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Asia’s best investment manager – private credit 2026: StepStone Group

Reported by Euromoney
Mar 20, 2026· 2 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • StepStone Group has been recognized as Asia's Best Investment Manager for Private Credit in 2026 by Euromoney, awarded for delivering the StepStone Private Credit Fund (SCRED), an evergreen vehicle purpose-built for private banks and sophisticated family offices.
  • • SCRED provides access to first lien, floating rate, senior secured loans through a co-investment model partnering with more than 100 leading direct lending firms including Ares, Apollo, KKR, Carlyle, and Blue Owl, enabling market-leading risk-adjusted, fee-efficient outcomes.
  • • The fund structure leverages StepStone Group's scale and expertise to deliver institutional-grade private credit exposure tailored to high-net-worth and institutional investor requirements in the Asia-Pacific region.
Summary
StepStone Group has earned recognition as Asia's preeminent private credit investment manager in 2026, according to Euromoney's Private Banking Awards. The distinction reflects the firm's successful launch and positioning of StepStone Private Credit Fund (SCRED), an evergreen private credit vehicle designed specifically to serve private banking clients and sophisticated family offices seeking institutional-quality debt investments.

SCRED's core strength lies in its co-investment architecture, which provides investors access to first lien, floating rate, senior secured loans through partnerships with more than 100 leading direct lending platforms. The fund's lending partners include major institutional credit providers such as Ares, Apollo, KKR, Carlyle, and Blue Owl, creating a diversified origination network that enhances deal sourcing and risk management capabilities. This structure allows StepStone to translate its substantial scale and manager selection expertise into market-leading, risk-adjusted returns while maintaining fee efficiency—a critical consideration for institutional allocators.

The recognition underscores growing demand among Asia-Pacific wealth managers and family offices for access to private credit markets. By offering an evergreen fund structure paired with seasoned credit manager relationships, StepStone has positioned SCRED to capture institutional capital flows into the region's private debt markets at a time when traditional public fixed income yields remain competitive and investors increasingly seek yield enhancement and diversification through alternative credit strategies.

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AlphaMaven summarised this story from the reporting below. Each link opens the original article.

Euromoney Asia’s best investment manager – private credit 2026: StepStone Group