Partners Group’s latest European direct lending program reaches over EUR 1 billion at first close

• The Program targets senior direct lending to companies across Europe
• There is growing interest in European private credit amongst investors globally
• The Program is managed by Partners Group's private credit business, which has offerings across multiple sub-asset classes of global credit

Partners Group’s latest European direct lending program ("the Program") reached over EUR 1 billion at first close in June 2025. The Program comprises commitments to a traditional closed-end fund and bespoke mandates that will allocate to the same strategy. Partners Group is one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry.

The Program, which is available to institutional investors globally, invests in a diversified pool of senior direct lending opportunities across Europe. The Program benefits from access to Partners Group's established private credit investment platform, which has invested around EUR 8.5 billion across 117 senior direct loans in Europe to-date. The Program targets lending to core mid-market companies that have EBITDA predominantly in the EUR 20 million to EUR 50 million range with visible cash flows in resilient industries. Several seed investments have already been made.

The European private credit market has experienced strong growth in recent years and is seen as increasingly attractive during the current period of global volatility. This growth reflects demand for private credit from the region's deep pool of mid-market companies that are looking for flexible capital solutions. There is also an improved economic outlook for several countries as well as new stimulus measures across large economies that could benefit private credit lenders.

Founded in 2003, Partners Group's private credit business has a total of USD 38 billion in assets under management globally, spanning multiple sub-asset classes of global credit including Senior Direct Lending, Junior Direct Lending, Private Credit Secondaries, Fund Finance, Broadly Syndicated Loans, and CLOs. The firm is a leading provider of traditional closed-end structures, open-ended evergreen funds, and bespoke mandates.

Christopher Bone, Head Private Credit Europe & Asia, Partners Group, says: "The European private credit market is a really exciting place to invest with depth across geographies and sectors. We have been investing in this market for two decades and have the institutional knowledge and experience required to see through global volatility and to identify the companies that are benefiting from the region's growth trends. Our relative value approach means we dynamically allocate capital according to where offers the most attractive opportunities at a given point in time."    

Lori Pomerantz, Global Head of Business Development for Private Credit, Partners Group, adds: "We have touchpoints with investors across the world and are seeing growing interest in Europe as either a core holding or a diversifying exposure. This reflects the region's resilience, which is underpinned by structural drivers, such as the retreat of traditional lenders and relatively conservative leverage levels. Our local team presence enables us to connect with local sponsors to originate and tailor financings to the needs of companies."