Tikehau looks to develop Asia direct lending product via JV
The French alternative asset manager has struck a joint venture with Amova Asset Management, formerly known as Nikko Asset Management, to solidify its presence in Asia

Scale trumps fear but 1Q26 M&A volume obscures sponsor frustration – Dealspeak EMEA
1Q26 M&A volume EUR 332.1bn, up 38% year-on-year, but volume of deals below EUR 1bn fell 25% YoY in March; key themes include AI fallout, GPs’ tech woes and sector rotation

LME court battles in focus as Selecta and Hunkemoller litigations move forward
Europe Court Spotlight: Selecta bondholder antitrust claims face dismissal bid; Hunkemoller noteholders expand New York uptiering lawsuit arguments

M&A volume leap 20% to USD 1.38tn in first quarter of 2026
Even the Iran conflict has not arrested momentum among larger deals. A mammoth USD 122bn capital raise from OpenAI closed on the last day of the quarter, according to Mergermarket data

Luxembourg embraces fund tokenisation to court retail investors but concerns over centralised EU supervision linger
Grand Duchy emphasises innovation stance; concerns EU oversight may slow innovation

Hayfin co-head of direct lending says European private credit better geared to weather uncertainty than US
PODCAST: European private credit is less exposed to software as well as retail withdrawals, making them better positioned than their US counterparts to weather uncertainty, says Marc Chowrimootoo, co-head of direct lending at alternative asset manager Hayfin, on the latest episode of the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee

Iran conflict weighs on primary but cross-border European loan deal flow continues
Europe Loan Digest: Electronic Arts prices euro-dollar loan; Grifols launches refi

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

Ares unitranche to back Nordic's acquisition of TradingHub defies AI concerns
The deal showcases that private credit shops are still willing to lend to software companies  

AI blockbuster deals surge as Middle East conflict test dealmaker confidence
Mergermarkets M&A Highlights 1Q26: Global M&A volume jumped 22% to the second highest start ever

Investors scrutinise AI disruption and opportunities in the European loan market
Lower EV, high leverage elevate credit risk and refi challenges; AI-driven sell-off creates selective buy opportunities

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 

Loan market sell-off set to widen, Sealed Air enters primary despite expected issuance slowdown – Europe Loan Digest
Electronic Arts to price today; strong CLO bid protects prices from macro volatility

EQT, Advent, Cinven embrace deal flexibility as hedge against Middle East chaos
ECM Pulse:Optionality trumps predictions in chasing LP returns; uncertainty dogs IPO prospects as bid-ask gap remains

Apollo’s head of investments Europe says private credit is going through a rite of passage
PODCAST: Speaking on the latest episode of the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee, Apollo’s head of investments Europe Tristram Leach says he believes direct lending will continue to grow – but it needs to go through a period where there are elevated redemptions in the market

Muzinich appoints Tatjana Greil Castro as global head of investments
The privately-owned corporate credit specialist has also appointed Thomas Samson as global head of high yield and Hugo Wheeler as head of global accounts and marketing

Some banks pull SRT deals amid Iran war uncertainty
Pulled deals likely to return once volatility subsides; investors expect wider spreads, higher-quality portfolios

Napier Park’s CIO says firm has stockpiled cash to buy mispriced assets
PODCAST: The alternative asset manager, which oversees USD 40bn in AUM, has been prepping for a repricing of financial assets that predates the Iran war and the software crisis, according to its Chief Investment Officer, Jonathan Dorfman, speaking on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee

EU insolvency law harmonisation campaign marches on with new directive
LEGAL ANALYSIS: European Parliament signs off new ‘harmonisation’ directive: Relates to five areas, including avoidance actions and ‘pre-packs’

ABS primary braves geopolitical uncertainty as spreads start to feel pressure – European ABS Weekly Digest
The European ABS primary market mostly shunned geopolitical risk this week as seven deals priced, two of which were pre-placed

Eurazeo expands evergreen push across Europe as wealth inflows rise 18%
EUR 922m in wealth inflows in 2025, up 18%; Two evergreen launches in 2025, wealth AUM now EUR 5.8bn

Kennedy Lewis, Bank of Ireland strike European LBO financing partnership
The US private credit manager is committing EUR 2bn so the partners can offer tailored financing options to mid-market private equity sponsors that will span bilateral, club, and syndicated loan structures

‘London is still London, we’re not done yet’ concludes panel of legal experts – Debtwire Forum Conference Coverage
In-court UK restructurings harder to sell, advisers must consider full range of options; workout professionals must establish how to deal with out-of-the-money creditors and “fairness”

Sponsors reshaping Europe’s chemicals sector add Iran fallout to buyout risks – Dealspeak EMEA
As concerns over European feedstock prices grow amid the fallout from war in the Middle East, the burning question is whether sponsors will continue to reshape the chemicals industry as they have over the past year, with the wave of private equity investment across Europe’s embattled sector names having shaken up an industry traditionally moulded by strategic players

Direct lenders hit hard as credit market reels from war and AI
Volatility has come back to credit markets. Artificial intelligence’s impact on corporate earnings, a war in Iran that is ensnaring the rest of the Middle East and upticks in inflationary pressures are weighing on managers