(2 December 2025 – Global) Private markets are at a pivotal point in their evolution as companies stay private for longer rather than list on public exchanges amid the explosive growth of Private Credit.
Since the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008, the growth in Private Credit has mainly been attributed to a defined contraction in bank lending into those same sectors. However, there is a role for banks to play in both origination of these deals and being a part of the financing solution to the general partners (GPs) for the assets that they have deployed.
The Private Credit market has surpassed US$1.5 trillion, driven by strong demand for customised financing for middle-market companies and new capital-intensive sectors like AI, leading to significant direct lending growth and market expansion.
“I think there is a credible argument to be made that the capital markets, at least in the US, are being privatised. Look at the explosive growth of private credit and private equity. We are going from a public capital markets model to private markets model” – Fintech/Service Provider, Citi GPS.
Exclusive research by East & Partners and Capital Brief has found that private credit take up by corporates is surging, despite growing regulatory scrutiny of the sector.
“This is a significant shift in the openness to the asset class. The increase in knowledge about private credit along with the fact it opens access to funding sources are key reasons for growing uptake. For the upper commercial market, the flexibility in terms of covenants is one of the most appealing aspects” commented East & Partners Global Head of Markets Analysis, Martin Smith.
“While corporates are concerned about the regulator they are sitting on their hands to an extent given many do not have specific risk management frameworks in place albeit the way corporates manage their private credit risk would be similar across all forms of debt” Smith added.
Read the full article here on Capital Brief: Australia’s top corporates eye private credit funding despite ASIC probe