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

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

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.

European Investment Bank supports Spanish direct lending with €300 million loan
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a €300 million loan to Bankinter, a Spanish bank, in order to promote lending to small and mid-sized enterprises in Spain

Tikehau raises another €300 million through bond issue
Tikehau has considerable firepower to deploy into the credit market, obtaining €1.3 billion of financing in the last month.

Amundi hopes investors bite as it produces Italian ham and cheese offering
Amundi aims to raise €150 million for a new private debt fund that will invest in private bonds guaranteed by iconic Italian food products    

Swedish firm debuts direct lending fund with an eye on Scandanavian SMEs
A Swedish broker and asset manager has launched a new direct lending vehicle known as the Scandinavian Credit Fund I

Ares keeps up direct lending growth and plans new credit fund launch
Ares Management’s credit business just keeps growing, with the firm planning a new fund launch and a continued push into European direct lending, according to a recent results presentation

New direct lending fund and CLO launch drive surge in manager's AUM
A European fund manager has seen its assets under management surge in Q3, thanks in large part to its private debt business

Investors prefer direct lending to CLOs
For the first time in the history of Creditflux’s credit allocator survey, investors have voted direct lending the best investment in credit. CLOs came joint second. By Michelle D’souza

Local Pensions Partnership looks to go direct with £1.3 billion credit fund
The Local Pensions Partnership (LPP), which runs the pension schemes of two separate UK local government areas, has announced the launch of a £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) credit fund

Leading fund: Lupus Alpha CLO Opportunity Notes I
Single-B CLO trades boost Lupus Alpha asset Management

BlueBay closes senior-only European debt fund at €3 billion
BlueBay Asset Management has announced that it is held a final close on a €3 billion European direct lending fund

Fast-growing private credit firm Northleaf brings in senior advisor
Northleaf Capital Partners has announced that Robert Weiss has joined as a senior advisor for its private credit team

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

Tuna fishing with a harpoon is a lot like picking credits
AlbaCore's David Allen takes our credit quiz                                        

Investing ethically is worth it
Managers could see less volatile returns as a result of their increasing adoption of ESG-friendly portfolios; meanwhile direct lending is spreading across Europe

BlueBay, Brightwood and Permira win private debt mandates
BlueBay Asset Management, Brightwood Capital Advisors and Permira Debt Management have been tasked with overseeing a London pension fund’s direct lending portfolio

European direct lenders strike €25 million sweet spot
Many new entrants to the European direct lending market are finding that they can put assets to work by making loans in the €20 million to €30 million range