Ares Management Prices European Direct Lending CLO II at Over €300 Million

Core Insights - Ares Management Corporation has successfully priced its second European Direct Lending Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO), Ares European Direct Lending CLO II, at over €300 million, indicating strong demand for this financial instrument [1] Group 1: CLO Details - EDL CLO II is a diversified CLO composed entirely of directly originated and actively managed loans from over 70 middle-market companies primarily located in Western Europe [1] - The CLO is weighted towards senior-secured floating rate loans and will receive ratings from S&P and KBRA [1] - Ares Management claims that EDL CLO II is among the first multi-currency middle-market CLOs in Europe [1] Group 2: Company Strategy and Experience - Ares Management has nearly 20 years of corporate direct lending experience in Europe and aims to deepen its culture of innovation to provide compelling solutions to investors and borrowers [1] - The European Direct Lending strategy employs approximately 100 investment professionals across seven offices in Europe and managed over $84 billion in assets as of December 31, 2025 [1] - Since its inception in 2007, the European Direct Lending business has completed over 420 investments totaling over €80 billion [1] Group 3: CLO Management and Performance - Ares is recognized as one of the largest and most experienced CLO managers globally, having issued 108 CLOs since 1999, with 72 currently active [1] - As of December 31, 2025, Ares' CLO portfolio represented over $39 billion of the nearly $407 billion of assets managed across the Ares Credit Group [1]