The latest in investments and fund management from across Europe.

Neuberger Berman
Neuberger Berman has launched an actively managed global high-yield fund that concentrates on holding corporate credit securities that meet sustainable investment criteria.

The strategy will target issuers considered to be the best in their category by systematically checking through a range of environmental, social and governance factors, and negative exclusion criteria.

The fund will invest in securities across the global high-yield fixed income universe, with an emphasis on income generation. The portfolio will be diversified by industry and issuer, comprising 90-150 issuers, with a quality focus on BB and B credit.

Chris Kocinski and Joseph Lind will run the fund, supported by a team of four portfolio managers, ESG and impact investing specialists and a global team of more than 70 investment professionals dedicated to global non-investment grade credit markets. Based at the firm’s Chicago office, Kocinski and Lind have a combined 34 years of high yield credit investing experience and expertise. 

Whitehelm Capital
Infrastructure investment manager Whitehelm Capital has held the first closing of its Whitehelm Capital Infrastructure Debt Partners I fund, which reached its fundraising target of €500 million ($545.7 million).

The firm expects to hold a final close on the fund by the summer of 2020.

Whitehelm focuses on debt issued by defensive, non-cyclical infrastructure borrowers in OECD countries, a strategy which it says that has returned more than 9 per cent (US dollar, hedged, pre-fees) since inception in 2001, without a single default, impairment, restructuring or loss on its debt investments. 

The debt fund targets returns of 400 basis points to 600bps over reference rates with protection against negative rates, with a ten-year life, the firm said in a statement.

To date, this transaction brings Whitehelm’s investments in infrastructure debt to €1.33 billion. Whitehelm Capital has invested €6.5 billion, with €3.1 billion in funds currently under management and €12.3 billion in funds under advice.