A major theme within global finance over the past 15 years has been the migration of leveraged lending away from banks and towards private debt funds.

This theme was initially most relevant for mid-market companies but has grown increasingly important for upper-mid market and large-cap borrowers as well.

Hayfin today announces that it has arranged the debt financing of Eurazeo’s acquisition of Eres Group (“Eres”), a French employee savings distribution platform. Hayfin’s support for the acquisition extends its relationship with Eres, having been a lender to the business since IK Partners’ acquisition of Eres in 2019.

Established in 2005, Eres is the leading French independent player in the advisory and structuring, asset management and distribution of employee profit sharing plans (PEE, PERECO), retirement schemes (PER) and employee shareholding plans. Headquartered in Paris, Eres distributes its products through a network of more than 6,600 distributors (wealth management advisors, insurance brokers, accountants) and directly addresses mid-sized companies and large groups.

Clement Le Lagadec, Hayfin Director for Private Credit in France, commented: “Thanks to its strong knowledge of the company and its management, Hayfin has been able to quickly position itself as a lead lender in this highly competitive process. In this vein, we are delighted to support Eurazeo in the financing of this transaction. We have been impressed by Eres’ performance over the past five years and are excited to continue our journey with the company alongside its management and its new private equity partner Eurazeo.”

Disclaimer: Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. No investment, strategy or tested process can guarantee results. Please note, fees reduce returns to investors.

Hayfin today announces that it has participated in the financing to support Bridgepoint’s acquisition of French residential property management services company Nexity ADB from its parent company Nexity Group.

Nexity Group is France’s largest publicly listed real estate developer. The carve-out of the residential property management services division will provide Nexity ADB with a stronger platform to grow the business as a standalone company.

Alban Senlis, Head of Hayfin Private Credit in France, commented: “We are pleased to be partnered with Bridgepoint, who have deep expertise and an outstanding track record in the sector. This is a highly attractive investment to Hayfin given the company’s solid and resilient trading performance, as well as its potential for further growth as an independent business with the right level of funding behind it. We look forward to working with our new partners as Nexity ABD embarks on its next phase of growth.” 

Disclaimer: Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. No investment, strategy or tested process can guarantee results. Please note, fees reduce returns to investors.

Hayfin today announces that it has appointed Michaela Campbell as a Managing Director in its Private Credit team.

Michaela will be responsible for overseeing the team’s portfolio monitoring and risk profile across new and existing investments. She will be based in Hayfin’s headquarters in London and work closely with Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of Direct Lending, Mark Bickerstaffe and Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of Direct Lending, Marc Chowrimootoo.

Michaela’s appointment comes as Hayfin continues to deploy significant capital through its flagship private credit strategy, having last year exceeded its €6 billion target fundraise for Hayfin Direct Lending Fund IV. Recent investments across Hayfin’s private credit strategies include loans supporting IK Partners’ acquisition of French fire safety company Eurofeu Group and Näder Holdings’ repurchase of a minority stake in leading global orthotics company Ottobock.

Prior to joining Hayfin, Michaela spent five years at BlackRock in the Risk and Quantitative Analytics team and most recently served as co-head of global investment risk for Private Credit and Private Equity. Before joining BlackRock, she worked at GE Capital for more than a decade, where she held several roles in London and Abu Dhabi with a focus on underwriting, portfolio management and restructuring of leveraged loans. She earned a BSc degree in statistics and actuarial science from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and is a CFA Charter holder.

Mark Bickerstaffe said: “We are delighted to welcome Michaela to Hayfin as a new Managing Director in the private credit team. She brings with her a wealth of directly transferable skills and insight from her previous roles. Michaela joins Hayfin at an exciting time as we look to capitalise on the recent increase of institutional asset allocation towards private credit in Europe and build on our recent private financing success across the continent. Establishing a specialised portfolio monitoring team is an important step for us as we continue to grow the capacity and ambition of our Private Credit strategy.”

