Direct lenders face ebitda-add back language challenges as borrowers seek flexibility

Direct Lending Perspectives underlines record-breaking 2019 issuance
European direct lending volumes hit €18.2 billion in a record-breaking 2019, according to the European Direct Lending Perspectives report by Creditflux and Debtwire

Coronavirus dampens fundraising but unlocks opportunities, say direct lending event attendees
Direct lenders could see ample opportunity for capital deployment as volatility takes hold of the term loan B and high yield markets amid Coronavirus uncertainty - and fund investors should not hold off from committing any capital 

European mid market CLO suffers blip as borrower misses interest payment
Alhambra SME Funding 2019-1 – the first middle market European CLO since the financial crisis – has suffered a setback with one of its portfolio companies missing an interest payment last month

Goldman Sachs in talks to buy minority stake in Permira
Goldman Sachs is looking to buy a minority stake in private equity firm Permira

Dispersion tests hedge fund managers

PE firms look to go it alone as credit units reach maturity
Private equity firms are starting to weigh up the merits of housing private debt businesses, with TPG Capital the latest to contemplate splitting with its credit business TPG Sixth Street. It follows EQT Capital, which announced a strategic review in January centred on parting ways with its credit unit.

They said it: "How about a carbon reduction covenant?"
In a social media post, Bfinance’s Trevor Castledine recalls a conversation with a private debt manager who claimed to be powerless when it comes to influencing borrowers over ESG. The lender’s response was: “Er…”

Points up front: Credit picking follows on from investor picking
Credit picking skills will be important this year amid heightened idiosyncratic risk, so everyone seems to say. But Ares Management, one of the biggest names in direct lending, has demonstrated that asset managers can also be picky with the mandates they take on, when the firm walked away from a private debt mandate with London CIV in January.

Real assets are now the top picks in private credit
Direct lending is no longer the darling of the private credit market, with pension funds increasingly making space for credit strategies backed by real assets.

Credit funds at a glance
A round-up of fundraising and people moves in credit

Fund performance: CLO funds pick up where they left off
A round-up of fund performance

Ucits at a glance: Ucits start year on high note
A round-up of ucits fund performance

EIF backs Italian private debt fund
Finint Investment anticipates €150 million final close for its third Italian private debt fund in June, after receiving the backing of the European Investment Fund

Weak loan collateral will dent private credit returns, says Finnish pension
Valtion Elakerahasto, the state pension fund of Finland, says non-existing or weaker loan collateral has raised concerns about the returns private credit funds will generate in the coming years  

Kartesia hires former Santander official to lead UK senior debt origination
Kartesia has appointed former a Santander official to lead UK senior debt investments 

Sacramento pension earmarks $150 million for private credit in 2020
The pension fund expects to commit to two direct lending funds and one credit fund it describes as 'opportunistic'

EIB buys mezzanine tranche in Commerzbank SRT
Commerzbank has launched a €1.5 billion significant risk transfer with the European Investment Bank (EIB) announcing that it has invested in the mezzanine tranche of the securitisation

Italian pension fund seeks greater exposure to private debt
BNL, the pension fund of the investment manager BNP Paribas Italia, has launched a request for proposals (RFP), looking to commit €20 million to private debt closed-end funds.  

AlbaCore closes €1.5 billion direct lending fund nearly 60% deployed
AlbaCore Capital has deployed around 60% of its second direct lending fund, with the London-based manager closing the fund at €1.5 billion

Hadrian Wall tumbles as board calls for wind down of direct lending fund
Hadrian’s Wall Secured Investments' board of directors has decided that a wind down of the fund with cash returned to shareholders would be in the best interest of shareholders, according to a company update

European unitranche deal flow increased 11% last year, finds GCA
European direct lending unitranche deals completed in 2019 increased by 11%, according to GCA Altum's Q4 2019 MidCap Monitor, marking a record year for the industry 

Eurizon launches real assets division
Italian asset manager Eurizon has launched a new organisation, specialising in alternatives investments that have a focus on the real economy, including private debt.  

Mercer puts private debt at heart of $2.7 billion fund of fund
Mercer has held a final close at $2.7 billion for a private markets fund that offers investors access to private debt and sustainable products