Conversations With Reorg: DWS’ Jens Witzke and Marcus Herbig from DWS Group
Aug 4, 2023
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Head of private credit Jens Witzke and Head of structured income Marcus Herbig from DWS Group discuss fundraising challenges, financial covenants, LP safety in larger funds, and key trends for the second half of the year in Reorg's latest Expert Views series.
Private debt funds are experiencing a shift towards larger deal sizes beyond 250 million due to increased market acceptance and available capital.
Financial covenants, focusing on leverage and liquidity, are crucial for funds in the current volatile market, requiring careful calibration to prevent excessive risk exposure.
Deep dives
Fundraising Environment and Transaction Sizes
The fundraising environment for private debt funds has changed significantly due to macroeconomic shifts, such as moving from a low to a positive yielding environment. Initial fund ranges have also increased from 10-50 million to deals beyond 250 million. The market's transaction sizes have notably grown, reaching deals beyond 300-400 million, reflecting increased acceptance and available capital in the market.
Challenges and Financial Covenants
Challenges for funds in 2023 include muted M&A activity affecting deal flow, the types of financing borrowers seek, and portfolio performance scrutiny. Financial covenants, mainly focusing on leverage and liquidity, remain crucial, requiring careful calibration in the current market volatility to avoid constriction or excessive risk exposure. While covenants have remained stable, vigilance in setting appropriate levels amidst changing market conditions is highlighted.
Sector Preferences and Financing Strategies
Seeking sectors with strong cash flows and defensive characteristics like software, healthcare, and business services remains attractive for new deals. Fund strategies continue to focus on senior lending and stretched senior structures, with increased conservatism due to market conditions and rising interest rates. Stress tests and rigorous assessments of business volatility and adaptability to inflation impacts are emphasized for securing viable opportunities.
LP Concerns and Evergreen Funds Trend
LP concerns revolve around defaults, transparency, and deployment efficiency in fundraising and deal-making processes. The trend towards evergreen funds and increased direct lending activity signifies market evolution and diversification. Challenges in matching fund liquidity with underlying asset illiquidity and examining sponsor-backed versus non-sponsor-backed transactions add complexity and regulatory considerations to the private lending landscape, shaping future investment approaches.
In the latest entry in Reorg’s Expert Views series, debt origination reporter Nick Krause speaks to DWS Group’s head of private credit Jens Witzke and head of structured income Marcus Herbig about fundraising in the current challenging macroeconomic environment, the right level of financial covenants, whether or not limited partners, or LPs, are seeking safety in larger funds, and the key trends to watch out for in the second half of the year.
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#leveragedfinance #highyield #restructuring #performingcredit #distresseddebt #debtrestructuring #leveragedloans
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