Virginia, Arkansas among systems expanding into alternative credit strategies
Recent Ares funds gain momentum with allocations from VRS, TCDRS; Arkansas Teachers plan multi-strategy credit SMAs with KKR, Brookfield

Ares to launch new private credit fund with USD 10bn-15bn equity target
The fund has the same equity target as its record-breaking predecessor, Ares Senior Direct Lending Fund III

Ares backs Arcmont’s USD 2.5bn private credit continuation vehicle
The vehicle acquires senior direct lending assets from Arcmont’s 2019-vintage fund and marks the largest credit secondaries transaction in Europe, according to Ares

Ares closes on USD 9.8bn for opportunistic credit
The manager, which held final close for its Ares Special Opportunities Fund III and related vehicles, is also now raising capital for its third alternative credit fund

Michigan, New Mexico make large bets on asset-based credit strategies
Michigan SIB commits USD 800m to Apollo, LGT credit funds; New Mexico SIC allocates USD 400m for Ares, Pemberton funds

Ares issues new CLO valued at over USD 700m
The deal priced almost USD 450m of senior triple A paper at SOFR plus 122bps

Exit requests for Apollo, Ares private debt funds top double digits
Both of the semi-liquid, perpetual nontraded BDCs chose to cap share repurchases at the originally offered 5% limit, forcing many investors to wait another quarter for a full exit

Latest new Euro CLOs from HPS and Ares showcase significant spread widening from mid-February lows
The triple As for both HPS' Aqueduct European CLO 17 and Ares’ European CLO XXIV priced at Euribor plus 127bps, while the overall cost of debt has also widened out some 20bps from the levels seen in February

Montana, North Carolina systems aim large allocations for real estate debt
Montana commits USD 250m to Walton Street, GoldenTree funds; North Carolina plans USD 1.7bn in commitments, with USD 1bn for real estate debt

Ares’ co-head of alternative credit says AI will hit a bit of a wall due to “sheer capital” need
PODCAST: The AI boom is likely to be slowed down because the sheer amount of capital that is required to maintain the pace of these projects is unsustainable, says Joel Holsinger, co-head of alternative credit at Ares Management, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee

Ares to anchor Arcmont’s debut direct lending continuation fund
PJT advises on Arcmont's GP-led credit secondary vehicle; Ares closed its debut credit secondaries fund on USD 7.1bn

Private credit CLOs gather steam in Europe as Ares prices its first euro/sterling deal
The transaction follows the pioneering euro/sterling transaction from Barings last October, which also priced via BNP Paribas, and is the second private credit CLO for Ares in Europe

NYS system commits USD 500m as Illinois plans private credit RFP
NYSCRF allocates USD 500m to BlackRock, Ares and Pearl Diver; Boston, San Joaquin pensions also reveal recent commitments; Illinois police pension plans private credit search in June

Lending giants invade lower mid-market in search of deals – Private Credit Comment
Smaller debt funds face increased competition from larger lenders; normalisation hinges on more M&A volumes or issues in syndicated markets

Former Ares CLO leader Boris Okuliar joins Corinthia
London-based Okuliar is now Corinthia’s chief strategy officer and head of global diversified credit, signalling the private credit firm’s expansion into public credit

Coller backs continuation vehicle for Ares direct lending
Ares closed a GP-led secondaries transaction for its 2018-vintage US direct lending fund

Wisconsin, Texas systems increase commitments to opportunistic credit
Wisconsin Investment Board allocates USD 650m in 4Q25; Texas system commits USD 350m to LuminArx, Ares

Ares plans to raise a USD 6.6bn alternative credit fund in just six months
The alternative asset manager also said on its fourth quarter earnings call that it is preparing a final close for its latest opportunistic credit fund

Ares raises USD 7.1bn for private credit secondaries
The firm held a final close for its first dedicated credit secondaries fund, doubling its initial target

Ares preparing to issue second private credit CLO as multi-currency deal
EXCLUSIVE: Ares European Direct Lending CLO 2 will be a euro/sterling deal and is expected to price soon

Ares hires CapitaLand exec for Asia special sits credit
The new partner will oversee activities in China, Hong Kong and South Korea

South Carolina, Texas among systems disclosing recent credit allocations
Ares Pathfinder Fund III to launch in 1Q26 with USD 5bn target, while South Carolina system allocates USD 550m to two managers and Illinois and Montana systems commit USD 150m across various funds

An opportunity-rich 2026 also promises fresh challenges for the US CLO market
EXCLUSIVE: A new Fed chair, AI dominance, and heightened fraud awareness are setting the stage for an interesting 2026 in the US CLO market

How direct lending took off in Europe
In the second of our two-part history, we look at the evolution of direct lending in the UK, the sector’s expansion to other parts of Europe, and its growth into a dominant asset class

European private credit CLOs ramp up, with Pemberton, Ares readying new deals
Pemberton to join Ares with new issues next year, while Barings looks at a reset of its initial static deal