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

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

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

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

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 

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

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

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

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

Fund performance – March 2026
Mixed month for CLO funds mars credit’s positive start to 2026

Credit funds at a glance – March 2026
Our roundup of top performers, fundraising and moves in credit

Credit hedge funds – March 2026
Credit hedge fund performance

Blackstone to launch new private multi-asset products for affluent individuals
The new products, expected to come in the following months, will offer exposure to multiple private market asset strategies at once

Citi announces debt capital markets co-heads, including a hire from BofA
The new co-heads will fill the open spot left by head of global debt capital markets Rich Zogheb, who is retiring after 40 years in the industry

Private credit still deploying despite increasing risks – head of credit at CVC
PODCAST: Andrew Davies, head of credit at CVC Capital Partners, says the present uncertainty offered opportunities to reconsider the pricing of transactions, and the ability to structure those deals more conservatively

Global SRT issuance hits record USD 41bn in 2025
Issuance volumes were up 40% on 2024; large banks accounted for 90% of total issuance, with CRE and infra SRT issuance more than doubling year-on-year

Ares’ co-head of alternative credit says AI will hit a bit of a wall due to “sheer capital” need
PODCAST: The AI boom is likely to be slowed down because the sheer amount of capital that is required to maintain the pace of these projects is unsustainable, says Joel Holsinger, co-head of alternative credit at Ares Management, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee

AI’s potential may be underestimated despite investing concerns – Howard Marks
AI’s potential is likely underestimated, but worries about job losses and an AI investment bubble persist, said Oaktree co-founder Howard Marks in a new memo

KKR’s co-head of credit says ‘it’s adult swim only’ in markets
PODCAST: Christopher Sheldon, co-head of credit and capital markets at KKR, tells Lisa Lee on the latest episode of Credit Exchange that 2026 is set to be defined by avoiding mistakes rather than picking winners, with elevated defaults and downgrades resulting in a challenging investing environment

Tikehau not for sale, 'we see ourselves more as a consolidator' – co-founder
Tikehau co-founder Antoine Flamarion has said the firm sees itself as a consolidator of businesses and has no intention of selling itself to a larger US asset manager

Arini President Mathew Cestar says Europe’s missing AI boom provides opportunities
PODCAST: Europe has mostly missed the AI boom that’s driven a large part of US economic growth – but that actually makes European credit more appealing, according to the head of the alternative asset manager

Fund performance – December 2025
All categories end 2025 positively as Pictet Alt takes 12-month crown

Credit funds at a glance – December 2025
Our roundup of top performers, fundraising and moves in credit

Credit hedge funds – December 2025
Credit hedge fund performance