Private Debt Intelligence – 4/5/2021
Private Debt: Risk/Return by Fund Type
Across private debt strategies, returns and return dispersion data varies greatly. Direct lending funds, which are characterized by more senior secured debt, have been a steady investment, with a median net IRR of 8.3% for vintages 2008-2017 and a standard deviation of only 5.0%. Distressed and special situations funds offer investors a higher return in exchange for greater risk. Mezzanine funds shows the highest return of all strategies with only a small increase in variance over direct lending.
(Past performance is no guarantee of future results.)
Contact: Ashish Chauhan
ashish.chauhan@preqin.com
Latest news
Software, consumer-related direct lending deals fell in H1'26
The software and technology sector, the second-most-active sector in 2025 at 17% of total deal activity, slid to fifth place in the first half of 2026.
Unconquered Territory
With most of the map still unexplored, there’s room for a sequel.
