Private debt has only recently been considered an asset class and covers a range of investment styles
We can arrange financing from EUR 30m to EUR 1bn+
The term private debt is typically applied to debt investments which are not financed by banks and are not issued or traded in an open market. In the context of debt, ‘private’ refers to the investment instrument itself and not necessarily the borrower – both public and private companies alike are eligible for the asset class
Private debt falls into a broader category termed ‘alternative debt’ or ‘alternative credit’, and is used interchangeably with ‘direct lending’, ‘private lending’ and ‘private credit’
Within the private debt market, investors lend to investee entities – corporate groups, subsidiaries or special purpose vehicles established to finance specific projects or assets – in a similar manner banks do
Private debt instruments are typically associated with:
- Event financing
- Turn-around stories
- Growth capital
- Dividend recap
- Restructurings
- Cap extensions
The leverage loan market has grown significantly since the 2008 Financial Crisis when the market dried up and issuances slumped to record lows. As the global economy recovered, the leverage loan followed – to a satisfaction of the investors hunting for yields
Private debt is an option for the companies with limited access to bank financing or in need of more flexibility
Different lenders appear to use different lending techniques. Nonbank lenders are significantly less likely than banks to include financial covenants or performance pricing provisions in their loans. Thus, rather than relying on financial covenants to monitor borrowers’ ex-post performance, nonbank lenders engage in extensive ex-ante screening – this is especially the case for loans offered by asset managers
Most nonbank lenders, except for investment banks and insurance companies, are significantly more likely than banks to use warrants and convertible debt
Higher risk taken by nonbank lenders leads to higher interest rates
Warrants or convertible debt give the investor an opportunity of participating in a significant growth of the borrower
Financial covenants are limited and partly replaced by ex-ante due diligence and analysis