The biggest credit stories in 2017
CLO ramp-up risk, new risk retention proposals and new CLO joint ventures were in the headlines last year. Here, Creditflux reveals the most read stories of 2017

Church Pension looks to the heavens and gives its blessing to solar debt fund
New York-headquartered Social Investment Managers & Advisors (SIMA) has won a $17 million mandate from the Church Pension Fund for its Off-Grid Solar Debt Fund 

Blackstone taps Australia's mortgage loan market with new acquisition
New York-based Blackstone is tapping into Australia’s lucrative mortgage loan market by acquiring an 80% stake in direct lending company La Trobe Financial

New manager to target Australia's secured private debt market
 A new Australian boutique investment manager is set to launch in early 2018, and will target AUD500 million for its first credit fund

Adams Street opens Seoul office amid US managers' push into South Korea
Adams Street Partners has launched an office in South Korea and appointed a former Lazard Asset Management professional to run the operation

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority buys stake in KKR’s Indian credit business
The Abu Dhabi investment Authority has become a significant minority shareholder in KKR India Financial Services, an alternative credit business in India owned by US private equity firm KKR

Hong Kong firm announces first close of China-focused direct lending fund
Hong Kong-based investment firm Adamas Asset Management has announced the first closing of its Adamas Ping An Opportunities Fund, a vehicle mainly providing loans to companies in Greater China

Credit Suisse alumni in Australia raise $217 million for credit fund
Australian private investment firm Tanarra, formed less than a year ago by a group of Credit Suisse alumni, has raised AUD$285 million ($217 million) for a new credit fund

Investors pledge cash after turning to direct lender Prestige
Just like every magic trick has three parts, every fundraising has three stages: building a track record, marketing and, the most difficult, delivering strong returns. Prestige is clearly performing well as it gains three investor mandates

Right opportunity, wrong continent: Avenue sees value in Asian direct lending
Despite retreating from Europe’s direct lending market this year, Avenue Capital Group’s co-founder Marc Lasry believes opportunities still exist in mid-market lending – specifically in Asia.

KKR's private credit fund fund targets Hong Kong and now South Korea
KKR has raised $301.1 million for its KKR Private Credit Opportunities Partners II (EEA) LP fund, which appears to be targeting Asia-based investors

US managers win South Korean investment
Ares, Audax and KKR are among the cluster of fund managers that have put their hearts and minds into marketing credit funds in Seoul – with great success

Goldman Sachs and KKR private credit funds win Korean investors
Korea Post has decided to commit $200 million to a new mezzanine debt fund from Goldman Sachs and $100 million to KKR Credit’s global mezzanine fund, according to local media reports

M&G Investments hires Credit Suisse securitised product finance head
London-based M&G Investments hires well known structured credit specialist Vaibhav Piplapure for investment role including SME loans

Metrics targets retail as funds reshape Australia’s loan market
Fund launch marks a turning point for a corporate loan market that has been largely inaccessible to non-bank investors since the financial crisis

Institutional investors - does Europe still provide the best opportunities in credit?
Cash or synthetics, CLOs versus CMBS, senior or junior debt? Institutional investors have a variety of ways to approach credit investing and Creditflux's biannual survey of credit allocators aims to determine which market they view as offering compelling returns

Barings goes global with new mid-market strategy after rapid fund raise
Barings says that it has raised $1.3 billion for a new middle-market credit fund after less than six months on the marketing trail

Abraaj steps up fundraising for new $500 million global credit fund
The International Finance Corporation is looking to make a $20 million allocation to a new credit fund being launched by Abraaj Group

Think outside the box
While the US market credit is the most liquid and the UK is considered the home of European direct lending, there are opportunities further a?eld

Japanese bank rides refinancing wave with mid-market CLO push
A key CLO investor is buying middle-market CLO paper for the first time after purchasing $1.2 billion of senior notes in a recent deal

Credit manager bucks the trend by shifting into private equity
A host of private equity firms are planning direct lending funds, but one direct lender is moving in the opposite direction