IW launches first UK SME senior debt fund
London-headquartered IW Capital has launched its first  £4.5 million senior secured debt fund, which will invest in UK SMEs 

Spire moves into CLO investing with new credit fund
European corporate credit specialist Spire Partners has raised roughly €100 million for a multi-strategy fund that will have the ability to invest in CLOs

Real estate debt takes off as funds raise billions
Octopus's Ludo Mackenzie on why real estate debt is attractive: “In absolute terms, property yields are close to where they were in 2007, which would imply that the asset class is fully priced. In relative terms, however, compare commercial property yields to the risk-free rate and there is a healthy margin of around 3.5%.”  

Patrimonium set to launch two European direct lending funds
Direct lender Patrimonium Asset Management is launching two new direct lending funds – with both funds anticipated to hold first closes at around €150 million in the coming week, according to market sources

65% of distressed managers plan new funds over the next year, survey finds
Distressed debt is proving to be a popular strategy for managers, with 65% intending to launch a distressed strategy in the next 12 months, according to a report by Creditflux’s sister publication Debtwire and law firm Ropes & Gray.     

Ostrum and Natixis unite to launch real asset private debt platform
The new real asset private debt arm will target €6 billion AUM by 2020 and focus on three sectors: real estate, infrastructure and aviation

Robeco launches SDG-focused credit fund
Robeco and RobecoSAM, its affiliate which is focused on sustainable investing, have teamed up to launch a new credit strategy which aims to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

HSBC asset management unit raises $800 million for global multi-manager loan fund
As a multi-manager fund,  the new vehicle aims to offer the benefits of fund-of-funds - diversification - but with a management fee comparable to a single manager 

Massachusetts pension fund invests $75 million with TowerBrook
Mass PRIM) has made a $75 million commitment to New-York based TowerBrook Capital Partners for its second structured opportunities fund, according to 15 May board documentation

Tages holds $203 million first close for hedge fund seeding strategy
The new closed-end vehicle will focus on providing seeding and acceleration capital to emerging hedge fund managers

Idinvest holds €715 million final close for fourth direct lending fund
Paris-based Idinvest Partners has surpassed its initial €600 million target size, raising €715 million for its final close

GoldenTree grows third distressed debt fund to $600 million
New York-based GoldenTree Asset Management has raised nearly $600 million for its third distressed debt fund – just over a quarter of its target size

Hermes partners with another three banks to deliver European direct lending fund
Hermes Investment Management has formed new lending partnerships with Danske Bank, DZ Bank and KBC Bank for its upcoming European-focused fund 

Manager targets €250 million for inaugural Italian direct lending offering
Milan-based Main Capital has plans to launch its inaugural Italian private debt fund, which will target €250 million capital commitments, according to Creditflux’s sister publication Unquote

Investec unveils unconstrained global credit fund for UK investors
“In a world of rising interest rates, and with the accompanying increase in volatility", Investec has launched a replica of its Investec Global Total Credit Fund - this time for UK investors

Rothschild holds €655 million close for European mid-market loan fund
Rothschild Merchant Banking has closed its European mid-market direct lending fund, Five Arrows Direct Lending, with €655 million capital commitments

Muzinich edges nearer to final close for pan-European debt fund
Corporate debt specialist Muzinich & Co has held a third close for its pan-European private debt fund with €460 million in capital commitments

Manager holds first close for £500 million UK real estate debt fund
London-based TH Real Estate, an affiliate of Nuveen, has held a first close of its second global real estate debt fund

Carlyle and Oppenheimer opt for interval fund structure as part of JV
The new private credit fund will invest at least 80% across loans and structured credit (Including CLOs), opportunistic credit, direct lending and liquid credit, SEC filings reveal

Amundi expands real estate debt platform
Paris-headquartered Amundi has launched a commercial real estate debt strategy, which will offer exposure to Eurozone senior real estate debt

Alcentra holds $513 million close for CLO-focused fund
Alcentra has held a final close on its third structured credit opportunity fund with $513 million capital commitments - which has the ability to invest in US and European CLO equity, mezzanine tranches and warehouse capital 

Madrid manager holds €50 million first close for sponsorless lending fund
Sponsorless investing proves popular with investors, as Trea holds a €50 million first close for its second direct lending fund - two months after launching 

SVP closes fourth global special situations fund at its $2.85 billion hard cap
Distressed and special situation specialist Strategic Value Partners has held a final close for its fourth special situations fund, hitting its hard cap with $2.85 billion capital commitments

BNPP AM produces its own Novo loan fund to target French mid market firms
BNP Paribas Asset Management has launched a new business loan fund, BNP Paribas Novo 2018, backed by the French Insurance Federation and French public sector investment fund.  

Ares targets €4.5 billion for fourth European direct lending fund
Los Angeles based Ares Capital Management has launched its fourth European direct lending fund, Ares Capital Europe IV, with a €4.5 billion target size, SEC filings show