Azimut hires ex-Dyal official as it aims to buy minority equity in asset managers
Azimut will initially focus on acquiring minority stakes in alternative asset managers with under $3 billion AUM – including private credit, private equity, infrastructure and real estate firms

In private credit, we look to stay in senior structures with control

ABS investors show increased interest in green securitisations to reach EU climate targets
Securitisation is being touted as a tool to help close the yearly investment gap of €180 billion needed to achieve the EU’s climate and energy targets by 2030, as identified in the European Commission’s sustainable finance action plan, which was published last year.

Veteran Ulmer targets array of private credit for new firm
Andrew Ulmer, who led the structured finance expansion at Brevan Howard, has resurfaced with his own asset management company, 1543 Capital, according to documents seen by Creditflux.

Points up front: Cap wearer plays trump card in support of SRT
Such has been the success of Donald Trump’s “make America great again” caps that structured credit folks have started sporting their own versions. Santander’s Jeremy Hermant has been seen in the streets of London proudly wearing a cap with the motto “make SRT great again”. Hermant works in the significant risk transfer team and tells Creditflux that he has been campaigning for SRTs for the past few years.

Bespoke gains pull CLO buyers as market tipped to hit $100bn
Synthetic bespoke issuance could catch up with the more visible CLO market this year, say structured credit specialists

Blackstone builds on multi-asset approach with fifth fund
The new vehicle will invest directly into Blackstone deals across its alternatives platform

Past returns: Citi kickstarts CSO market
Five years ago in Creditflux, we reported on the revival of the synthetic CDO market, with Citi leading the push

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 

Tracking down the credit industry’s original winners
All winning managers at the first Creditflux awards survived the crisis, under their own names – like BlackRock – or under new owners. But what happened to the people who collected the trophies?
 

Structured credit specialists seek future-proofing in direct lending
At the turn of the last credit cycle, structured credit recovered spectacularly – but credit managers today seem to be gravitating towards private credit as the area to pick up excess returns in a downturn

Dedication pays off in risk sharing
Fund managers are pitching dedicated CRT funds to institutional investors as market hits €75 billion in 2017 and US banks start to take notice. By Sayed Kadiri

Synthetic CDOs seek to follow CLOs
Growing issuance, interest in longer maturities and the emergence of a secondary market are encouraging dealers to believe that bespokes are on the road to acceptance. By Sayed Kadiri

Pension service provider launches £320 million fixed income fund
The Local Pensions Partnership (LPP) in the UK has launched its inaugural fixed income fund at £320 million, according to a 6 March statement

Natixis AM reports $1 trillion AUM in 2017 results
Paris-headquartered Natixis has reported solid growth, and an end-of-2017 AUM of $1 trillion, for its asset and wealth management unit

Credit Suisse reports annual loss - but insists it's on the mend
Credit Suisse has reported an annual loss for 2017 – posting a full year net loss attribute to shareholders of CHF983 million ($1.05 billion) in its earnings release today

Alcentra creeps closer to $300 million target with third structured credit fund
London-headquartered Alcentra, the alternative fixed income specialist for BNY Mellon Investment Management, appears to have raised more than $214 million for its third Clareant structured credit opportunities fund

Managers predict skill will win out
We asked managers to predict the year ahead across a range of credit strategies. Overall, they had a positive outlook. By Grace Jennings-Edquist

Citi promotes European CLO head and co-head of credit correlation trading
Citi – a market leader in CLO origination and bespokes – has promoted officials responsible for these businesses.

US pension scheme puts $100 million into top-performing CQS fund
A multi-strategy credit fund run by CQS has earned a $100 million commitment from a US pension fund

Nomura renews interest in synthetic CDOs by targeting full-cap deals
After sitting on the sidelines last year, Nomura has returned to the bespokes space

New tailored credit index tranches draw in private bank investors
A new product aimed at private banks is quietly taking off in the synthetic structured credit space