Firms look for new ways into technology The sector is continuing to grow in popularity, evidenced by recent strategic moves from the likes of SoftBank and BlackRock. The technology sector has proved to be one of the most popular and resilient for private credit lenders ever since the covid-19 pandemic, and the trend shows little…
Filling the void in venture lending Lending to growth and venture-backed firms has been challenging in early 2023, but there are signs of change. The regional banking crisis precipitated by the turmoil that started with Silicon Valley Bank in March must be seen in a larger context – as an accelerant of a mega-trend towards…
Changes from a decade of fundraising In the June issue of Private Debt Investor, in which we celebrated its tenth anniversary, we reflected on key trends in fundraising over that period by an examination of our PDI 100 ranking of top fundraisers. Below are four of our observations. Size matters: The giant managers who are…
In private debt, size matters Our recent review of the asset class’s progress over the last ten years noted how the average size of funds keeps on growing. One of the findings of our recent Decade issue was the rapid advance in the sizes of private debt funds. Increasing concentration of fundraising among the top…
Fundraising’s tale of two halves Looking back over the last decade reveals a phase of uninterrupted capital growth, followed by a less predictable period. Since Private Debt Investor launched a decade ago, we have closely tracked fundraising for the asset class across its evolving array of strategies. We have witnessed the meteoric rise of an…
UK dislodged from Europe’s top spot France saw a surge of deals in the second half of last year, but the UK should not be written off prematurely. The Deloitte Private Debt Deal Tracker for the second half of last year caused something of a stir when it positioned France ahead of the UK for…
When the going gets tough Those present at the PDI Europe Summit heard how Europe is catching up the US when it comes to distressed opportunities. Despite the denominator effect, more investor capital is expected to pour into distressed and special situation-focused GPs’ coffers this year (see chart). No wonder the room was packed as…
Europe’s pros and cons Private Debt Investor’s Europe Summit 2023 in London last week reflected on the state of play in the region. Here are five key observations. 1. Increasing moves by private credit firms into net asset value-based financing are in keeping with the growing recognition that private credit is the natural supporter of…
Subordinated debt bucks fundraising trend The strategy appears to be claiming market share as fundraising shows signs of coming under pressure. Largely as a result of the denominator effect, but also due to investors taking stock of a challenging economic and geopolitical situation, it was always feared that 2023 might turn out to be a…
Lenders must rise to the ESG challenge From being seen as non-participants, debt providers are these days seen as having a crucial role to play in driving responsible borrower behaviour. Long gone are the days when lenders were considered backseat drivers, with little to add to the debate on how borrowers should be engaging with…