US direct lending holds steady in 1Q
Fears about AI-impacted software companies took their toll on US direct lenders in the first quarter, yet overall market volume remained resilient as other sectors took up the slack

Crescent raises USD 10.8bn for direct lending, targeting lower mid-market
The firm’s fourth US direct lending fund was oversubscribed and exceeded its target by more than USD 2.5bn

Eurazeo closes its largest ever direct lending fund with EUR 3.9bn raised
Eurazeo Private Debt VII raised EUR 3.9bn at closing, exceeding its EUR 3bn target

Older, US direct lending funds hold more equity positions, adding risk – MSCI
EXCLUSIVE: Around 15% of the total assets across US senior direct lending funds tracked by MSCI are equity positions of some kind, MSCI head of private credit research Patrick Warren told Creditflux

Barings raises more than USD 19bn for global direct lending strategy
The firm raised capital from institutional, insurance and private wealth investors globally

Goldman Sachs is selling USD1bn of private credit loans bought from Apollo
EXCLUSIVE: The banking division has been in the process of selling a portfolio of loans acquired from Apollo

Temasek taps Pinegrove for venture debt partnership
The Singaporean state investment firm intends to lend directly to growth stage technology and life sciences companies

Antares raises USD 8.5bn for senior direct lending
The alternative credit manager held a final close for its third Senior Loan Fund after raising capital from new and existing investors

Abry Private Debt acquires USD 330m private credit portfolio
Abry partnered with Coller Capital on the credit secondaries transaction

Hayfin names Goldman Sachs veteran as head of investments
Goldman Sachs veteran Michael Marsh has been hired to the newly created role

Investors should stay the course on private credit even amid valuation uncertainties—Mariner
EXCLUSIVE: Institutional investors can generally ride out any market bumpiness, and these internal marks do not necessarily reflect final returns, head of Mariner Institutional Mike Welker said 

Blackstone President Jon Gray says firm has navigated outflows comparable to BCRED before
Blackstone saw elevated outflows a few years ago with its semi-liquid real estate product, BREIT, and believes BCRED will prove similarly resilient, President Jon Gray said on the firm’s first-quarter earnings call

LBOs, new loan supply expectations reset amid Iran war, AI-related disruptions
Loans in previously overlooked sectors are gaining more attention amid the upheaval, according to panellists at this week’s Creditflux CLO Symposium

Lending to nonbank entities like BDCs will be a growth area—State Street
Additionally, the firm said its investment grade private credit ETF, developed with Apollo, hit USD 800m in assets under management during the quarter

Ares to launch new private credit fund with USD 10bn-15bn equity target
The fund has the same equity target as its record-breaking predecessor, Ares Senior Direct Lending Fund III

Northleaf private ABF managing director exits
CJ Wei, who focused on asset-based finance at the Canadian private markets firm, departs for a new role

Perpetual nontraded BDC fears are exaggerated—KBRA
Credit quality and liquidity at these semi-liquid private credit funds remain comfortable despite the negative shift in investor sentiment, the ratings agency said  

Blackstone raises USD 10bn for oversubscribed opportunistic credit fund
The alternative asset management giant will use the fund’s flexible mandate to invest across industries, capital structures, and geographies

Exit requests surpass 40% at Blue Owl’s semi-liquid, technology lending fund
The private credit fund designed for individual investors saw quarterly redemption requests surge, leading the fund to impose its 5% exit cap

Private credit community pushes back on alarmist narratives
Executives downplay AI risks, citing preparedness and strong credit fundamentals; Defaults and recoveries remain stable, despite negative headlines

Maturity wall threatens high-risk AI private credit names – KBRA
Direct lenders are showing an unwillingness to extend maturities for companies that are vulnerable to artificial intelligence or underperforming already 

JPMorgan Asset Management mixes public, private credit in new semi-liquid fund
JPMorgan’s asset management arm offers exposure to various credit investments across the public and private markets in a new interval fund for affluent individuals

European direct lending opportunity grows as US faces headwinds—AlbaCore
EXCLUSIVE: Outflows from select US direct lending vehicles could result in European direct lending spreads, particularly on larger deals, widening even further, Luke Gillam, head of senior direct lending, told Creditflux

Majority of LPs expect to mix public and private credit despite liquidity challenges – BSP survey
Within the next five years, 59% of global institutional investors expect to take an integrated approach to public and private credit investments, new research from Benefit Street Partners shows 

Defaults concentrate in smaller names, showing ‘size does matter’ – Houlihan Lokey
EXCLUSIVE: Credit quality concerns were generally contained to the smaller end of the smallest borrowers as interest coverage ratios improved for the broader market, new fourth quarter data shows