European direct lender seeks €2.5 billion for new Luxembourg-based debt fund
London-based direct lender Pemberton is launching a new debt fund that will invest in mid-market European companies, Creditflux has learned

Fulcrum hires director for newly created alternatives group
Fulcrum Asset Management hires Mark Horne as director within its newly created alternative strategies team, the firm announced yesterday

CLO equity and mezzanine fund liquidates two years before reinvestment period
BK Opportunities Fund-2 has liquidated two years before the end of its reinvestment period with annualised net return since inception at 12.4%, Creditflux has learned

Axa IM launches lower-cost share class for £1 billion distribution fund
Axa Investment Managers has launched a lower-cost share class for its £1 billion ($1.45 billion) Axa Lifetime Distribution Fund, the fifth fund in Axa’s distribution range

Patrimonium's Heine reveals what it takes to be a direct lender in Germany
Europe’s middle market lending community this week heard just how gruelling a job it is to source deals in Germany. Heine answered a number of important questions such as, "how many beers does it take for a sourcing manager to make it through one year?"

Aberdeen Standard Investments launches global private markets fund
Aberdeen Standard Investments has launched a £138 million Global Private Markets Fund (GPMF), which will invest in a diversified mix of private credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure

Alcentra launches third direct lending fund
A year on from closing its second direct lending fund, Alcentra is understood to be marketing fund three in its direct lending series

Ironshield guards against future stress in Europe
The withdrawal of quantitative easing in Europe, coupled with rising interest rates, could lead to increased volatility and improved credit selection opportunities, especially among low-grade credits

BNP Paribas hires head of structured finance to asset management unit
BNP Paribas Asset Management this morning announced that Michel Fryszman has joined as head of structured finance

Oak Hill appoints sole head of European credit as ex-partner takes on new role
One of Oak Hill Advisors’ most senior staffers has stepped into a senior advisory role

Up-and-coming fund manager Revolution makes big structured credit hire
Sydney’s Revolution Asset Management has made a big hire, signalling its intent in the global structured credit markets

Spanish boutique launches its first Ucits credit fund
Madrid-based Arcano Asset Management has launched its first Ucits credit fund, citing demand from Ucits investors for credit fund investment opportunities based on floating assets and with low interest rate risk

JP Morgan AM professional to lead spin-out of credit hedge fund
Former JP Morgan Asset Management portfolio manager Fahad Roumani appears to be gearing up to lead a spin-out firm, which will manage the JPS Credit Opportunities Fund under its new name

Oak Hill promotes three to partner
Oak Hill Advisors has promoted three managing directors to the position of partner, according to market sources

BNP Paribas AM launches emerging markets fixed income fund
BNP Paribas Asset Management has announced the launch of an emerging markets fixed income mutual fund – and says it plans to launch further mutual funds in the coming months

European direct lending up 34% in recent quarter: Deloitte report
Direct lending in Europe continues to boom, according to the latest Deloitte deal tracker, which found a 34% growth of direct lending deals in third quarter 2017 alone compared to third quarter 2016

Bain swoops for another portfolio in Italy
Bain Capital Credit has acquired yet another portfolio of assets from a European bank

Trailblazing ethical investment fund from Rathbones passes £1 billion
Well before ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing became a buzzword, a Rathbones-managed fund was investing in ethical companies. Now that vehicle – Rathbone Ethical Bond fund – has passed £1.03 billion

GreenOak announces final close at €600 million on real estate debt fund
The manager has held a final close on its Europe Secured Lending Fund, with total capital commitments of €600 million, surpassing its original target size of €500 million 

Private debt performance shines in institutional investing study
A quarter of institutional investors say private debt outperformed their expectations over 12 months to 28 August 2017

Private debt manager makes multi-million dollar sales for third credit opps fund
Private debt manager Park Square has made significant sales for its Capital Credit Opportunities III fund over the course of a year, regulatory filings indicate

Manager hits £600 million hard cap for third real estate debt fund
London-based DRC Capital has closed its third real estate fund at £600 million ($802 million), hitting its hard cap and surpassing its target of £500 million 

Rothschild plans to raise up to €500 million for its next credit fund
Fresh from launching Oberon III last week, a market source says Rothschild is planning its follow-up credit fund

German credit fund Robus draws in investors
Robus German Credit Opportunities Sub Fund, which invests in high yield, has increased its assets under management by over 40% in 12 months

Balance of power shifts away from direct lenders
Mid-sized corporations are getting their way at the expense of direct lenders at the negotiation table, recent research suggests.