Josh O'Neil

Nov 7, 2024 | ionanalytics.com | Josh O'Neil |Ben Watson |Ben Miller

Deepening appetite for leveraged buyouts drives surge in direct-lending deal volume in 9M24The number of European direct-lending deals inked during the first nine months of this year rose by 62% year-on-year, emblematic of a resurgent M&A market driven by revived conviction among buyout groups. Over the first three quarters of 2024, some 719 new deals were signed, compared to a three-year average of 640 for the same period, according to Debtwire’s 9M24 European Direct Lender Rankings Report.

May 2, 2024 | ionanalytics.com | Josh O'Neil |Ben Watson |Ben Miller

League Table The first quarter of this year saw European direct lenders fight for relevance amid a resurgence in the broadly syndicated loan (BSL) market that has renewed competitive tension in the leveraged finance arena. Direct lending deal volume in Europe totalled EUR 13.7bn over 208 deals in 1Q24, falling from EUR 15.2bn spread across 164 transactions a year prior, according to Debtwire’s 1Q24 European Direct Lender Rankings report.

May 9, 2023 | community.ionanalytics.com | Josh O'Neil

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, investors ploughed cash into edtech providers in a bid to capitalize on a shuttering of classrooms that forced students worldwide to take their studies online. But now, with kids and young adults back in the classroom, financiers have revised their outlook on the sector and are subsequently deploying funds more cautiously – evidenced by a pullback in M&A activity at a time when red ink is being applied to valuations.