Ares, Blackstone and Eurazeo succeed at inaugural European Direct Lending Awards

By Robin Armitage

Thursday, May 19, 2022

The Debtwire Direct Lending Forum was host to the European Direct Lending Awards on Tuesday evening. Presented by Creditflux and Debtwire, the event has been expanded and given a solo slot away from the Creditflux Manager Awards for the first time.

Presented at The Biltmore Mayfair in London, the awards followed a successful afternoon of private-debt focused panels, presentations, and fireside chats, all of which are available online here.

Despite tough market conditions, direct lending continues to grow, as Creditflux reported that European direct lending funds raised €36 billion in 2021. Debtwire Par found that just under 900 direct lending deals and investments were made across Europe last year.

This year saw record submissions as nearly 30 funds from 15 managers were considered. All deals and funds were submitted in the last few weeks with finalists being selected purely on analysis of the underlying data.

Global investment management firm Ares came out on top as it took home both the best European mid-market direct lending fund for Ares Capital Europe III (ACE III) and title of most active European large-cap direct lending manager.

Blackstone Credit took to the podium to claim the prize for Best European large-cap direct lending fund. Eurazeo received the award for most active European mid-market direct lending manager.

Award winners
Award	Manager	Fund
Best European mid-market direct lending fund	Ares	ACE III
Best European large-cap direct lending fund	Blackstone	European Senior Debt Fund II (Unlevered)
Most active European mid-market direct lending manager	Eurazeo	-
Most active European large-cap direct lending manager	Ares	-

The methodology for the fund awards involved a series of ranked data points, including TVPI, average leverage, average debt to ebitda and capital raised. On the deal side, the winner was selected on the number of deals undertaken in 2021 and inclusion in the Debtwire European Direct Lending Rankings. If you believe your deals should be included, please contact Darren Maharaj.

Creditflux and Debtwire would like to congratulate all the winners from the event and everyone who attended. We hope to see everyone again next year with plans to expand the event.

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TAGS: Direct lending Europe Ares Blackstone Creditflux awards