Macquarie continues private credit expansion with launch of European direct lending platform for investors

Macquarie Group has launched a direct lending platform in Europe to provide investors with access to middle-market credit. The platform brings together teams from Macquarie Capital Principal Finance and Macquarie Asset Management to deliver high quality mid-market direct lending investment opportunities. Macquarie expects to launch a similar platform in the United States by mid-2025.

Macquarie Capital’s investment team has deep expertise in this market, having deployed capital for Macquarie Capital Principal Finance in direct lending since 2009. During this time, they have provided €37 billion of financing to over 550 borrowers globally across a broad range of industries and transaction types¹.

The investment team will continue to invest the balance sheet into private credit opportunities, and the new platform will invest alongside the Macquarie balance sheet, creating significant alignment and opportunities.

Patrick Ottersbach, EMEA Head of Private Credit at Macquarie Capital, said: “While we have been active in direct lending for over 15 years, the market opportunity and investor demand has never been greater. We look forward to growing our direct lending franchise and increasing the scale and flexibility of capital solutions that borrowers’ need.”

Sophia Alison, EMEA Direct Lending Portfolio Manager at Macquarie Asset Management, said: “We are delighted to bring together two highly experienced teams in the direct lending space. We will provide clients with access to high quality differentiated investment opportunities generated by a deeply experienced team on a leading asset management platform.”

This announcement comes at a time of rapid growth for the private credit market with assets under management globally forecast to reach ~$US2.6 trillion by 2029². Trends suggest an increasing number of borrowers are opting for alternative solutions, and there is a retrenchment from traditional banks who had historically lent to this market. Macquarie intends to use these positive tailwinds to explore opportunities and scale the business to support its clients and borrowers.

Macquarie Asset Management’s credit platform manages over $220 billion of capital on behalf of clients across Fixed Income, Leveraged Credit and Private Credit.

1. Total financing and investing commitments globally since 2009. These transactions represent Macquarie Capital Principal Finance’s activity in direct lending and other credit investing, not all of which is directly relevant to the platform strategy.
2. Preqin Future of Alternatives 2029