In this anonymised case study, two subscribers at one of Europe’s leading alternative credit specialists share their experience of using 9fin to better understand the world of private credit.

“I’m a VP in the investor relations team. We talk to internal and external parties to aggregate information on market trends. We’re also responsible for answering client queries and supporting new funds and new strategies.”

“I’m a director in the investment team. My day-to-day involves searching for new opportunities in the private credit market, as well as monitoring existing positions.”

Before 9fin: multiple sources, not enough time

In a fast-moving market, staying on top of the latest trends is imperative. That’s easier said than done, however; the private credit market is opaque by nature, and keeping on top of news across multiple platforms and sources, alongside a growing workload, is a significant challenge.

“It was getting more and more time-consuming for the team to stay informed on the market. We had to tap into different resources, or get in touch with different parties, to get information on specific deals or trends,” said the VP.

“Having that information to hand was a must-have,” added the director. “In particular, understanding the various trends in different geographies was super important — we wanted to improve the grasp we have on sponsor activity locally.”

Choosing a debt intelligence platform: why 9fin?

The firm already used 9fin for high yield and CLOs, but started to consider the potential of the platform for private credit. They had a long-standing relationship with 9fin’s account management team.

According to the VP: “We've been heavily involved in discussions around the features and additions to the platform having hosted 9fin at our offices to talk about the services and new ideas the team was planning to launch. It’s clear that 9fin was a growing platform with a long-term strategy.”

In the end, 9fin won out against the competition for its market-leading coverage: “We found that the competition provided a more narrow-ranging service, which may be strong in certain areas, but not in the ones we were interested in – 9fin’s news and analysis and coverage of the European private market was much, much stronger.”

Enter 9fin: timely information, all in one place

The credit investment firm became 9fin Private Credit subscribers in February 2024, after revisiting the platform earlier in the year.

A wealth of intel at your fingertips

“9fin is a treasure trove of information. You can get information on the mechanics of how new deals are negotiated, pricing grades, covenant changes, and much more,” said the VP.

“The 9Questions interviews with market participants also help us gather additional colour on market activity.”

Staying informed in seconds, instead of hours

According to the director, 9fin’s speed and breadth of analysis helps the team stay on top of everything in a fast-moving market:

“It doesn’t take hours of analysis to obtain and verify information — my team and I get 9fin’s European private credit pipeline every Friday, and within seconds we can scroll through and reach out to the relevant sponsor or company if anything catches our eye.”

Accurate information you can bank on

Accuracy played a huge role in the firm deciding to expand their usage of 9fin.

“Having accurate information to hand isn’t easy, given the nature of the transactions in private credit,” according to the director. “9fin provides accurate reporting on leverage levels, pricing and more — the context is much more impactful than an article just stating that a transaction has happened.”

Easy access to data, as and when you need it

According to the VP, it was important to use a platform that had a wide range of market analysis, alongside data to back it up.

9fin fit the bill perfectly: “We can find a variety of market colour on topics we may not have considered otherwise. Alongside that, having the data in one place helps us not only save time, but approach our work more intelligently.”

Gaining a competitive edge in the market

The teams at the credit specialist firm wanted to use technology to:

• Get some colour on an otherwise opaque market
• Make informed decisions, and faster, with research available in a unified workspace
• Ensure the information available was accurate and reliable

They managed to achieve this and more through 9fin.

According to the director, “If 9fin reports on a situation we’re following, we can now easily start a conversation with the sponsor or other lenders involved. Thanks to 9fin we’re proactive, instead of reactive, and in a competitive environment that really gives us an edge.”

“I’d absolutely recommend 9fin,” added the VP. “We’ve been following 9fin for a long time, we can see the investment, and we strongly believe the platform will only increase in value to its customers.”

This is an anonymised customer story with one of our key clients. Get in touch below to see how 9fin Private Credit offers a faster way to source and win new deals.