Michaela Campbell said: “Hayfin has experienced remarkable growth in recent years and has consistently proven that it can deploy capital at scale and at speed, whilst maintaining a conservative risk profile. Its unparalleled network and connections across the European market are equally impressive. I look forward to working alongside my new colleagues and industry partners across Hayfin’s Private Credit strategy.”

Hayfin’s core private credit strategies comprise Direct Lending, through which Hayfin invests in performing loans to primarily European middle-market companies; Tactical Solutions in which the firm has a flexible mandate to pursue opportunistic investments with credit-like risk profiles at enhanced returns; and Special Opportunities, where it invests flexibly in a range of unique opportunities across industries, markets and sub-strategies in situations where financing may be scarce.

Disclaimer: Past affiliations are not a reflection of current capabilities and past performance is not an indication of future results.

Hayfin today announces that it has signed a contract with Oshima Shipbuilding and Sumisho Marine to construct two new-build 100,000-DWT Post-Panamax dry bulk carrier ships. The vessels, once constructed, will be deliver to an international energy trader on a long-term charter. The project will be funded through Hayfin’s Maritime Yield strategy and underlines the firm’s commitment to the Japanese shipping market, as both an asset-owner and long-term charter provider. The vessels will be managed by Hayfin’s in-house ship management platform, Greenheart Shipping. 

The vessels will be constructed at Oshima Shipyard in the Nagasaki Prefecture of south-western Japan and completion is expected to take place within 2026. The vessels will be built to world-leading standards of quality and fuel efficiency, differentiating them from the majority of the current global Panamax fleet that is expected to be non-compliant with International Maritime Organisation sustainability regulations in three years’ time. With just two Japanese shipyards currently building Post-Panamax vessels, contributing to a historically low global orderbook, Hayfin was able to secure these two highly sought-after slots at one of the world’s leading dry bulk specialists through its longstanding relationships with key stakeholders in the Japanese market. 

Andreas Povlsen, Head of Maritime at Hayfin, said: “This transaction is another sign of our firm commitment to the Japanese market and demonstrates the kind of attractive asset exposure we can offer to investors through our Maritime Yield strategy; combining fuel-efficient assets and long-term charters to investment-grade counterparties against a supportive long-term market backdrop with consistent tonne-mile growth and a fleet in urgent need of renewal.” 

Hayfin recently announced a successful fundraise for its Maritime Yield strategy, equipping the firm with the capacity to acquire $1 billion in shipping assets through equity and debt financing, with a focus on top-specification assets that generate predictable and uncorrelated cash yields from blue-chip counterparties. Having been active in Japan since 2015, Hayfin also opened its Tokyo office last year, led by Tomohiro Hosogaya, the firm’s Head of Japan.  

Hayfin today announces the continued expansion of its global presence having received in-principle approval to open a new representative office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC”)*. Through this opening, Hayfin will strengthen its footprint in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The expansion underscores the firm’s commitment to growing strategically, following the opening of the Tokyo office at the end of 2023. With an established local presence, Hayfin is set to enhance its coverage in the UAE and Middle Eastern markets and consolidate local investor relationships.

The opening of the DIFC office increases Hayfin’s total number of locations to 13 alongside the firm’s headquarters in London and offices in Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Luxembourg, San Diego, Singapore, Stockholm and Tokyo. Jack Richardson, Principal, Partner Solutions will be permanently based in the DIFC office and will work under the guidance of Camilla Coriani, Managing Director, Partner Solutions who will oversee efforts in the region.

Alex Wolfman, Global Head of Partner Solutions at Hayfin, said: “The DIFC representative office will form a crucial part of Hayfin’s Partner Solutions approach. The combination of our scale, global footprint as well as depth and breadth of our existing relationships is a solid foundation for us to grow within the region.”

*The Dubai Financial Services Authority approval is subject to Hayfin fulfilling criteria within a six-month period.