Private equity firm launches cannabis credit fund
Private equity firm Gotham Green Partners has become the latest fund manager to launch a strategy geared towards the cannabis sector

New York pension fund signs up to new SVP distressed debt fund
New York State Common Retirement Fund has made a $150 million commitment to distressed debt specialist Strategic Value Partners, board documentations reveal 

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 

Asset manager launches $150 million private credit fund
Commonfund Asset Management, an asset manager for non-profit organisations, has launched a new private credit fund with a $150 million target size, US SEC filings reveal

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

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

Tikehau raises over €200 million for French loan fund
Paris-based Tikehau has launched its latest Novo fund, which is endorsed by the French Insurance Federation

New Hampshire pension agrees $50 million investment in direct lending
New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS) has committed $50 million to a Chicago-based direct lender

New York pension commits €200 million to ICG across two mid market funds
ICG has won a €200 million golden ticket for two of its mid market funds: ICG North American Private Debt Fund II and ICG Europe Fund VII

Canadian pension fund appoints head of credit
Toronto-headquartered Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has appointed John Graham as head of credit investments, effective 1 June 2018

Zencap looks to raise €200 million for its third infra debt fund
French alternative investment boutique Zencap Asset Management is launching its third senior infra debt fund with a €200 million first close target, the firm announced on Friday.

Credit-oriented PE firm opens Texas office to aid capital deployment
Credit-oriented private equity firm Orion Energy has opened a new office in Houston in a bid to set up a local presence and deploy capital from its recent successful fund close

New York pension fund allocates $400 million to two private debt funds
New York State Common Retirement Fund has awarded $400 million to two private debt managers: GSO and Vista Equity Partners, Creditflux has learned

BlackRock expands US private debt capabilities with TCP acquisition
BlackRock has agreed to acquire $9 billion asset manager Tennenbaum Capital Partners

Mayer Brown adds private credit partner in Chicago
Jaime Gatenio joins global law firm as banking and finance partner in its global private credit group

German firm holds first close of direct lending fund at €300 million
Frankfurt-based Rantum Capital has launched a second subordinated loan fund, a direct lending strategy called Rantum Private Debt Fund II

Missouri pension fund selects Brightwood and Monroe for private debt mandate
The St Louis Public School Retirement System has committed $22 million to private debt, according to board documents seen by Creditflux

BlackRock raising $2.5 billion for direct lending fund: report
BlackRock is seeking to raise $2.5 billion for a private credit fund – and has already hit the $1.5 billion mark in sales, according to a Bloomberg report

New Hampshire pension makes $50 million commitment to direct lending
The New Hampshire Retirement System has approved a $50 million commitment to BlueBay’s Direct Lending Fund III (USD unlevered), according to documents seen by Creditflux

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

Sacramento pension fund eyes new private credit allocation
The Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System’s board has approved a new annual investment plan for 2018 that introduces a private credit allocation, Creditflux has learned

Private equity firm hits target size with $170 million for its first credit fund
Technology-focused private equity firm Accel-KKR has raised $170 million – and hit the total offering amount – for its series 1 Credit Partners fund, which appears to be a direct lending strategy

EnTrustPermal makes senior hire in bid to expand aviation financing capabilities
New York-based EnTrustPermal becomes the latest asset manager to expand its aviation finance capabilities as it hires veteran aviation investor John Morabito 

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