Ares issues fund financing CLO valued at over EUR 700m
Ares European Fund Financing CLO I is a BSL deal that includes a substantial EUR 106.4m equity tranche, significantly larger than usual for this type of CLO

Ares co-head of US direct lending says there is real dispersion for the first time in years
PODCAST: Speaking with Lisa Lee on the latest episode of Credit Exchange, Kort Schnabel notes that dispersion among direct lenders is manifesting in a few different ways

Ares' newest European CLO prints AAAs at 125bps
Ares' latest Euro BSL issue has priced through BNP Paribas, with the conventionally-structured deal valued at just over EUR 405m

European private credit CLO market sparks back to life
ANALYSIS: After a brisk start, the European private credit CLO market has stalled somewhat over the past year, but a new issue in the space and the expectation of incoming hybrid issues has breathed new life into the sector

Bank of England outlines details of latest private market stress test
The central bank is exploring how private markets would respond during a severe global downturn

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

Regulators will see the benefits of private credit – Blackstone
The resilience of private credit will become clear following a review of the sector by UK regulators, says Blackstone’s Daniel Leiter

Corinthia Global Management hires Ares alum in New York
The global private credit manager has hired former Ares partner Craig Shirey to serve as a managing director

Alaska, Pennsylvania among pensions disclosing recent private credit investments
Alaska retirement system reveals over USD 400m in private credit investments and Pennsylvania and Texas pensions make new commitments to European private credit funds, while Maine PERS commits to another new TPG Twin Brook fund

European CLO veteran Boris Okuliar departs Ares
The exit sees the loss of Ares’ co-head of its global liquid credit business after nine years at the firm, to spend more time with family and explore new opportunities

Barings moves toward second Euro private credit CLO as Blackstone, Apollo mull initial deals
EXCLUSIVE: The firm that cracked the European private credit CLO market open last year is working on its second such deal, while Blackstone and Apollo eye a market entry

Ares launches direct lending fund for European wealth investors
The firm’s first ELTIF product will give individual investors access to its existing European direct lending strategy

Ares 'bespoke' mid-market CLO unlocks UK insurance capital
Ares’ debut mid-market European CLO employs a highly unusual structure that allows it to attract investments from UK insurance firms

US pensions increasingly eye European private credit amid expanding allocations, diversification pressures
US public pensions have committed at least USD 4.4bn to European private credit strategies since July 2024  

The M&A market is normalising – Ares’ Matt Theodorakis
PODCAST: “People are looking to do deals going forward” after taking a pause following ‘Liberation Day’, Theodorakis told Lisa Lee, managing editor at Creditflux, on the latest Credit Exchange podcast

Europe sees first reinvesting private credit CLO as Ares prices rare sterling deal
The second private credit CLO in Europe is comprised of over 50 middle-market companies based in the UK, primarily operating in defensive industries