Ares ups its target for US senior direct lending growth to $4.7 billion
Following $5 billion of inflows into global direct lending in the third quarter, Ares has upped the target for its US direct lending strategy 

DRC hits £750 million hard cap for UK whole loan fund
The European real estate lender has held a final close for its inaugural  UK Whole Loan Fund at its £750 million hard cap

Danish penion fund's credit portfolio returns to growth
ATP, the Danish pension fund, has generated a return of DKK 799m from its credit portfolio for the first three quarters of 2018, marking a recovery compared to the H1 negative return of DKK200m.  

Tikehau pairs with Groupama for French and European SME debt fund
The new vehicle is anchored by European Investment Fund 

US pension commits $100 million to Apollo's hybrid private credit/private equity fund
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System has mandated $100 million to a multi-strategy fund managed by New York-based Apollo Global Management

UK prepares derivative regs for no-deal Brexit
The UK Treasury is seeking to amend onshored European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) legislation as it battles to avoid the risk that the country will leave the European Union without an effective regulatory framework for over-the-counter derivatives, central clearing counterparties and trade repositories in the event of a no-deal Brexit

Blackstone grows credit assets by 31% over year
The firm achieved strong fundraising in credit, taking credit-related assets under managment to $130.6 billion in the third quarter, a 31% increase year-on-year 

KSL holds $671 million close for second travel and leisure credit fund
KSL Capital Partners has held a final close for its second credit fund with $671 million in capital commitments

Astaldi credit event auction will have two deliverables, says DC
Only two Astaldi bonds are deliverable into an auction to determine the final price of its credit default swaps, the Determinations Committee has indicated

Serone expands structured credit team as former GoldenTree official joins
London-based Serone Capital Management has added to its team with the hire of a structured products specialist

Experienced SRT specialist parts ways with Apollo
A big name in the significant risk transfer (SRT) market has left Apollo Global Management in London

Isda extends deadline for derivatives benchmark consultation
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has extended the fast-approaching deadline for its consultation on derivatives benchmark fallbacks, to allow more time for responses

Halcyon rebrands to Bardin Hill, names new CEO and sells minority stakes to TSSP and Dyal
Halcyon Capital Management has rebranded its platform to Bardin Hill Investment Partners and has announced a new leadership structure following the retirement of John Bader who served as chief executive officer

Hard Brexit threatens systemic cliff edge for derivatives, warns joint paper
A no-deal Brexit could have a systemic effect on derivatives markets as it would immediately restrict EU 27 firms from transacting with UK entities and acting as clearing members to UK central counterparties, a group of major trade bodies has warned in a paper published today

ArrowMark builds in London with big SRT hire
ArrowMark is one of the biggest investors in the SRT market, but unusually it conducts most of its business out of the US. It has now added to its presence in London with an experienced official joining its SRT business

RiverRock prepares €1 billion European senior loan fund
Direct lender RiverRock European Capital Partners is targeting €1 billion for its latest European loan offering, Creditflux understands.

Pimco launches latest ESG-focused credit offering
Pimco has launched its latest environmental, social and governance (ESG) fixed income offering - GIS Global Investment Grade Credit ESG Fund.

Astaldi triggers first credit event in iTraxx on-the-run indices for nine years
Astaldi has triggered a bankruptcy credit event, the Isda-hosted EMEA Credit Determinations Committee has ruled

Astaldi credit event question hangs in balance as EMEA DC meets
The fate of credit default swap contracts referencing Astaldi could be decided today, with the Isda-hosted EMEA Credit Determinations Committee meeting to decide if the Italian builder has triggered a bankruptcy credit event

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

Direct lenders flock to Munich as German deal flow picks up
German private debt is attracting a growing number of fund managers. Market sources say that deal flow through the first half of the year was at 65% of 2017’s total and had surpassed the number of private debt deals executed by funds in each of the previous five years

Finnish pension fund seeks portfolio administrator for illiquid investments
Finland's state pension fund is searching for a portfolio administrator to oversee its illiquid investments, which include private credit

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