Viewpoints

Orla Walsh, Head of Europe Direct Lending Portfolio Management, recently sat down with ausbiz’s Nadine Blayney to share her perspective on global private credit, outlining Barings’ investment focus, portfolio construction approach, and views on the growing opportunity set.

Mike Freno outlines the firm’s growth ambitions amid industry consolidation, highlighting M&A plans, expansion into wealth markets, and evolving opportunities in private credit and infrastructure.

Private credit is drawing increased attention, but not all strategies behave the same. Traditional middle market direct lending is best understood by looking beyond headlines to underlying fundamentals—an approach that helps explain its continued role in long‑term portfolios.

In this Q&A with PDI, Tyler Gately and Stuart Mathieson discuss how mid-market direct lending continues to evolve, offering durable income, downside protection and attracting strong investor demand.

In this Q&A with AM Best, Orhan Sarayli highlights how infrastructure debt can enhance insurer portfolios through strong risk-return attributes, diversification and long-duration cash flows.

Alternative real estate sectors are gaining traction. In this Q&A, Anar Chudgar explores what’s driving demand and how to underwrite these opportunities.

Chairman and CEO Mike Freno joined Bloomberg’s Romaine Bostick and Katie Greifeld at the Milken Institute Global Conference for a discussion on market volatility, private credit and how Barings is positioned as client needs continue to evolve.

Artificial intelligence is moving at breakneck speed. For credit investors, the challenge isn't chasing every headline—it's understanding how AI reshapes business models, cash flows and ultimately, creditworthiness.

Barings is preparing for Europe’s next real estate cycle with c.€2bn of equity capital to deploy, focusing on residential and logistics where fundamentals remain strong. As values reprice and supply stays constrained, the firm sees growing opportunity for disciplined, selective deployment across Europe.