Deutsche Bank bolsters Asia private credit team

Deutsche Bank subsidiary DB Investment Partners has made a number of new private credit hires for its  business in Asia, as it seeks to expand its work in the region.

Earlier this month, former BlackRock executive Dhruva Agarwal was hired to run DB Investment’s India business. The firm is now seeking to hire another executive in June. This will bring its Asia team to five.

Chief executive Raheman Meghji said that the firm is focusing on opportunities in the region that range from $15m (£11.79m) to $150m, with a target return in the mid-teens.

“The region is very important to our strategy,” said Meghji, adding that he believes that there will be a plethora of new private credit opportunities in the region as the “young population will drive demand for insurance, consumer lending, aviation, transportation, among others.”

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DB Investment was established in September 2023 with a remit to provide institutions and high-net-worth clients with private credit opportunities. The firm focuses on renewable finance, energy transition and infrastructure financing.

Meghji said that the largest markets for private credit in Asia are currently India and Australia, but he noted that there is “a lot of capital chasing” those opportunities.

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He also pointed to the Indonesian market as being “potentially interesting” given its population dynamics and underlying economic growth story. DB Investment is also looking at private credit opportunities in Japan.

DB Investment also has a team of six investment professionals based in Europe, with more hires joining over the coming months.

“We see significant opportunity in the more fragmented and less developed markets of Europe and Asia,” said Meghji.

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