White & Case has appointed Fergus Wheeler as a partner

Head of credit origination leaves Goldman Sachs' private capital unit
Creditlflux sister publication Debtwire reports

Northleaf appoints private credit officials in Chicago, London and Toronto
Northleaf Capital Partners has expanded its private credit team with three hires - including an ex-Barclays head of international corporate credit

Direct lending deal activity in France grows 20% year-on-year
Private debt activity in France continued to grow in 2018, with the number of transactions up 20% from 2017, according to a report published by France Invest (Association of Investors for Growth) and Deloitte

Capzanine appoints Emisys co-founder to lead new Milan office
Following offices in Spain and Germany, the firm has opened a Milan office - and hired three former Emisys Capital officials

Direct lending challenges in 2019: competition, lack of quality assets and high transaction multiples
Results from Proskauer Rose's survey show these are not putting off 75% of respondents, who are fundraising for a debt fund

ICG recruits Carlyle official to European subordinated debt and equity team
Intermediate Capital Group has appointed a former Carlyle Group managing director to its team in London

Direct lenders steer clear of the B word

Distressed specialists monitor weaknesses in direct lending
Stressed and distressed debt managers might be best served by looking at the direct lending market for opportunities. Sources say that two of the most experienced direct lenders in the business have been forced to deal with problem credits in their portfolios

Danish pension fund eyes niche credit opportunities
PensionDanmark is preparing for more volatility in 2019 by casting its eye towards niche opportunities in the special situations and distressed debt market. The Copenhagen-based pension fund last month merged its alternatives and private debt platforms

Direct lenders split over best way to manage loan restructuring
Direct lenders are divided on how best to set up internally when dealing with loans that require restructuring. Some managers argue that a deal should be restructured via the original deal team

CVC, Octagon and Spire vie for multiple Creditflux awards
Creditflux is pleased to unveil the finalists for the most prestigious awards dinner in the credit

Points Up Front: The best opportunities are way, way over there
Competition was a big theme at last month’s Creditflux European Direct Lending conference. The market has evolved to the point where new entrants are on the fundraising trail, which could lead to a compression in any illiquidity premium prevalent in direct lending loans

Bubble-watchers cite the popularity of leveraged lending as evidence against it
Growth in direct lending has been strong — but the sector is tiny compared to equities or bonds 

Credit funds at a glance

A round-up of fundraising and people moves in credit

Finding the best managers, CLOs and direct lenders

They said it: "Patience, prudence and vigilance"
At Creditflux’s European direct lending event, Cheyne Capital’s Anthony Robertson reveals his top tips for managing in credit today

BlackRock names global alternatives head amid senior leadership shake-up
BlackRock has reshuffled its leadership and made several senior changes across various parts of its business, according to an internal memo seen by Creditflux

Californian pension reveals 2019 private credit plan
Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association is considering committing up to $80 million to private credit funds, following a recommendation of its investment consultant NEPC  

Muzinich launches multi-strategy credit fund with Italian wealth manager
Available for retail investors, the fund will invest in syndicated loans, private debt and high yield. It will be structured as a European Long-Term Investment Fund

Italian manager launches fund for private debt opportunities
DeA Capital Alternative Funds, an Italian asset manager, has launched an alternatives fund to target global private debt investments, along with investments in private equity and infrastructure