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Preqin Quarterly Update Private Debt Q3 2019
Preqin Quarterly Update Private Debt Q3 2019
QUARTERLY UPDATE:
PRIVATE DEBT
Q3 2019
Insight on the quarter from the leading provider
of alternative assets data
Fundraising
Funds in Market
Investors
Performance
Dry Powder
PREQIN QUARTERLY UPDATE: PRIVATE DEBT Q3 2019
Foreword
Private debt fundraising in Q3 continued at the outperform both natural resources and real estate.
lacklustre levels that have characterized 2019 so Amid ongoing economic turbulence, the asset class is
far. Notably, twice as many funds were closed in the proving its ability to provide a sustainable and reliable
corresponding quarter in 2018. That said, the levels of income stream to investors, and therefore protection
capital raised each quarter are somewhat consistent on the downside.
in this environment, where competition for lending
opportunities remains a pressing concern for investors As increasing levels of capital are being put to work
as the market continues to mature. by fund managers, investors are hoping the more
experienced managers can guide them through
Manager sentiment remains buoyant as future the turbulence. Although the debate continues, the
searches and mandates issued by investors in the consensus is that we are in the late stage of the market
quarter are up from Q3 last year. The need for a cycle. As a result, fund managers across private capital
diversified portfolio is greater than ever as geopolitical are bracing themselves for more uncertainty, especially
tensions intensify, producing persistently low interest those in the private debt space, an asset class that has
rates and unattractively low yields on traditional fixed not yet faced a true market downturn.
income assets.
Contents
3 Sponsored Lending Today: Competition, Tight 5 Funds in Market
Spreads and Loosening Provisions – Darius 6 Investors
Mozaffarian, White Oak Global Advisors, LLC
7 Performance & Dry Powder
4 Fundraising
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Ltd. does not accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions within Preqin Quarterly Update: Private Debt, Q3 2019 or for any expense or other loss alleged to have arisen in any way with a
reader’s use of this publication.
2
Sponsored Lending
Today: Competition,
Tight Spreads and
Loosening Provisions
Differentiation is key to success as sponsored lending market matures
Fundraising
Q3 continued what has so far been a slow fundraising Fig. 1: Quarterly Global Private Debt
year for private debt, closing just 24 funds for $22bn in Fundraising, Q1 2014 - Q3 2019
capital, both quarterly lows for the year and the lowest
80 70
amount of capital raised in any quarter since Q1 2018
(Fig. 1). That said, Fig. 1 shows a clear cyclical pattern 70
Fig. 2: Private Debt Fundraising in Q3 2019 by Fig. 3: Private Debt Fundraising in Q3 2019 by
Fund Type Primary Geographic Focus
25 16
19.9 13.9
20 14
12 11
15 14
10
10 8
8
6 6.5
5 6
1 1.1 1 1.0 1 1 4
0.0 0.1 0.0 3
0 2
2 1.5
Lending
Situations
Distressed
Fund of
Mezzanine
Venture
Funds
Direct
Debt
Special
0.1
Debt
0
North America Europe Asia Rest of World
No. of Funds Closed Aggregate Capital Raised ($bn) No. of Funds Closed Aggregate Capital Raised ($bn)
4
Funds in Market
The fundraising market for private debt remains Fig. 4: Private Debt Funds in Market over Time,
crowded at the start of Q4, with 417 private debt 2017 - 2019
funds seeking an aggregate $177bn in capital (Fig.
450
4). Although slightly down from the start of Q3, both 417
400 391
figures remain very high compared with historical
totals and could lead to a strong fundraising finish to 350 337
the year after a relatively disappointing 2019 so far. 300 290
250
Direct lending funds account for around half of both the
200 177
number of funds in market and the total capital sought 158 168
(Fig. 5). Direct lending funds also recorded the largest 150 127
drop from the previous quarter in terms of funds in 100
market, showing that the funds are not launching at 50
the same pace as they are being closed.
0
Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Sep-19
Distressed debt fund types are also seeking less No. of Funds Raising Aggregate Capital Targeted ($bn)
capital than at the start of Q3. All other fund types have
Source: Preqin Pro
held steady or are seeking more capital; notably, three
more funds of funds have entered the market. the fundraise. Among funds in market, 71% have been
on the road for at least a year, and 21% for over two
The total number of funds in market should continue years (Fig. 6) – seemingly large proportions at what is
to drop as more funds hit their final close or abandon generally considered the tail-end of the market cycle.
Fig. 5: Private Debt Funds in Market by Fund Fig. 6: Private Debt Funds in Market by Time
Type Spent in Market
70% 20 7.6
150 60%
50%
90 40% 27 13
100 78
30%
48 55
50 20% 17 9.7
27 31 25 30
12 10%
2.1 2.4 11 2.9
0 0%
No. of Funds Raising Aggregate Capital
Lending
Situations
Distressed
Venture Debt
Fund of Funds
Mezzanine
Direct
Special
Targeted ($bn)
Debt
Investors
More than half (54%) of future searches and mandates Fig. 7: Amount of Fresh Capital Investors Plan to
issued by private debt investors in Q3 2019 are for Commit to Private Debt Funds over the Next 12
commitments of more than $50mn in fresh capital Months, Q3 2018 vs. Q3 2019
(Fig. 7). Up from 19% in Q3 2018, 29% of investors are
now looking to commit between $100mn and $499mn 100%
11% 8%
to private debt funds, suggesting that investors are Proportion of Fund Searches
looking to allocate more to the asset class. 80% 19% 29%
60% 19%
Attitudes towards direct lending have improved 16%
slightly over the past 12 months, with 47% of investors
40%
targeting the strategy in the coming year, compared
with 43% one year ago (Fig. 8). The proportions of 52% 47%
20%
investors targeting direct lending and fund of funds
strategies have increased slightly compared to a
0%
year ago, whereas the share of investors targeting
Q3 2018 Q3 2019
mezzanine funds has dropped significantly from 60% to Less than $50mn $50-99mn
41% in the past year. $100-499mn $500mn or More
Fig. 8: Strategies Targeted by Private Debt Fig. 9: Regions Targeted by Private Debt
Investors over the Next 12 Months, Q3 2018 vs. Investors over the Next 12 Months, Q3 2018 vs.
Q3 2019 Q3 2019
70% 70%
Proportion of Fund Searches
Proportion of Fund Searches
60% 60%
60% 60% 55%
48% 50%
50% 47% 50%
43% 44%
41% 41% 41%
40% 40%
33%
30% 30% 26%
22%
20% 19%
13% 20% 14%
10% 11%
10% 5% 6% 6% 10%
0% 0%
Mezzanine
Venture Debt
Distressed
Direct Lending
Situations
Fund of Funds
Rest of World
America
Asia-Pacific
Emerging
Europe
Markets
Special
North
Debt
6
Performance &
Dry Powder
Returns for the private debt asset class as a whole Fig. 10: Private Debt: Horizon IRRs by Fund Type
have slowed over the past year, with distressed debt
and direct lending funds contributing most to this 12%
Fig. 11: PrEQIn Quarterly Index: Private Debt vs. Fig. 12: Private Debt: Assets under Management
Other Private Capital by Fund Type
300 300
Index Return (Rebased to 100
250
Assets under Management ($bn)
250
as of 31-Dec-2007)
200
200
150 151.5
100 150
132.4
50 97.5
100
0 78.3
50 111.6
Dec-07
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