Alternative Investments Archives - Global Finances Daily

Fifth Third and Eldridge announce private credit partnership

Editorial Team — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:55:13 +0000

Fifth Third Bank and asset manager Eldridge Capital Management have announced a strategic partnership to offer private credit arrangements to commercial banking clients.

The partnership should better enable both parties to provide reliable private credit solutions to clients and meet evolving client needs, the firms said in a statement.

“This marks a significant moment in providing a private credit solution for our clients,” said Kevin Khanna, head of commercial banking at Fifth Third.

“Both Fifth Third and Eldridge can deliver flexible, forward-looking financing solutions that empower clients to pursue strategic opportunities with confidence.”

“This new partnership in private credit reflects a natural evolution of our engagement, grounded in a shared dedication to excellence,” added Nicholas Sandler, co-president of Eldridge Capital Management.

Eldridge has around $70bn (£52.5bn) of assets under management.

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Forum’s real estate income fund hits $300m AUM

Editorial Team — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 23:53:01 +0000

Forum Investment Group’s Real Estate Income Fund (FREIF) has surpassed $300m (£225m) in net assets under management since it launched in October 2019.

The fund seeks to provide high income potential with lower volatility by investing in a diversified portfolio of public and private real estate debt investment opportunities.

“Reaching the $300m mark is more than a milestone, it signals FREIF’s evolution into a scaled platform with staying power,” said Lee Beck, president at Forum.

“In a time when investors are rethinking portfolio allocations, FREIF presents a viable alternative to traditional fixed income exposure.”

The fund’s portfolio emphasises hard-asset, real estate-backed debt investments, with a focus on downside risk mitigation and long-term value creation, Forum said.

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S3 Capital raises $730m in commitments

Editorial Team — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:49:26 +0000

Private real estate credit manager S3 Capital has raised a total of $730m (£548m) in commitments, including $450m in equity commitments for its S3 LB Real Estate Credit Fund III.

An additional $280m is in separately managed accounts and co-investments.

Fund III will remain open to investors through Q1 2026 and is targeting $650m in equity commitments, with a hard cap of $850m.

“We have seen strong interest in Fund III from a diverse range of institutional investors, including US and international endowments, insurance companies and pension funds who recognise the long-term opportunity in multifamily lending,” said Robert Schwartz (pictured), co-founder of S3 Capital.

“These groups are increasingly drawn to the fundamentals of specialised real estate credit as an asset class and have confidence in our approach to underwrite and service loans in supply-constrained, high-growth markets.”

To date, S3 has called around 15 per cent of total commitments and has closed 13 loans totalling $808m.

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Wey Bridging Finance partners with Renaissance Asset Finance

Editorial Team — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 07:47:21 +0000

London-based Wey Bridging Finance has announced a strategic collaboration with Renaissance Asset Finance, the asset finance subsidiary of wealth manager and private bank Arbuthnot Latham.

As part of the partnership, Renaissance Asset Finance has approved a funding line for Wey Bridging Finance to significantly expand the company’s lending capacity.

The facility will enable Wey Bridging Finance to support more clients, offer larger and more flexible loans, and grow its loan book, the business said.

“We are excited to be working alongside Renaissance Asset Finance at such a pivotal time in our journey,” said Jordan Hallows, chief executive of Wey Bridging Finance.

“Renaissance brings a fresh, innovative approach to finance, backed by the heritage and stability of Arbuthnot Latham. With this new funding line in place, we are now in a stronger position to scale our lending operations and support even more borrowers with fast, reliable bridging finance.”

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Goodwin adds debt finance partner in London

Editorial Team — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 23:44:56 +0000

Goodwin has announced that debt finance lawyer Matthew Ayre will join the firm’s private equity practice as a partner in its London office.

Matthews joins from Travers Smith, where he was head of the leveraged finance team, and brings 27 years of experience in private practice.

He has considerable experience in the acquisition finance market, advising private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers and lenders on complex financings and restructurings.

“Our European private equity platform continues to see a strong market opportunity. Matthew’s deep experience in debt finance, his commercial insight, and his longstanding relationships with private equity clients make him an ideal addition to our team here at Goodwin,” said Yash Rana, partner and co-chair of Goodwin’s global private equity practice.

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Investors may not understand ABF

Editorial Team — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 15:42:41 +0000

Investors need to ensure they fully understand the nuances of asset-backed finance (ABF), experts have warned, amid rapid growth of the asset class.

ABF is increasing in popularity, as private credit investors look to diversify their portfolio and earn higher returns, with the benefit of security.

But it is important for investors to understand the assets behind the ABF debt itself.

“The idea behind ABF is that lenders will gain exposure to collateral that can be liquidated in an enforcement scenario,” said Luke Chan, partner and head of private credit at HighVista Strategies. “However, if collateral is low quality, lenders may sustain losses.”

