Iran War to increase corporate default rates globally — IACPM Survey
Though the credit market is absorbing new leveraged loan issuance amid geopolitical uncertainty, credit managers expect the war to drive a rise in defaults

Benefit Street Partners targets Japanese private credit, CLO investments with new hire
Franklin Templeton subsidiary Benefit Street Partners has appointed former Blue Owl MD Takeshi Yamamoto in a newly-created role

King Street wins Saudi backing for new Middle East-focused private credit fund
A new credit fund will seek to provide private capital solutions to corporates and to conduct asset-based lending within Saudi Arabia and MENA

Global issuance falls 22% QoQ and 12% YoY amid tech selloff and geopolitical insecurity – 1Q26 Loan Highlights
Loan issuance in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions reached USD 1.37tn in 1Q26, according to Debtwire data; this volume was 22% down compared to the previous quarter and 12% below 1Q25

Tikehau looks to develop Asia direct lending product via JV
The French alternative asset manager has struck a joint venture with Amova Asset Management, formerly known as Nikko Asset Management, to solidify its presence in Asia

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

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 

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

MUFG expands European leveraged finance business with new DACH hire
Former Crédit Agricole managing director Mario Hatzinger has been appointed as MUFG’s head of leveraged finance for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland 

Qatar SWF backs 5C direct lending growth in new partnership
The sovereign wealth fund is agreeing to help the alternative investment manager develop new investment products

Private credit CLOs gather steam in Europe as Ares prices its first euro/sterling deal
The transaction follows the pioneering euro/sterling transaction from Barings last October, which also priced via BNP Paribas, and is the second private credit CLO for Ares in Europe

Oaktree expands UCITS offerings for EMEA, APAC, and LATAM investors
The Oaktree Global Credit Select Fund is intended to address demand across the regions for regulated, daily-liquidity investment offerings

Coller Capital expects more to come from evolving Asia secondaries ecosystem
Sponsor has USD 17bn to deploy in current cycle, optimistic about Asia; open mind, broad toolkit seen as essential to getting traction in Asia

Private credit investors chase higher risk-return—Campbell Lutyens
A new survey shows investors are seeking higher returning strategies amid expectations of lower rates, while also turning away from the dominant North American market

QIA to commit USD 25bn to Goldman-managed private credit and more
The sovereign wealth giant and Goldman Sachs Asset Management have agreed to partner on new and existing private market strategies and direct investment deals

KKR raises USD 2.5bn for Asia private credit
The sophomore fund focuses on performing credit and will lend to companies across Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and South Asia

Ares hires CapitaLand exec for Asia special sits credit
The new partner will oversee activities in China, Hong Kong and South Korea

Blackstone-backed ASK Alternates closes first private credit fund in India
ASK Private Credit was oversubscribed with USD 63m raised, following strong demand from India’s wealth market investors

T. Rowe Price and OHA launch CLO-investing credit fund for wealthy Australians
The Flexible Credit Income Fund AUD has been specifically designed for wholesale investors, and will invest in CLOs

Concerns growing about potential turn in the credit cycle – Goldman 2026 outlook
Investors should monitor signs of late-cycle behaviours, with the possibility that pressure on leverage ratios may result in credit ratings downgrades, Goldman Sachs Asset Management said in its 2026 investment outlook

Morgan Stanley launches private market fund for European individual investors
The new product from Morgan Stanley Investment Management will invest across private equity, private credit, real assets and some public assets

CVC launches dedicated private credit secondaries platform
The alternative asset manager tapped Henri Lusa, a former managing director at Partners Group, to lead the new effort

Neuberger Berman raises USD 7.3bn for US direct lending
The firm held a final close for NB Private Debt V, which will be used to invest in senior secured, first-lien and unitranche direct loans