PGIM, the $1.4 trillion global asset management business of Prudential Financial, Inc.1, has launched the PGIM Global Private Credit Fund SCA (the “UCI”), a Luxembourg-domiciled Part II UCI fund designed for wealth investors in the UK, continental Europe and Asia. The lead portfolio manager is PGIM’s global head of middle market direct lending, Matthew Harvey, who also oversees the broader investment team.
The UCI aims to deliver income, long-term capital appreciation and global diversification by investing in senior secured loans to middle market companies in North America, Europe and Australia. While sector agnostic, it focuses on stable, less cyclical industries and generally avoids those that are highly levered, volatile or heavily regulated.
The investment team focuses on seeking value in middle market lending by targeting companies with EBITDA of US$10 to US$75 million. This segment of the market typically has spreads that are higher and covenant protections that are stronger than other areas of direct lending and can deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns.
With a significant portion of the portfolio allocated to non-sponsored loans from privately held companies, the UCI can provide wealth investors access to a broader, more diverse segment of the market and a portfolio that is complementary to those that focus solely on private equity-sponsored loans. In the US alone, more than 90% of the addressable market remains non-sponsored2 and PGIM’s ability to capture both sponsored and non-sponsored channels is unique. Europe also presents a growing opportunity for direct lending loans as the penetration rate in European markets remains behind the US and is structurally growing.
“Our new Part II UCI leverages a differentiated strategy built on broad loan and sector diversification, a targeted middle market focus, global reach and deep, local origination access,” Harvey said. “We combine these factors with highly disciplined underwriting, such as covenants on every loan, and a heritage of investing in private credit on behalf of institutional investors for decades, which we believe offers international wealth investors a compelling investment opportunity with strong alignment of interest.”
Matt Shafer, head of international wealth at PGIM, added:
“Over two decades, we have built a global origination platform that stands apart, offering investors access to global direct lending opportunities, exposure to both non-sponsored and sponsored loans that provide better diversification and terms, and a highly experienced in-house team. This UCI offers an alternative and diversified return stream to help manage the risk and return profiles of portfolios. As more wealth investors turn to private credit, we believe that we can deliver the expertise, alignment and differentiation that they are looking for through drawing upon over two decades of experience managing direct lending strategies for institutional investors.”
PGIM is a global leader in private credit with over US$100 billion in assets under management in the asset class and over two decades of institutional direct lending experience, which reflects a strong culture of conservative credit underwriting. The company’s commitment to private credit is demonstrated through PGIM acting as sole, lead or co-lead lender on 86% of loans it has originated since 2000. The UCI leverages the team’s in‑house sourcing capabilities, over 200 investment professionals across 47 dedicated deal teams in 15 offices worldwide. It is part of PGIM’s credit group that has over US$1 trillion in assets under management.
The UCI is domiciled in Luxembourg and has initially been passported for marketing in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, and is available for private placement to qualified investors in other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore.
1 As of 31 March 2026.
2 Number of middle market companies sourced from National Center for the Middle Market; number of private equity-backed companies sourced from Pitchbook.com; PGIM estimates.
