AlbaCore adds distressed hire among raft of new arrivals
AlbaCore Capital Group has added four hires to its investment team in recent weeks, taking its total headcount to 46

Manager launches UK direct lending platform with exclusive bank partnership
HSBC Asset Management has launched a UK-focused direct lending platform as part of the firm’s ambition to grow its alternative investments

Ares holds first close of junior direct lending fund as it eyes 'dozens more' $1 billion-plus funds
Ares outlined several credit fundraising initiatives in its fourth quarter earnings call - among which were a first close of its latest junior direct lending fund, upping the target for its credit special situations fund by over $1 billion, as well as new product launches including an evergreen alternative credit fund

Bain and Pantheon form $320 million private credit JV to invest in Europe and Australia
Bain Capital Specialty Finance, a publicly traded business development managed by Bain, has formed a joint venture with Pantheon’s private credit business to invest across Europe and Australia

Tikehau launches ESG private debt fund with interest rate ratchets
The European Investment Fund has backed Tikehau's private debt fund, Tikehau Impact Lending, which provides lower interest rates to companies that meet their sustainability goals

Bain preps follow-up to 2015 global direct lending fund
Bain Capital has launched its latest direct lending strategy, Bain Capital Global Direct Lending 2021

Carlyle holds first close on opportunistic credit fund amid 2020 'record fundraising'
Carlyle Group has held an initial closing on its second opportunistic credit fund amid a record credit fundraising year for the firm

Apollo credit assets rocket 50% with anticipated fundraising hike after Black investigation
Apollo Global Management's credit assets rocketed 52% over 2020 to $329 billion - and the firm predicts third-party fundraising to “build significantly” in the first quarter, following the conclusion of Dechert's investigation into chief executive officer Leon Black

M&G lays out ESG focus with £5 billion pledge to 'sustainable private assets'
M&G is allocating £5 billion ($6.8 billion) from its £136 billion with-profits fund into businesses using a model which places emphasis on ESG, sustainability and impact investing

Direct lenders say coronavirus storm enables them to show benefits of bespoke lending
European credit managers are bracing themselves for setbacks after a new set of lockdown and curfew measures kicked off 2021 on the continent

Brexit trade deal bolsters private debt deal-making
The long-awaited Brexit UK-EU trade deal struck on 24 December has provided private equity sponsors with a level of certainty, say market participants, even though a financial services deal is still to come

Credit funds at a glance (February 2021)
A round-up of fundraising and people moves

Fund performance: CLO funds keep up momentum as Napier Park finishes top
2020 ended with funds in our CLOs category taking the top few spots

Ucits at a glance: Advent ends calendar year on top
Ucits ended 2020 on the rise as 89% of funds achieved positive returns in December

Credit hedge funds (February 2021)
Monthly credit hedge fund tables

Search firm highlights lack of diversity across Euro credit
A report on diversity within the corporate credit industry has shed light on the imbalances that persist

Credit fundraising: January proves anything but dry for manager inflows
After a tough and unpredictable year, January may have been seen by many as an opportunity for a fresh start. But for seven managers it meant holding final closes on funds, while three undertook first closes and one a fund launch

Manager beats "more than 30" to partner with Zurich Invest for European direct lending
A UK-based fund manager has beaten off competition to land a partnership with Zurich Invest

Crescent bolsters Nordic direct lending presence with hire
Crescent Capital has appointed a former Nykredit official as a director in the firm’s European direct lending focused on Nordic transactions

Hayfin hires senior BofA figure as private credit portfolio manager
Hayfin Capital Management has hired a Bank of America official as a London-based portfolio manager in the firm’s private credit team

Blackstone raises $1.1 billion for mezz and $1.7 billion for direct lending
The New York-based manager had a strong final quarter of 2020, adding $13.1 billion in credit assets under management in the quarter

KKR brings in Park Square partner for European private credit team
KKR has appointed a London-based partner to its European credit team

SME lender LCM raises €3.4 billion for European credit fund
LCM Credit Opportunities 4 is nearing a €4 billion target and expects to hold a final close in April

Credit Rendezvous: heading for homes
Fund managers in structured credit, real assets and distressed are bullish on the prospects for residential housing in 2021. Elsewhere, niche royalty-based strategies are in favour and although a CLO repricing wave is expected, it may not be easy to execute resets. For more, read our 13-page quarterly report on credit. 

European Direct Lending survey nears closing time
There are just a few hours left to make your voice count in the Creditflux and Debtwire European Direct Lending survey