Former BlueBay team raise €280 million for debut credit fund
Dublin-headquartered DunPort Capital Management has announced a close for its credit fund, Elm Corporate Credit fund, with €280 million capital commitments

M&G launches 'first of kind' multi-sector impact debt fund
M&G Investments has today launched a multisector positive impact private debt fund, which it claims is the first of its kind by a mainstream manager

German firm holds first close of direct lending fund at €300 million
Frankfurt-based Rantum Capital has launched a second subordinated loan fund, a direct lending strategy called Rantum Private Debt Fund II

Spain's Ahorro Corporación to push into direct lending amid ownership changes
Spanish brokerage and advisory firm Ahorro Corporación is planning to move into direct lending and has changed up its ownership structure, with StormHarbour's stake dropping from 90% to 40%

German bank launches €100 million digital infrastructure debt fund
Hamburg-headquartered private bank Berenberg has launched a €100 million digital infrastructure debt fund to invest in expansion of data networks in Europe

Seven credit and banking lawyers named at legal giants in UK, US and Germany
Global law firms including Baker McKenzie and Dentons have named new senior lawyers in a move to expand their banking, capital markets and corporate capabilities

AlbaCore closes debut direct lending fund at €1.5 billion
AlbaCore Capital has held a successful final close of its debut fund, AlbaCore Partners I, at €1.458 ($1.79) billion. The fund exceeded its €1 billion target, the firm announced on Thursday

Structured credit specialists seek future-proofing in direct lending
At the turn of the last credit cycle, structured credit recovered spectacularly – but credit managers today seem to be gravitating towards private credit as the area to pick up excess returns in a downturn

Patrimonium joins forces with Credit Suisse for unique private credit fund
Direct lender Patrimonium Asset Management has teamed up with Credit Suisse to launch a new fund that will invest in corporate loans

Know the best way to crack direct lending? Be a true ‘direct’ lender
Varagon's chief executive claims that there is a big difference between being a follower and a leader in direct lending

Calling all direct lenders: don’t do this…
Direct lending seems to be the hottest ticket in town, with middle market loan managers finding fundraising to be a cinch. However, several advisors have warned of the pitfalls managers should avoid when they pitch their funds to institutional investors

Staying afloat in credit takes care and character
In his final article, our columnist sheds light on his identity and has some 'nice' advice for those navigating credit’s changeable oceans

Direct lenders pile into "turbocharged" market as fundraising skyrockets: report
Growth in the direct lending market in the 12 months to 31 December was “turbocharged,” growing robustly in the fourth quarter 2017 in particular due to a consistently growing Eurozone economy, according to Deloitte

Former CEO of Ares Europe takes investment advisory role at Triton
The professional, who has also served at LCM Partners, has joined Triton as an investment advisory committee member

London direct lender hits $100 million in sales for direct lending fund
UK direct lending firm Prestige Funds has raised more than $100 million for its Luxembourg-domiciled direct lending fund, Commercial Finance Opportunities

UBS AM debuts second infra debt fund with €448 million raised to date
UBS Asset Management has launched its second infrastructure debt fund, having raised €448.4 million in seed commitments from initial investors for the vehicle

Och-Ziff's head of European private credit set to join Carlyle
Carlyle Group has made a high profile hire to its credit team in London

Share issue brings in £20 million for European direct lender
Hadrian’s Wall, which invests in SME businesses in the UK, has raised £20.1 ($28) million from investors through a C-share issue

Pennsylvania pension fund to commit €150 million to direct lending
The Public School Employees’ Retirement Board has recommended a €150 million investment in Intermediate Capital Group's ICG Europe VII fund

Direct lenders sometimes act as family counsellors
They provide financing to small companies, but did you know that direct lenders can also resolve family issues?

Ireland follows Luxembourg and relaxes loan fund rules
The Central Bank of Ireland is now permitting LQIAIFs to engage in broader credit-focused strategies - which opens the door for direct lenders 

Points up front: the best way to source direct lending loans is to sit and wait
Spend a few minutes in the company of a direct lending manager and you’re sure to hear about the lengths to which funds go in order to source deals (one firm said that it operates a call centre in order to contact borrowers). Not so Pascal Meysson, managing director at Alcentra.

Which flavour do you favour?
We asked four direct lenders for their opinions on four fictional European borrowers operating in software, food, consumer loans and retail – and found they had similar tastes.

Owl Rock BDC assets swell by $1.26 billion in 12 months
Owl Rock’s first business development company has increased its total assets by $1.26 billion and its net assets by $790 million in over just one year, filings indicate