Demystifying the private credit universe

What do you think about when you hear the term private credit? If you think it is all about small and/or leveraged companies and projects, think again. For decades, the higher quality (investment-grade and crossover) private markets have provided institutional investors with opportunities – whether through corporate, infrastructure, real estate or alternative/structured asset classes – to diversify their portfolios and generate premia to public bond markets. From the other perspective, investor demand for such assets has given borrowers the opportunity to diversify lending bases and better manage refinancing profiles. This borrowing universe ranges from the world’s very largest multinationals to modestly sized enterprises, characterised by good quality credit metrics and which are typically found in defensive sectors… … and yet, these markets seem to be barely discussed in the mainstream, vis-à-vis more leveraged financing strategies. In this webinar, we explore how the private credit universe can be better understood, and how it can serve different return and risk profiles. We consider various high quality investment types that exist across the private credit universe, examining the role and benefits of structural protections for such unlisted debt, and how private credit may be used as a means to diversifying portfolios. We will also consider the outlook for private markets, noting its essential role in sustainable investment.