Advisory firm starts strategic review after credit specialist join M&G and Pictet
A London-based middle market advisory firm is undergoing a strategic review, according to market sources, shortly after it lost two partners to the buy side

Bfinance hires for senior private markets job
The former deputy chief investment officer and private credit director of the £14.7 billion Local Pensions Partnership joins the private markets division of investment consultant bfinance, following Niels Bodenheim's departure to NN Investment Partners in December

Alvarez & Marsal establishes European practice with senior hire
Alvarez & Marsal has established a Europe debt advisory practice and appointed ex-Marlborough Partners official Tim Metzgen to spearhead the unit in London

Partners nears $100 billion in AUM as CLOs drive private debt growth
Swiss manager Partners Group has reached $94.1 billion in assets under management, with CLOs boosting the firm’s growth, according to its 2019 annual results  

EQ plans private credit fund launch with eye on deploying up to €100 million
EQ Asset Management has indicated that it will launch its third private credit fund later this year

BC Partners seeks $1 billion close for special opportunities fund
BC Partners Advisors is targeting a $1 billion close for its recently launched special opportunities fund, according to documents seen by Creditflux.  

UK charities join forces on hunt for ESG managers
Three UK based charities are joining forces in the hunt for a manager to oversee a £32 million ($41.6 million) portfolio with a strong focus on environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria as well as impact investing  

BlueBay adds senior portfolio manager as it targets EM fund launches
BlueBay Asset Management has hired for a newly created senior portfolio manager job 

ICG hires two for new mid market strategy after raising €1 billion
Intermediate Capital Group has made senior hires to help source deals and invest through a €1 billion middle market fund launched last year

Park Square promotes four after departure of direct lending head
Park Square has announced four promotions to partner, which comes a couple of months after its head of direct lending Howard Sharp parted ways with the firm, as previously reported by Debtwire

Global mid market CLO league tables: Golub and Natixis lead by a distance
Golub Capital and Natixis dominated the mid market CLO space in 2019 in the manager and arranger league tables, respectively

Ares makes rare move by pulling out of private debt mandate
Greater London’s local government pension pool has lost one of its credit managers after Ares Management withdrew from its role as fund manager on an illiquid loan and private debt mandate  

Apollo fills gap in European direct lending team with senior hire from Alcentra
Apollo Global Management has filled a void in its European direct lending team by hiring Alcentra’s Natalia Tsitoura, according to market sources

Golub makes its way into Europe with big direct lending hire in London
Golub Capital has ticked off one of its big targets for 2020 – establishing a European direct lending business – with market sources indicating that the firm has hired a senior official from Guggenheim in London

BNP Paribas AM hits €345 million on first close of European SME debt fund
BNP Paribas Asset Management has attracted €345 million from 13 investors for its second European debt fund focused on small and medium-sized enterprises, marking the fund’s first close

Värde launches $2.5 billion global credit fund
Värde Partners has raised $2.47 billion for a new global credit fund, according to an announcement today

European Direct Lending Perspectives: fundraising records shatter
Fundraising in European direct lending hit €32.2 billion in September to mark a record-breaking year for the industry, according to the latest version of European Direct Lending Perspectives

Private debt tops the private markets agenda for insurers, finds Schroders
Insurers currently allocate the largest proportion of their private assets’ portfolio to private debt, followed by real estate, according to study published by asset manager Schroders  

NNIP hires head of alternative credit as it shakes up private markets platform
The hire will be responsible for overseeing NNIP’s €40 billion alternative credit platform – including its corporate debt, residential mortgages, commercial real estate lending, eca/government loans and infrastructure debt/project finance strategies

Ex-CQS portfolio manager resurfaces at Axa IM
A former European leveraged loan portfolio manager who left CQS in July 2018 has resurfaced at Axa Investment Management

CDP commits to Italian private debt
Italian state-owned investor Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) has committed €40 million to a private debt fund managed by Anthilia Capital Partners

‘Buying the dip’ is going to be a poor investment strategy when the next downturn comes
The next credit downturn will be shallower but more prolonged than the last, so what works will be different, too

Direct lenders seek flexibility as leverage facilities disperse
European direct lending funds are frequently taking on leverage, and with some of these facilities topping €1 billion, leverage providers are looking to syndicate their exposures among other banks.