BlackRock, a traditional asset manager no more – CEO Larry Fink
In his latest annual letter to investors, Chairman and CEO Larry Fink lays out his ambition to index private markets and bring these illiquid assets to the masses

Guggenheim alums to head new Hoplon-backed private ABS shop
The new platform just finished a USD 1.35bn IG securitization of internet identity service assets

Marathon ditches distressed strategy to raise USD 2.7bn for opportunistic credit
EXCLUSIVE: The asset manager originally launched the fund with a distressed debt strategy but has since switched the focus to making opportunistic private credit and equity investments  

Total fees paid to direct lending funds dip as yields fall —Cliffwater
Institutional investors in direct lending funds are paying fewer dollars in performance fees despite private credit managers refusing to lower fee rates

Lincoln Financial partners with Bain, Partners Group on private credit products for US wealth channel
Lincoln aims to launch the two new private credit products in late 2025

Private credit managers consider smaller fund targets
ANALYSIS: Some private credit managers are considering a smaller fundraise, bucking the convention of always aiming for bigger funds 

CalPERS reveals USD 3.9bn in private credit commitments
Public Pensions, Private Pursuits: CalPERS discloses 3Q24 private credit commitments, invests USD 16.9bn in 2024, and Connecticut, Oregon, Indiana, Texas, Jacksonville make investments   

US leveraged loan default rate set to rise to 1.6% by end of 2025: S&P
Macroeconomic headwinds, policy uncertainty and the reduced likelihood of interest rate cuts could contribute to the uptick  

State Street, Apollo’s private credit ETF launched before addressing all regulatory concerns - SEC
The SEC published an open letter implying that the industry’s first private credit ETF launched this week without getting proper approval.

State Street and Apollo win the private credit ETF race
The industry’s first private credit ETF will invest in investment grade private credit and investment grade public fixed income

CVC blows past fundraising target on its European direct lending fund
The alternative investment manager has already increased the fundraising target once for the 2023 vintage fund  

Large cap deals generating higher percentage of private credit defaults, S&P says
Larger private debt deals were also more likely to include a payment-in-kind feature

Maine, Louisiana, San Jose, Kern County pensions make new private credit investments, plot future moves
Public Pensions, Private Pursuits: Maine PERS to further increase exposure to TPG Angelo Gordon’s direct lending arm

StepStone to launch private debt vehicle for European wealth investors
The ELTIF will invest in private credit asset classes across the European Union

Oaktree lowered its distressed debt fundraise to USD 16bn
The market and investment environment for distressed debt shifted, and investors asked whether the original target was too big.

NYS, San Francisco, Arizona, Virginia, Texas, Fresno County disclose nearly USD 1.3bn private credit commitments

Candriam partners with Kartesia on private debt fund for European retail investors
European private debt firms Candriam and Kartesia are launching a private debt fund for individual investors via European Long-Term Investment Fund 

US leveraged loan A&E reach all-time high—Baird
Amend & Extend volume for US leveraged loans hit a record USD 226bn, driven by a lack of M&A activity in 2024 and a still-high cost for refinancing.

GP-led deals to reach 50% of credit secondaries volume in 2025: Jefferies
Private credit secondaries volume will be increasingly driven by GP-led transactions this year, said Jefferies in a report

Middle market private credit default climb significantly to 4.7% – Proskauer
The US direct lending market saw a big increase in middle market defaults in the fourth quarter of 2024

Connecticut pensions earmark USD 1.85bn for private credit in 2025
The Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, a combination of six state pension funds and 12 state trust funds, plans to increase private credit allocation this year

Ramirez Asset Management acquires private credit team from Avenue Capital Group
Ramirez Asset Managemen has acquired a private credit opportunities strategy team from Avenue Capital Group

Steven Cohen’s Point 72 taps Blackstone veteran to build private credit strategy
Point72 has hired Blackstone's Todd Hirsch as head of private capital to build a new investment strategy focused on private credit

UBS forecasts strong private credit returns in 2025, but also downside risks
UBS Global Research has tipped double-digit returns for US investors in its 2025 private credit outlook, but emphasised the risks are skewed to the downside

Barings hires Churchill MD for private debt originations
Barings Global Private Finance has hired a managing director from Churchill Asset Management to serve as a managing director for North America Private Credit