Bright Capital launches fundraising for latest European credit fund
Frankfurt-based credit investor Bright Capital has started fundraising for its European Credit Fund III.
The fund focuses on a ‘buy and build’ strategy, investing in senior secured loans for lower-mid-market companies in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, and Northern Europe.
Bright Capital has arranged nearly €300m (£248.3m) for buy-and-build strategies in the past three years, with the target fund size aligned to its investment approach.
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The investment team is led by managing partners Matthias Mathieu and Karsten Batran.
“With the continued growth of the private debt asset class and the interest rates returning to more traditional levels, lenders are increasingly challenged to differentiate themselves to appeal to both investors and borrowers,” said Mathieu.
“Our strategy of capital provision for buy-and-build platforms enables us to bridge the gap between traditional lenders and mid-sized private credit funds, further strengthening our market leadership in an increasingly competitive environment.”
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Placecap, based in Frankfurt, serves as the fund’s placement agent. Reza Machdi-Ghazvini, partner at Placecap, said: “The European private credit market is poised for substantial growth, especially in the DACH, Benelux, and Northern Europe regions. In recent years, we have seen significant growth in private debt managers, particularly in France and the UK. According to our analysis, it is only logical if the regions in Central and Northern Europe also followed this trend.”
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