Sovereign wealth fund QIA joins SoftBank, BlackRock in private credit push

Sovereign wealth fund QIA joins SoftBank, BlackRock in private credit push

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund sees growing investment opportunities in the world of private credit, joining the likes of SoftBank Group and BlackRock in touting the $1.5tn market. The $450bn has been “very active in the credit space” over the past two years and is keen to do more as companies with good business models struggle with the double whammy of high interest rates and low liquidity,” chief executive officer Mansoor Al Mahmoud said in a panel at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on May 23. “Normally, an institution like us, who are very liquid, have a very long-term risk appetite for these type of investments,” he said. “I would advise for the next one year that the credit space is an interesting place to deploy some investments.” Private lending has been gaining traction over the past few years as investment banks and traditional debt investors pulled back from leveraged debt amid fears around rate rises and an economic slowdown. Investors seeking higher yields have poured money into the asset class, turning private credit into a thriving market. More recently, the industry has been booming as lending conditions became even tighter in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s failure and