Ares emerges as favourite to take over troubled direct lending fund
Following Oaktree’s wind-down request, the board of the Ranger Direct Lending Fund has chosen Ares as replacement manager - moves which could see the fund change its focus from peer-to-peer loan investments to asset-backed loans

Direct lenders pile into "turbocharged" market as fundraising skyrockets: report
Growth in the direct lending market in the 12 months to 31 December was “turbocharged,” growing robustly in the fourth quarter 2017 in particular due to a consistently growing Eurozone economy, according to Deloitte

Pennsylvania pension fund to commit €150 million to direct lending
The Public School Employees’ Retirement Board has recommended a €150 million investment in Intermediate Capital Group's ICG Europe VII fund

Capital Four fund soft closes at €350 million
Copenhagen-based Capital Four Invest has recommended a soft close for its Luxembourg-domiciled Credit Opportunities Fund following its growth to €350 million

Owl Rock BDC assets swell by $1.26 billion in 12 months
Owl Rock’s first business development company has increased its total assets by $1.26 billion and its net assets by $790 million in over just one year, filings indicate

EM manager crosses $2 billion fundraising mark across four debt funds
London-headquartered Ashmore Group has now raised more than $2.3 billion in total between four of its Luxembourg-domiciled emerging market debt funds, regulatory filings indicate

Minnesota pension fund looks to commit $535 million to 'private credit'
Minnesota State Board of Investments has recommended investments worth $535 million to private credit, according to board documentation seen by Creditflux

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