Schroders has finished fund raising for a private credit fund, saying low interest rates helped raise the money, despite the uncertainty this year.

The firm raised over $1.5 billion (€1.3 billion) for the Focus II private credit fund, which was launched in the second quarter this year.

Focus II targets investments in securities and loans, housing and commercial real estate. 

Schroder’s securitised credit team said the successful closure of the fund was an achievement during challenging market conditions. 

Michelle Russell-Dowe, head of securitised credit at Schroders, said: “Against a backdrop of economic and social change, we see a sequence of opportunities. Not all opportunities manifest at the same time in a cycle and, for our fund, we see near-term opportunities.”

Housing, consumer debt, and real estate are areas that will continue to develop, she said.

The fund – which has received commitments from both UK and US-based institutional investors - takes total assets raised by the securitised credit team to over $15 billion since its acquisition in 2016.

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