First-Time Fund Managers

The environment for first-time private debt managers has begun to stabilise in recent years as the industry continues to mature. Fundraising has been consistently robust, performance has been strong, and investors are increasingly open to the prospect of committing to managers without a proven track record.

First-time private debt managers secured a record total in 2013 ($9.6bn), and in the years 2013-14 firms have raised over $23bn as the market continues to develop....

Private Debt Fund Performance by Strategy

The private debt asset class has continued to satisfy institutional investors with 93% of those surveyed by Preqin at the end of 2016 stating that the performance of their private debt investments had either met or exceeded expectation. However, performance as measured by the median net IRR of funds varies notably across the three central private debt strategies: direct lending, mezzanine and distressed debt...

Investor Views on the Key Macroeconomic Factors Affecting the Private Debt Industry

Institutional investors currently hold the private debt industry in extremely high regard, with 93% of respondents surveyed by Preqin at the end of 2016 stating that their investments had either met or exceeded their expectations in 2016. However, investors will be keeping an eye on the macroeconomic factors that affected their portfolio in 2016 and are likely to make an impact in 2017...

Private Debt Management Fees Drop to Eight-Year Low

Fund terms within the alternative assets industry have been of particular focus over the last few years as investors have largely united to push managers for greater transparency and improved alignment of interest.

Within the private debt industry, this approach appears to be paying dividends with the average management fee reaching an eight-year low for 2016 vintage funds which charge a mean fee of 1.63%...

Credit Strategies Start 2017 with Positive Performance in January

Preqin research finds that credit strategies have maintained their positive performance from 2016, with a strong start to the year through January 2017, as investor and fund manager confidence in the strategy grows.

Credit strategies were the second best performing leading hedge fund strategy last year with annual returns of 8.50%, well outstripping the Preqin All-Strategies Hedge Fund benchmark (7.40%)...

Private Debt Funds in Market by Strategy

After two consecutive years of private debt fundraising exceeding $90bn, the pipeline remains strong with investor appetite for the asset class as strong as ever. In total, there are 288 private debt vehicles marketing themselves to investors, targeting a combined $117bn of capital commitments.

Direct lending funds represent the highest proportion of both total funds on the road and aggregate target capital; 127 funds (44%) are seeking $51bn (43%)...

Mezzanine Vehicles Drive Private Debt Fundraising in 2016

2016 saw 141 private debt vehicles reach a final close raising a combined $89bn, a slight slowdown from the 156 funds that secured a record $97bn of investor capital in 2015. However, 2016 still marked another year of extremely robust fundraising with investor appetite for the asset class showing no signs of diminishing.

Direct lending funds accounted for the highest number of vehicles closed through the year with 51 vehicles raising a combined $24bn...