A year of rising interest rates and slower growth has proved challenging for the global PE industry. Yet, notwithstanding a decline in fundraising and dealmaking over the past year, how are resilient managers overcoming today’s challenges and setting themselves up for success during 2024? In this special episode of Committed Capital, private capital and PE leaders from Hamilton Lane, Tikehau Capital, Capital Square Partners and Court Square Capital Partners offer their perspectives on the key findings from Dechert and Mergermarket’s 2024 Global Private Equity Outlook report, including the rise of GP-stake divestitures and take-privates, the continued growth of the private credit market, the appetite for GP-led secondaries and continuation vehicles, the impact of rising regulatory scrutiny, the upsurge of democratization and more. 

In recent years, the food and agricultural sector has seen growing interest from private equity investment. Driven by an increased demand for food, environmental, social and governance issues, as well as an awareness of climate change, investor interest in sustainable agriculture is set to continue and grow. What are the key drivers behind this trend? In this episode, Dechert’s Nick Marchica leads a discussion with Blue Road Capital’s David Blue and Farmers Gate’s Daniel Fabian on what makes investing in food and agriculture so appealing, how investors can innovate to meet the increasing demand, and the trends and issues likely to shape the sector in years to come. 

The U.S. Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and its new reporting regime take effect on January 1, 2024. In this episode of Committed Capital Sidecar, private equity partners Sarah Kupferman and Greg Schernecke provide an update on its implementation. The CTA’s rules will impact corporations, LLCs, partnerships and other entities and vehicles that exist on January 1, 2024, or are created or registered to do business thereafter in the U.S.  The regime requires applicable reporting companies to report certain beneficial ownership information to FinCEN.  London private equity partner Chris Field joins the conversation to discuss the UK and EU’s respective pre-existing beneficial ownership reporting regimes and what can be gleaned from looking at these analogs to the CTA. 

The FTC has proposed a complete overhaul of filings related to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act. In this episode of Committed Capital Sidecar, Dechert's James Fishkin, Rani Habash and Beverly Ang discuss the key proposals likely to impact private equity firms and deal timing.

President Biden signed a highly anticipated Executive Order on August 9 to establish the foundation for a U.S. outbound investment regime. In this podcast, Dechert national security partners Jeremy Zucker, Darshak Dholakia and Hrishikesh Hari examine the Biden Administration’s proposal and related considerations for the private equity community.

Banks have reduced their lending activities to private companies of all sizes over the last 10 to 15 years and bank regulators have continued to pressure banks to remain on the sidelines in this lending market. Private credit providers have not only stepped in to fill this void, they have also significantly grown their share of the large company lending market. This explosive boom in private lending has been supported by larger fundraising vintages and expanded origination capabilities, including offering competitive lending terms compared to the bank and syndicated loan markets. What are the drivers behind this growth, and where is the market headed? In this episode, Dechert’s Harry Pangas leads a discussion with Saratoga Investment Corp.’s Chris Oberbeck on what makes private credit attractive to borrowers, investors and money managers, and the trends that will shape it in the years to come.  

In recent months, debt financing for new acquisitions and recapitalizations has become more difficult to source. When available, it is also more expensive and subject to stringent conditions amid continued macroeconomic challenges and prolonged high interest rates. Where does PE financing stand and what does the current challenging market mean for the future deal dynamics?  In this episode, Dechert’s Soo-ah Nah leads a discussion with Anne-Marie Peterson of Baird and Scott Grass of Main Street on the latest market trends and conditions.

Today’s distressed market faces headwinds as a result of macro uncertainty, rising inflation and increasing financing costs. What are the opportunities and challenges for private equity investors and their investment strategies in the current environment? In this episode, Dechert’s Stephen Zide leads a discussion with Kevin O'Neill of KKR and Michael Schwartz of SVPGlobal on the latest developments and considerations relating to workouts and restructurings. 

In this Sidecar episode, Philadelphia-based private equity partner Stephen Leitzell and Washington-based antitrust partner James Fishkin discuss the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent focus on enforcement of Section 8 of the Clayton Act, which prohibits the same person from serving as a director or officer of two competing corporations.

Today's private equity landscape stands in contrast to the anomalous levels of activity in 2021. Rising interest rates, a looming economic downturn and geopolitical tensions have impacted deal activity, yet fundraising and buyouts remain above pre-pandemic levels. How are dealmakers finding creative solutions and opportunities during these uncertain times? In this special episode of Committed Capital, industry leaders from AllianceBernstein, Eurazeo and Primavera Capital Group offer their perspectives on findings from the 2023 Global Private Equity Outlook report published by Dechert and Mergermarket, including the appetite for buy-and-build strategies, the growth of retailization, continued expansion of private credit financing and GP-led secondaries, ESG and more.