Global CLO legal counsel rankings – 1Q 2026
Milbank and Paul Hastings topped Creditflux’s global CLO manager and arranger legal counsel rankings for the first quarter of 2026. But the spotlight is on Orrick – following its dramatic sweep on Cadwalader’s global finance practice last October, the firm has moved up to second place in the global standings

Record 1Q for European ABS primary issuance despite geopolitical volatility
Primary issuance in the first quarter of 2026 reached a record EUR 25.4bn (excluding CLOs), marking a 34% increase on 1Q25, according to Debtwire's European ABS Activity Tracker

Oaktree prices US and European CLOs in single day

Oaktree priced two CLOs to close out last week – a new European issue titled Arbour CLO XVI via Citi, and a reset of a 2024-vintage US BSL transaction through SMBC Nikko

European credit portfolio manager departs Onex
James Dunn, Onex’s managing director and portfolio manager, European credit, is leaving the firm, three sources familiar have told Creditflux

Two more lawyers leave Cadwalader for Orrick
Orrick has added another two former Cadwalader lawyers to its growing structured finance team in London

ICG’s head of US liquid credit says Iran war will cause pain for consumers, housing
PODCAST: Consumer-related aspects of the economy – ranging from housing and travel to apparel and retail – are already “feeling a decent amount of pain”, and the trend is expected to continue, according to ICG's David Saitowitz, speaking on the latest episode of the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee

UK pension fund taps Crescent for US direct lending mandate
UK pension fund Nest has appointed Crescent Capital to manage a GBP 450m US direct lending mandate

Ares backs Arcmont’s USD 2.5bn private credit continuation vehicle
The vehicle acquires senior direct lending assets from Arcmont’s 2019-vintage fund and marks the largest credit secondaries transaction in Europe, according to Ares

European CLOs show resilience, but signs of slowdown emerging – Q1 analysis
A slight decline in year-on-year new issuance was offset by strong repricing activity, but indications of an overall issuance slowdown were beginning to emerge as the quarter drew to a close

Arthur Cox bolsters structured finance team with Walkers hires
EXCLUSIVE: Two structured finance specialists will leave Walkers to join Arthur Cox over the summer

New European Partners Group CLO prices with delayed-issuance single B tranche
Both the triple As and double As were split across note and loan tranches, with the triple As issuing at the current market benchmark of 130bps over Euribor

AI disruption fears and Middle East-driven macro volatility weigh on loan and bond issuance – 1Q26 LevFin Highlights
LevFin issuance across the US and European institutional loan and high-yield bond markets saw a strong start to the year before fears of artificial intelligence (AI) disruption and escalating macro volatility stemming from the US and Israel war with Iran weighed on market activity

Bain closes third CLO captive equity fund
EXCLUSIVE: The fund, which primarily targets majority equity investments in the firm’s US and European CLOs and warehouses, is valued at around USD 1.5bn, the firm’s global head of credit John Wright told Creditflux

CLO equity price decline represents compelling buying opportunity — CIFC
Over the next 12 to 24 months, CLO equity could generate returns comparable to those seen in 2023-2024, CIFC believes

Global issuance falls 22% QoQ and 12% YoY amid tech selloff and geopolitical insecurity – 1Q26 Loan Highlights
Loan issuance in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions reached USD 1.37tn in 1Q26, according to Debtwire data; this volume was 22% down compared to the previous quarter and 12% below 1Q25

Sailing on in high seas
The first quarter of 2026 will go down as one of the most turbulent periods for financial markets

Private credit in the crosshairs: stick to the plan or relax rules?
The private credit industry has faced a test of nerves in recent months as a swarm of investors rushed for the exits only to find their off-ramp blocked. As the pressure builds, credit managers are asking themselves whether they should stick to the advertised redemption rules for their vehicles, or lift the barricade to let skittish investors exit with their money

Investors seek safe havens as volatility rocks CLO ETFs
CLO ETF managers are seeing a flight to quality as investors react to recent market volatility by pulling funds from mezzanine tranches and investing more heavily in triple As

CLO managers brace for software loan maturity wall
Underperforming software loans that will mature in 2028 are causing sleepless nights for CLO managers

News in brief
Top stories on creditflux.com: spreads widen and outflows increase as war hits credit

All systems go as Fortress embarks on European dream
Fortress has long been planning its European expansion. Now it’s hiring and upsizing in London

BSL volatility could create opportunities to deploy capital at attractive levels
A liquidity crunch in private credit will hit BSL CLOs — but there may be an upside for disciplined managers

Fund performance – April 2026
CLO funds struggle with worst performance in more than three years

Credit funds at a glance – April 2026
Our roundup of top performers, fundraising and moves in credit

Credit hedge funds – April 2026
Credit hedge fund performance