US pension scheme eyes 50 South Capital fund of funds
50 South Capital Backed Credit Fund II, a fund-of funds vehicle, is set to invest in four loan funds in small and medium size companies, according to documents seen by Creditflux  

Local connections pay off as UK pension backs Tosca
Tosca Debt Capital has begun marketing Tosca Debt Capital Fund III and secured a commitment from the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, according to documents seen by Creditflux

Credit funds contribute to Hamilton Lane’s AUM growth
Hamilton Lane has announced its assets under management and advisement has hit $473 billion as of June. This comes shortly after it closed a credit fund and begun marketing another one

Barings raises €1.5 billion for European direct lending
Barings has held a close for its latest European direct lending fund, receiving €1.5 billion of capital from over 45 institutional investors

Senior figure departs Alcentra direct lending team, Debtwire reports
Creditflux sister publication Debtwire reports that one of the longest standing members of Alcentra's European direct lending team has left the firm 

UK's Tameside borough backs senior loan fund
The Tameside Metropolitan Borough in Manchester, UK has decided to commit $200 million in Churchill Middle Market Senior Loan Fund II, according to documents seen by Creditflux.  

Investors are very focused on ESG: it’s driving them and us, and rightly so
My career in credit began just over 20 years ago, working in KPMG’s restructuring team and advising banks on their troubled loans. It was a pretty steep learning curve as every company was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. But I learned that controlling cash flow is vital and how to prioritise what’s most important about a company. I still use those same skills every day.

Ares credit business grows 4.4%, driven by US direct lending
US and European direct lending, alternative credit and syndicated loan funds dove growth for Ares Management Corporation in the second quarter, the firm said

Past Returns: German direct lending’s overhaul
In Creditflux five years ago we reported on German fund managers campaigning against regulations which dictated that funds require a banking licence to act as direct lenders. In 2016 they got their way as the German Banking Act stipulated that the banking licence requirement would not be imposed if a direct lender was authorised under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive.

Direct lenders accused of exaggerating terms in lender education
Sources say that some direct lenders in Europe are submitting standard indicative lender terms with limited or no internal discussions with their respective credit committees.

Fund performance: Mercury rises as does credit fund performance

UK direct lending deal flow picks up with 99 deals in H1, finds GCA Altium
While loan volumes in the UK were much higher than expected, activity in Germany was lower compared to H1 last year, according to the GCA Altium MidCap Monitor Q2 2019

Spanish manager secures €40 million for debut private credit fund
Spanish direct lender Talde has held a €40 million first close on its debut private credit fund Talde Deuda Alternativa

Hamilton Lane holds $760 million final close for private credit fund
Hamilton Lane has held a $760 million final close for its latest global private credit fund, collecting slightly less capital than the manager’s predecessor fund. 

French pension hunts for ESG service providers
Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites (FRR) is set to boost its environmental, social and governance plans with a newly launched responsible investment strategy  

Pemberton bolsters UK and Ireland origination team with HSBC hire
The mid-market direct lender has added to its origination team in London 

Utah fund set to invest $45 million across Beach Point and Crestline funds
The Utah School & Institutional Trust Fund Office is set to make commitments to credit funds managed by Beach Point Capital Management and Crestline Investors

Creditflux and Debtwire unveil second European Direct Lending Perspectives report
Creditflux and its Acuris stablemate Debtwire have joined forces to produce their second European Direct Lending Perspectives, a report that sheds light on the biggest trends from Q1

London pension outlines private debt commitments
Barnet Pension Fund has earmarked £30 million for commitments to Partners Group Multi Asset Credit 2019

Alcentra reaches €5.5 billion close for European direct lending fund
Alcentra says that it has raised €5.5 billion for its latest European direct lending strategy

GSO adds $10 billion to inflows with direct lending, structured credit and energy
Blackstone grew its credit assets under management to $139.3 billion, up 13% on a year ago, according to the firm's second quarter earnings release

Investor requirements rather than performance is driving ESG push: Creditflux survey
Only 14% of respondents to Creditflux's global credit ESG survey said performance was the main reason they were adopting envoronmental, social and governance-themed strategies

UK pension pool to launch maiden private credit offering
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership is launching its first private credit offering in early Q4, Creditflux has learned

Private debt boosts Partners' AUM
Partners Group has reached €17.2 billion in private debt assets for the first half of 2019, with private debt experiencing the highest net growth among all private markets, according to an AUM update from the manager today  

UBS pushes into private credit as part of private markets expansion
UBS has launched a global private capital markets team, which includes a new emphasis on private credit