Apollo Debt Solutions, the business development company affiliated with Apollo Global Management, announced that it is limiting redemptions after investors submitted requests to withdraw roughly 11.2% of the fund's shares outstanding. In a regulatory filing, the firm said it will satisfy redemptions equal to 5% of shares outstanding - the customary quarterly buyback level for many BDCs - rather than the full amount investors sought.
The manager, which manages more than $930 billion in assets, said the withdrawals the firm will honor equate to about $730 million of outflows. Apollo added that inflows and outflows would offset one another in the first quarter. The company also indicated it expects to return around 45% of the requested capital to each investor who submitted a redemption request.
Funds structured as business development companies commonly offer to repurchase up to 5% of fund shares each quarter. Non-traded BDCs that provide such quarterly liquidity are currently under pressure, with several imposing limits on withdrawals as investor demand to exit holdings has accelerated.
Marketwide, most of the 20 largest BDCs in the United States have experienced declines in their stock prices relative to their asset values over the past year, and nearly all now trade at discounts. Investment vehicles run by several major financial firms, including KKR and Blue Owl, have also seen their shares weaken in recent weeks amid growing investor unease about the underlying loan portfolios.
Confidence in private credit - the sector that provides loans directly to companies outside the traditional banking system - has deteriorated. Investors have expressed concerns about limited transparency into loan books and what they view as weakening lending discipline, heightening scrutiny of firms that operate in the private credit and BDC space.
Sector and market context
- Apollo's action reflects broader redemption pressures facing non-traded BDCs that allow periodic buybacks.
- Stock price declines across many large BDCs point to valuation and liquidity strains in the sector.
- Worries about loan quality and disclosure are influencing investor behavior toward private credit funds and related vehicles.