Chan has also warned new investors to avoid making false comparisons with other areas of private debt.

“Unlike EBITDA-based lending, which can be executed upon by a generalist team, ABF requires specialised teams able to underwrite and work with each underlying collateral type,” he added.

Albane Poulin, head of private credit at Gravis Capital Management, explains that stakeholders need “deep expertise” in assessing the quality of assets.

“It’s not just about understanding the asset’s intrinsic value, but also about knowing the legal framework around enforcement in the event of default, such as whether to appoint a receiver or initiate administration proceedings, and how quickly the asset can be liquidated under current market conditions,” she said. “As a result, asset-backed lending calls for a blend of skills: asset valuation, legal and structuring expertise (especially around security agreements), and strong credit underwriting capabilities.

“When lending against infrastructure assets, an additional layer of insight is needed – specifically, a thorough understanding of regulatory frameworks and the underlying technology – to properly assess the long-term value and resilience of the collateral.”

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Eurazeo AUM rises 4pc to €36.8bn

Editorial Team — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 15:37:28 +0000

Private markets asset manager Eurazeo saw its assets under management (AUM) rise by four per cent in the first half of 2025 to €36.8bn (£31.9bn).

Fee-paying AUM rose eight per cent to €27.8bn, including an increase of 10 per cent for third parties.

Its third-party fundraising remained consistent at €2.1bn, the same as in the first half of 2024. Balance sheet realisations increased, with a growth in exits expected this year.

“Eurazeo continues to rigorously roll-out its strategic roadmap in a more uncertain economic environment,” said chief executives Christophe Bavière and William Kadouch-Chassaing.

“Asset management growth is supported by solid fundraising with both institutional and retail clients, reflecting the relevant positioning of our investment strategies and their performance.

“As announced, balance sheet asset rotation increased for the second year running, and several transactions are planned for the second half of the year. These financial flows will allow us to continue to improve shareholder return, particularly through the scheduled acceleration of share buybacks.”

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AssetMark announces expansion into private markets

Editorial Team — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 07:34:51 +0000

Wealth manager AssetMark has announced it is planning to expand into private markets, with new capabilities expected to launch in the final quarter of 2025.

The move will integrate private assets into AssetMark’s managed solutions and discretionary programs.

“Private markets are no longer optional – they’re essential to building modern, diversified portfolios,” said Lou Maiuri, group chief executive of AssetMark.

“We’re committed to helping advisors access these opportunities in a way that’s intuitive, scalable, and aligned with how they serve clients today.”

The firm is currently conducting due diligence on private credit, private real estate, and private equity funds, it said in a statement.

Going forward, a portion of AssetMark’s discretionary strategies will be allocated to private markets, enabling advisors to access professionally-managed exposure to these asset classes.

AssetMark’s private markets capabilities will be available to advisors and firms beginning in Q4 2025. The firm said more details will be shared in the coming months.

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Bank partnerships provide ‘strategic advantage’ for private credit firms

Editorial Team — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 23:32:21 +0000

Partnerships with regional banks could provide a “strategic advantage” for private credit firms in sourcing deals, according to a new report by Deloitte.

The Big Four auditing firm said that partnerships between banks and private credit firms should “continue to grow” as both sides “seek the benefits of cooperation”, with banks expanding their service offerings while reducing balance sheet exposure, and private credit firms securing lending opportunities.

“The continued growth of private credit and accumulation of dry powder, that is, uninvested commitments from limited partners, have led to more competition among private credit firms, resulting in reduced spreads for loans,” it said in the report.

“Regional banks may be well positioned to create opportunities for private credit firms by providing access to relationships with mid-market companies that are too small for public markets and do not already have relationships with the largest banks.”

Deloitte said that in the future, deal sourcing, and deal sourcing with optional co-investment, appear to be popular partnership models between banks and private credit firms.

Meanwhile, it said joint venture model-based partnerships could also see increased adoption and the strategy may “continue to grow”.

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Estateguru loan repayments hit highest level this year as originations recover

Editorial Team — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 15:30:30 +0000

Loan repayments and recoveries on Estonian peer-to-peer lending platform Estateguru reached their highest level this year in June, its latest figures show – more than doubling compared with May.

Investors received a total of €11.26m (around £9.8m) in repayments in June, with €8.31m coming from performing and fully repaid loans and €0.83m distributed as interest income.

That was a significant jump from €5.21m repayments in May.

Meanwhile, the platform originated €5.77m in June, the strongest month in Q2 of this year and a significant recovery compared with May, when it originated €3.65m.

The platform said application volumes also improved, with conversation rates normalising.

Latvia was the most active market, with €2.05m of loans issued, closely followed by Estonia with €1.93m.

“Loan repayments and recoveries reached their highest levels so far this year, while investor appetite for our forthcoming EG Grow product exceeded initial projections, and the waitlist continues to grow by the day,” the firm said.

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