Isda and Linklaters roll out test version of initial margin docs service
Five and a half months of partnership between the International Swaps and Derivatives Association and Linklaters has borne fruit, with the launch of a test version of an online tool that will allow firms to electronically negotiate and execute initial margin (IM) documentation

Astaldi credit event question posed as its distress weighs on iTraxx Crossover
Astaldi, a constituent of iTraxx Crossover, has been referred to ISDA-hosted Credit Determinations Committees as a possible bankruptcy credit event – less than two weeks after the index rolled into a new series

Santander issues £1.1 billion SRT featuring UK project finance loans
Banco Santander has completed a £1.12 billion significant risk transfer through a transaction dubbed Fitzroy 2018-1 CLO

IHS Markit launches derivatives initial margin calculator
IHS Markit has launched an Initial Market Calculation Service to help market participants prepare to meet regulatory requirements for non-cleared derivatives trades across credit, commodities, equities, FX and interest rates

Cairn adds to its SRT investment team in London
Cairn Capital has appointed Chris Cottrell as senior investment analyst

BlackRock becomes latest manager to explore interval fund structure for credit
Several managers have hit the market with the interval fund structure, as investors look to invest in illiquid strategies through an illiquid fund structure

Orchard hires former UBS credit index options and tranches global head
Orchard Global Asset Management has hired an ex-UBS senior correlation trader as a portfolio manager in London

Rallye races towards over 50s club in CDS as Astaldi faces Crossover index ejection
Rallye, the parent company of supermarket chain Casino Guichard-Perrachon and a former fellow-constituent of credit default swap index iTraxx Crossover, has surged wider to near 50 points up front in five-year CDS trading

Barclays hires another senior EM trader as Turkey continues to roil markets
Barclays has made an experienced hire to its EM credit trading team in London

Turkey CDS rallies back inside 500bp on Qatar help, but curve remains inverted
Turkey’s sovereign five year credit default swap is back below 500bp today, following the financially embattled country’s recent spread blow-out

Italian bank completes SRT with European Investment Fund support
Banca Popolare di Bari has constructed a €174.5 million significant risk transfer (SRT) deal, which features a vertical risk sharing mechanism

Central clearer resource concentration puts systemic risk in spotlight
A joint study by regulators has revealed that default resources are increasingly concentrated in just two central counterparties

Steep climb: dealers and investors cross-examine merits of five-year CSOs
The market for bespoke tranches of credit synthetic obligations (CSOs) looks set for further year-on-year growth, but this could depend on expanding activity to longer tenors

High profile figure in SRT market leaves Nomura in London
A well known figure in the significant risk transfer (SRT) space has parted company with Nomura in London, sources say.

Cheyne more than doubles assets for credit fund in five months
Cheyne Capital has more than doubled assets for Cheyne Total Return Credit Fund December 2023 – in the space of just five months

Hermes launches £185 million unconstrained credit fund
London-based Hermes Investment Management has launched a new Ucits-compliant unconstrained credit fund - which will include pricing ESG risks

Anchorage wins $75 million ticket for global credit fund
A US pension fund has approved an investment in the upcoming Anchorage credit fund

HSBC announces $550 million second close for diversified loan fund
HSBC Alternative Investments has announced the second close of its diversified loan fund, which will combine both loan investing and direct lending

Cairn works reg cap and eyes another fund launch
Cairn Capital’s regulatory capital relief business is up and running, with the firm closing its first deals late last year

Muzinich debuts European total return credit strategy
Muzinich & Co has launched a new European-focused total return credit strategy that will have the ability to express both long and short views on credit

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

Chenavari fund swells assets by $72 million following relaunch
Chenavari has grown assets of a long/short credit vehicle by more than $70 million following the vehicle’s relaunch last year, its co-manager says

Fund platform AMX eyeballs credit funds
Willis Towers Watson’s hedge fund platform has grown to $1.5 billion – and there is space for credit managers