Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm, today announced a joint venture with top-tier bookrunner SMBC to establish a new European loan platform providing up to € 1.5 billion in senior secured credit to corporate borrowers across Europe and the UK.
The platform is structured as a co-governed credit vehicle, combining SMBC’s pan-European leveraged finance origination and structuring expertise with Bain Capital’s underwriting and asset management capabilities. Leveraging SMBC’s position as a leading arranger of leveraged finance transactions, the platform benefits from access to primary deal flow in the syndicated loan market. The initiative brings together Bain Capital’s Special Situations and Credit businesses and reflects the firm’s focus on scalable, cycle-aware capital solutions.
“This partnership with SMBC represents a pivotal moment for our Special Situations business in Europe,” said Angelo Rufino, a Partner and Head of Bain Capital Corporate Special Situations in Europe. “It highlights our ability to engineer large-scale and innovative platforms with leading global partners and to underwrite complex capital structures that perform across market cycles.”
“This structure gives us direct access to primary origination through a globally respected bank, while maintaining full underwriting control,” said Gauthier Reymondier, a Partner and Head of Bain Capital’s Credit business in Europe. “It also positions both institutions as solution providers to financial sponsors seeking capital across market environments.”
“The JV is a strong validation of our European team’s sourcing, structuring and asset management capabilities,” added Elena Lieskovska, a Partner in Bain Capital’s European Special Situations Corporate Investing team. “We believe this platform is well positioned to support sponsor-led transactions at scale and across cycles,” concluded Ray Colleran, a Managing Director on Bain Capital’s Liquid & Structured Credit team.
The platform will target financing for sponsor-backed European companies across a diversified set of industries, with a focus on opportunities in the broadly syndicated loan (BSL) market. Designed to offer flexibility, strong governance, and institutional-grade underwriting discipline, the joint venture reflects the evolving landscape of private credit in Europe.
