Blackstone and Generali to launch French retail private debt fund
Blackstone is teaming up with Italian insurance firm Generali to launch a new private debt fund for French retail investors.
It is the latest in a string of retail-focused private credit ventures for Blackstone, which has announced a number of similar partnerships over the past year.
In February, the alternative asset manager partnered with French bank BNP Paribas to launch the Blackstone Credit Privé Europe SC.
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The fund aims to allow French retail investors to invest in private debt by backing mid-sized French companies.
“Given the current environment, credit is, in particular, very interesting given the rise in interest rates,” said Rashmi Madan, the head of Blackstone’s private wealth solutions in Europe, at the time.
“And the risk-adjusted returns of private credit have never been more attractive.”
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The following month, Blackstone partnered with Finland’s S-Bank to widen access to its European private credit fund by creating a feeder fund that could invest its clients’ capital into the Blackstone European Private Credit Fund SICAV. The SICAV invests in senior secured loans to large European companies.
At the time of that launch, Blackstone hinted that it planned to roll out several similar partnerships in Europe this year, with the aim of making the fund available to investors across the continent.
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