BC Partners registers BDC to invest in US middle market companies
Pan European buy-out investor BC Partners, Acuris’s parent company, has registered a new BDC under the name of BC Partners Lending Corporation, SEC filings reveal

Madrid bank hires credit specialist from Spanish direct lender
Global investment bank Houlihan Lokey has appointed Ignacio Blaso as managing director in capital markets

Private credit drives strong AUM growth for Tikehau
Tikehau Capital grew its AUM by close to 10% in the fourth quarter of 2017 – and private debt had the largest inflows of any of the firm’s asset groups last year

London specialist lender names head of underwriting
Iron Bridge Finance, a property development direct lender, has announced the appointment of Gareth Ward as head of underwriting

Spanish direct lender launches second credit fund
Madrid-based direct lender Trea Asset Management has launched its second Spanish direct lending fund, market sources say

Apollo forms Italian credit-focused partnership
Apollo Global Management and Italian mid-market advisor Apeiron Management create a strategic partnership focusing on Italian corporate credit opportunities

Deadline looms for Creditflux's annual Manager Awards
The deadline for this year’s Creditflux Manager Awards is fast approaching as managers across the CLO, credit hedge fund and direct lending industries compete for the eighth consecutive year

First Avenue principal joins Pantheon in London
Pantheon has hired London-based Justin Mallis from global placement agent First Avenue Partners

Real estate lending gains €700 million in six months for Paris-based direct lender
French alternative investments manager Acofi Gestion has raised €700 million of AUM for commercial real estate lending since July 2017

Three Swiss banks team up to launch new private market fund platform
New investment boutique Hermance Capital Partners will focus on private equity, private debt and private real estate

Minnesota pension fund looks to commit $535 million to 'private credit'
Minnesota State Board of Investments has recommended investments worth $535 million to private credit, according to board documentation seen by Creditflux

European direct lender seeks €2.5 billion for new Luxembourg-based debt fund
London-based direct lender Pemberton is launching a new debt fund that will invest in mid-market European companies, Creditflux has learned

Blackstone's GSO launches second credit alpha fund
GSO Capital Partners has launched its second Credit Alpha Fund, US SEC filings indicate

Manager launches eighth European leveraged loan fund with €300 million target
SCOR Investment Partners and private equity firm LBO France have partnered to launch a European leveraged loan fund seeking €300 million in capital commitments

KKR bids farewell to European private credit specialist in London
A direct lender has left KKR Credit after almost two years working in the firm’s European private credit team in London

Embattled investment firm to shutter following tax avoidance lawsuit
Alternative investment firm Future Capital Partners Limited and its group are on the verge of closure, according to an investor letter seen by Creditflux

Patrimonium's Heine reveals what it takes to be a direct lender in Germany
Europe’s middle market lending community this week heard just how gruelling a job it is to source deals in Germany. Heine answered a number of important questions such as, "how many beers does it take for a sourcing manager to make it through one year?"

Aberdeen Standard Investments launches global private markets fund
Aberdeen Standard Investments has launched a £138 million Global Private Markets Fund (GPMF), which will invest in a diversified mix of private credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure

UK lender Goji teams with Prestige to launch renewables lending bond
Marketplace lender Goji has partnered with direct lender Prestige to launch an ISA-eligible "renewables lending bond"

Muzinich hires managing director to UK mid market credit business
Muzinich has hired that John Clifford as managing director in its UK office, according to an announcement

BNPP AM establishes two new private debt strategies
BNP Paribas Asset Management establishes two new private debt strategies: European Infra Debt and European Real Estate Debt

HSBC announces $550 million second close for diversified loan fund
HSBC Alternative Investments has announced the second close of its diversified loan fund, which will combine both loan investing and direct lending

ICG increases fundraising goal as direct lending funds near full deployment
London-based Intermediate Capital Group has increased its fundraising target to €6 billion per year on a rolling three-year basis

So much capital, so few deals: specialists fear for direct lending
No covenants, increasing leverage ratios and an outlook for rising rates means that direct lending is not all it's cracked up to be, according to several credit market participants

Hurdle rates topple as direct lenders look to boost fees
Some direct lending managers are lowering their hurdle rates in a bid to increase their fees