Goldman Sachs is expanding its presence in the lending market for private equity and asset managers, aiming to fill the gap left by regional banks’ turmoil and the sale of Credit Suisse.
Along with JPMorgan Chase and PNC Financial Services, Goldman is entering a market valued between $800 billion to $1 trillion, spurred by record-high fundraising in private equity.
These loans are asset-based and short-term, which reduces their risk.
Last year, Goldman acquired a portfolio of loan facilities valued at $15 billion from the failed Signature Bank during an auction by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC).
“The focus is to lend to large alternate asset managers, private equity sponsors,” said Maheshwar Saireddy, Goldman’s global head of mortgage and structured products.
He added that one of their major initiatives is to create more stable revenue in their global banking and markets businesses.
After strengthening its U.S. operations, Goldman plans to expand into Europe, the UK, and Asia.
They have added staff in Dallas and Bangalore to service these loans, although Saireddy did not disclose the timing of this expansion.
The acquired Signature portfolio included loans to private-equity firms and venture capital funds, crucial for managing their working capital through capital call facilities or subscription line loans.
A subscription line, or credit facility, is a loan primarily used by closed-end private market funds, secured against investor commitments.
This type of lending is essential for building a robust financing business in fixed income, currency, commodities (FICC), and equities.
“We’ve grown our deposit base tremendously over the past five to seven years,” Saireddy noted. “And as our deposits are growing, we are trying to line up assets to match those deposits.”
In the first quarter, Goldman posted record FICC financing revenues of $852 million.
The private equity lending market fluctuates, often drying up when firms reduce activity, as seen in 2022 and 2023 due to the Fed’s monetary tightening.
Citigroup reduced lending in this market last year to improve returns.
However, the collapse of lenders like Silicon Valley Bank and Signature and the sale of Credit Suisse to UBS created an underserved market, enabling new players to enter.
“Given the supply and demand dynamics where demand has grown significantly, supply hasn’t kept up in the last two years, we’re seeing some additional banks coming into this space,” said Greg Fayvilevich, Fitch’s global head of funds group.
JPMorgan increased its lending after acquiring First Republic Bank, with a commitment to support high-growth investments, according to Jeff Kaveney, head of JPMorgan Private Bank’s fund banking group.
PNC acquired a portfolio of capital commitments facilities from Signature last year, attracting new players, including non-bank lenders.
Alternative investment manager Ares is collaborating with banks to enhance their capacity to provide subscription line loans, a source familiar with the matter stated.