New LBO loan assets increase as a proportion of total PE buyout activity

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Private equity sponsors actively tapped the loan market in 2021 to back over US$196bn in buyout activity, the second highest total on record and just behind 2007’s historic totals north of US$200bn. More significantly, over US$126bn or 64% of total issuance represented new, “take private” financings, up from less than US$49bn or 59% of 2020 levels.