Direct origination loans are typically accompanied by an illiquidity premium, offering additional return potential for investing in less liquid assets. This premium can range from 100 to 300 basis points, depending on market conditions.
We believe middle market direct lending can offer investors a compelling opportunity to generate significant income, with the potential for lower volatility than traditional fixed income.
In the US, we focus on the core middle market which we define as companies with EBITDAs between US$20 million and US$75 million. The universe of companies in this segment is highly fragmented and represents a wide range of sectors and industries.
In Europe, our target investments are focused on European upper middle market companies. We believe downside risk can be mitigated by focusing on large stable European borrowers defined as companies with EBITDAs of €50M and above. Given inefficiencies in European financing markets, Invesco sees a structural opportunity to source credit deals through our well-established sponsor relationships.
In both markets, Invesco focuses on first lien senior secured loans.