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By Yifan Wang
KKR & Co. said Wednesday that it has closed a new credit fund focused on the Asia market, as the New York-listed investment firm continues to grow in the region, where economic growth has proved particularly resilient since the pandemic started.
The new fund, called KKR Asia Credit Opportunities Fund, received financing from new and existing investors, including public and corporate pensions, sovereign wealth funds, commercial banks, insurance companies, asset managers and private investment groups, and family offices, KKR said in a statement.
KKR itself also invested over $100 million in the fund through its balance sheet and employee commitments.
The fund intends to pursue investments primarily in performing, privately originated credit, KKR said. In particular, the fund will broadly target opportunities across three investing themes: senior and unitranche corporate lending, subordinated corporate lending and asset-based finance investments.
The newly closed fund marks another move by KKR to grow its presence in Asia Pacific over the past few years. In 2021, the company closed a $15 billion Asia private equity fund and a $3.9 billion Asia infrastructure fund, among others.
The new credit fund will provide Asian businesses with nonbank financing options, KKR said.
“There is an imbalance of available financing for Asian businesses at a time when the region’s growth and prosperity have fueled an enormous demand for more flexible funding solutions by borrowers looking to seize the opportunities. With limited non-bank supply, we believe this market presents compelling opportunities for alternative credit providers like KKR,” said Brian Dillard, head of Asia Credit at KKR.
Write to Yifan Wang at yifan.wang@wsj.com
