Outlook 2026

Private credit

Activity picking up and structural growth drivers provide long-term support

In light of recent events, disciplined underwriting and portfolio resilience within private credit are proving increasingly critical. Against a backdrop of heightened volatility after a long period of a benign credit environment, we think there is the potential for some borrowers to face challenges. That said, we expect secular shifts in market dynamics and structural features of private credit to continue driving long-term demand for the flexible solutions the asset class provides to borrowers and the diversification opportunities it offers investors.

We expect fundraising sources to continue to diversify as insurance and wealth investors channel capital into private credit in increasing volumes. By 2028, private credit AUM is projected to reach $US2.8 trillion,1 with direct lending still dominant, though allocations to asset-backed finance (ABF) strategies are expected to rise as investors seek differentiated exposure. In our view, well-structured deals that incorporate appropriate protections, and lending to borrowers with robust underlying earnings, are key differentiators in an increasingly crowded private credit marketplace.  

Direct lending: M&A uptick to drive deal volumes higher

The outlook for direct lending in 2026 is strong in the US and Europe. In both markets, we expect an uptick in deal volumes driven by increasing private equity M&A activity as interest rates continue to moderate in the US and UK, while remaining low in Europe. In the US, year-to-date 2025 volumes are down from the same period last year, due largely to market volatility and the uncertainty introduced by US tariff policy, while in Europe direct lending deal activity appears on track to beat 2024 issuance.2

Spreads in both the US and Europe continued to tighten throughout 2025. Looking ahead, we see a flattening of these spread levels, with the potential for some expansion if market conditions worsen. Despite the spread compression, we continued to see good premiums in private markets compared with the broadly syndicated loan (BSL) market (Figure 1). 

Fig 1: Direct lending continues to offer an attractive spread over the BSL market

Source: Pitchbook LCD, data through 30 September 2025.


Default rates in direct lending have remained low, with trailing 12-month (TTM) default rates, as at October 2025, standing at 1.5% in the US and 1.3% in Europe.3 Looking forward to 2026, we see the potential for some modest increase in default rates as borrowers are faced with continued volatility and uncertainty, but we expect them to remain moderate overall. 

Asset-backed finance: Compelling fundamentals

Investor appetite is diversifying within private credit. This is true for both institutional and wealth investors, who are now increasingly turning their attention to the broad universe of ABF.

We view ABF broadly as encompassing finance underpinned either by (1) real assets, including infrastructure, equipment, real estate, and transportation, or (2) specialty assets, including net asset value (NAV) lending, consumer finance, contractual cash flows, and other commercial lending. Estimates suggest this market is $US5.5 trillion in the US. 

Within ABF, infrastructure debt stands out as a particularly resilient asset class that we think is set for growth given the trends described below. Investments are typically backed by essential, long-lived assets with stable cash flows and high barriers to entry. These defensive characteristics enable infrastructure debt to deliver stable returns across economic cycles and consistently lower default and loss rates compared with general corporate credit4 (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Historical asset class default rates and expected loss

Sources: Cliffwater Report on US Direct Lending (4Q2023), JP Morgan Markets (2024), Moody’s Infrastructure default and recovery rates (2023).


Secular growth drivers are fuelling global demand for infrastructure investment. The secular trends of decarbonisation, digitalisation, deglobalisation, and demographics (the four Ds) are creating vast opportunities in sectors such as data infrastructure, renewable energy, and essential services. Five years ago, estimates from the Global Infrastructure Hub suggested that the total investment need for infrastructure and related sectors could reach $US97 trillion by 2040. Based on forecasts of infrastructure investment, assuming that countries continue to invest in line with current trends and in response to changes in economic and demographic fundamentals, it is estimated the total funding gap left for private markets is more than $US18 trillion, of which we expect private infrastructure debt to account for ~$US11 trillion.5

To meet the need for investment, we are seeing improved accessibility into these types of strategies for investors. Greater demand from investors is improving liquidity, new investment vehicles are lowering barriers to entry for individual investors and retirement portfolios, and increasing transparency is contributing to the expansion of the investor base. We believe maintaining focus and unlocking expertise in carefully identified market segments will be a key differentiator in successfully delivering risk-adjusted returns. We expect this trend to continue and to drive further growth and opportunities for investors in the private credit market.

James Lumb
Global Private Credit Strategist 

  1. Preqin
  2. Pitchbook LCD
  3. KBRA DLD Default Research. Includes payment defaults, bankruptcies, distressed debt exchanges and restructurings, and distressed exits.
  4. Historical default and loss rates - Cliffwater Report on US Direct Lending (4Q2023), JP Morgan Markets (2024), Moody’s Infrastructure default and recovery rates (2023).
  5. Global Infrastructure Outlook. Infrastructure Debt investment opportunity estimated to be 60% of the capital stack required to plug the $18trn funding gap between total investment needed ($97trn) and public sector funding forecasts ($79trn).

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Diversification may not protect against market risk.

Credit risk is the risk of loss of principal or loss of a financial reward stemming from a borrower’s failure to repay a loan or otherwise meet a contractual obligation. Credit risk arises whenever a borrower expects to use future cash flows to pay a current debt. Investors are compensated for assuming credit risk by way of interest payments from the borrower or issuer of a debt obligation. Credit risk is closely tied to the potential return of an investment, the most notable being that the yields on bonds correlate strongly to their perceived credit risk.

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Fixed income securities are subject to credit risk, which is the risk of loss of principal or loss of a financial reward stemming from a borrower’s failure to repay a loan or otherwise meet a contractual obligation. 

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Investment strategies that hold securities issued by companies principally engaged in the infrastructure industry have greater exposure to the potential adverse economic, regulatory, political, and other changes affecting such entities. 

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A capitalisation rate (cap rate) is a percentage that estimates the potential return on investment for a property. It’s a common metric used in real estate to compare the value of different properties.

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