Ares Management Corp has secured over €2.2bn ($2.25bn) from wealthy individuals for its open-ended European direct lending fund, the Ares European Strategic Income Fund (AESIF), which launched in January 2024, according to a report by Bloomberg News.
AESIF which is aimed at mass-affluent investors in Europe and Asia, is focused on lending to mid-sized companies, a segment less affected by the scarcity of large-cap deals. As of December 2024, AESIF had invested in over 230 portfolio companies.
Ares has a strong track record in European direct lending, with more than 15 years of experience in the sector. “Our European direct lending strategy has an over 15-year track record with institutional investors,” said Mark Serocold, partner and EMEA head of Ares Wealth Management Solutions.
“There will be more opportunities to deploy, as banks continue to pull back from lending,” noted Andrea Fernandez, Ares’ head of product management and investor relations, European credit and corporate secondaries.
Looking ahead, Ares aims to reach $100bn in assets under management from wealthy individuals globally by 2028, spanning its private equity, credit, real estate, and infrastructure divisions. As of September, the firm’s total assets under management stood at approximately $464bn.
