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Aaron Weinman

August

Business Council chief executive Bran Black led the delegation to Canberra.

M&A crackdown: corporates protest in Canberra

Executives from large companies who are worried about planned tougher laws to block corporate mergers have taken their concerns to Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

MA Financial co-CEO Chris Wyke and Frank Danieli, MA’s head of credit investments, have latched onto appetite for asset-backed financings.

MA Financial pens $1b deal with Humm financing vehicle

The investment bank and non-bank lender will acquire up to $1 billion in loans secured against a raft of assets from equipment to machinery.

Christian Stracke, president and global head of credit research at Pimco, says investors are moving into more asset-based financings.

Billions in private capital increasingly exposed to soured loans: Pimco guru

Christian Stracke, the firm’s global head of credit research, said investors are leaning towards new forms of private capital, particularly asset-backed deals.

Construction in the Melbourne CBD. Oak Capital, which is based in the city, lends against construction projects as well as commercial property.

Melbourne private capital firm lands in ASIC’s line of sight

Oak Capital describes itself as a “mid-tier” non-bank lender and specialises in real estate financing. The regulator has stepped up it scrutiny of the sector.

One of UBS’ dishes during this year’s earnings season – black Angus beef tenderloin, brussell sprouts, pickled daikon, sweet potato and mustard.

More exclusive than any restaurant: how top deal makers dine

Investment banks and law firms have fostered a thriving in-house dining scene where they can break bread away from prying eyes.

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Brian Benari is the chief executive of Barrenjoey, which has started paying dividends this year.

Barrenjoey, in the black and paying dividends, finally hits its stride

The firm had been plagued by years of high start-up costs. Big deals for Guzman y Gomez and Suncorp, and a broader business, have turned its fortunes around.

TPG Capital country head Joel Thickins’ efforts to sell Novotech for north of $3 billion spells a massive payday for the firm that bought it for less than $400 million in 2017.

TPG Capital fine-tunes details for $3b Novotech sale

The private equity firm will push sales documents for its clinical trials business this month, intending to ink a deal by the end of this year.

David Lyall is the managing partner of Millwood, a major non-bank lender.

Overdue loans swamp private credit giant lending to Sydney’s wealthy

The local lender has previously written loans for some of Sydney’s most colourful businessmen. Growing arrears aren’t always made clear to its investors.

Optus is in an increasingly acrimonious dispute with the owner of its network infrastructure, AustralianSuper.

Optus falls out with its mobile towers investor AustralianSuper

The country’s largest super fund acquired a controlling stake in the telco’s infrastructure business for almost $2 billion in 2021. But relations have since soured.

Former Macquarie equities boss Dan Ritchie jumps to the buy side

The former trader has taken the reins at Factory Capital, an investment firm, which has inked deals with dentists and tattoo removalists, among other companies.

Wingate Group founder and chief executive Farrel Meltzer is in talks with a Singaporean investor over a stake in the private credit firm.

Wingate Group on the sales block as investors circle private credit

The Melbourne-based investment manager is in discussions with a Singaporean suitor about a potential investment or takeover that could be sealed this month.

SkyBus is one of the brands operated by Kinetic Group, which is now for sale through Macquarie Capital.

SkyBus operator hits the market as Macquarie completes global roadshow

But after months of meetings, the investment bank’s deal makers face an uphill effort to sell Kinetic Group at the valuation that they are hoping for.

Tim Peel, the chief financial officer of Scape, has lowered the student-housing operator’s debt by about $8 million a year.

How Scape saved $8m by shaking off private credit

The student housing operator’s refinancing push has found ample support from global banks looking for alternatives to office property exposures.

The Yeouido financial district in Seoul. Macquarie has made a major investment in a big data centre in the city.

Macquarie splashes $816m on giant South Korean data centre

The asset manager’s acquisition comes as it prepares to sell its stake in AirTrunk in a transaction that is expected to value the local giant at $15 billion.

Scarcity Partners’ Managing director Adrian Whittingham has set sights on a private credit manager backed by Macquarie and Al Gore’s investment fund.

Ex-Pinnacle executives line up Dinimus in private credit push

Scarcity Partners is closing in on yet another minority investment in an asset manager, in what would be the firm’s second deal since starting in March 2023.

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QIC property funds head quits

David Asplin, a 12-year veteran of the firm, has left just days after Michael O’Brien quit as the real estate division head.

July

Macquarie has struggled over the last year with offloading energy transition-focused businesses.

Macquarie struggles with sluggish deal activity, flags asset sales

The financial services giant told investors that its investment bank had dragged down earnings – flat on last year – for the three months to June 30.

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ASIC chairman Joe Longo: “We want a level playing field between public and private capital markets.”

ASIC says opaque private credit funds will face more scrutiny

ASIC chairman Joe Longo says the regulator is setting up dedicated teams to investigate conflicts of interest and asset valuations in the sector.

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Visy Superannuation Roundtable hosted by Anthony Pratt, Chairman, Visy, at Circular Quay. (left to right)  Shemara Wikramanayake, and Kelly Power. Tuesday 23rd July

Private credit must be less secret, say banks, regulators

Chief executives of the nation’s biggest banks say they are prepared to partner with private credit funds but called on major players in the $2.3 trillion sector to provide better disclosures to investors.

Star Sydney is unlikely to regain its casino licence in NSW.

The top 10 deals where bankers won big fees in the past year

The country’s largest investment banks shared in an estimated $600 million payday – from capital raisings to IPOs in everything from NextDC to the ailing Star.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/aaron-weinman-p536jg