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Event Creditflux CLO awards 2026
GoldenTree takes third gold in a row
This year, the firm faced stiff competition from finalists Bain, Blackstone, Fidelity and Voya, but GoldenTree was once again named Global Manager of the Year at the Creditflux awards in London
The stars of the leveraged loan world came for what one manager called “the Oscars of the CLO industry”. In a glittering ballroom at The Chancery Rosewood, London, 300 of the most influential members of the global CLO market gathered to drink champagne, eat steak and stuffed courgette flowers, and swap predictions about how 2026 might pan out.
The competition was fierce this year, with more than 1,500 award submissions evaluated. The finalists were announced in March, and the winners were revealed during the Creditflux Manager Awards Dinner on 21 April, following the two-day Creditflux CLO Symposium.
Among the big winners were Diameter Capital Partners, which took home the awards for Best US CLO Manager and best US CLO, while Cerberus Business Finance was named the Best Middle Market CLO Manager. In Europe, Napier Park Global Capital grabbed a trio of trophies: the coveted Best European CLO Manager award, and the prizes for best New European CLO and Best European CLO.
The biggest prize of them all capped the evening. GoldenTree Asset Management was named Creditflux Global Manager of the Year for the third year in succession.
From left: Emmanuel Paillaud, Elizaveta Andreeva, Erin Morgan, Mort Haque, Michael McNally, Kevin Child, Roger Lavan and Tom Azimrayat Andrews
Creditflux Global Manager of the Year
GoldenTree Asset Management
Finalists
Bain Capital Credit
Blackstone Credit & Insurance
Fidelity Investment Management
Voya Alternative Asset Management
Methodology
Highest average ranking across all deals
Eligibility
Firms eligible for four or more categories
Adil Patil, Elizaveta Andreeva, Tom Azimrayat Andrews
Best US CLO manager
Diameter Capital Partners
Finalists
CVC Credit Partners
Elmwood Asset Management
Fidelity Investment Management
GoldenTree Asset Management
Methodology
Mean blended outperformance across US CLOs
Eligibility
Firms with seven or more active CLOs that invest in US broadly syndicated collateral and whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Samantha Orts, Lisa Fu (Creditflux)
Best CLO Fund (>$150m)
Palmer Square Opp. CF
Palmer Square Capital Management
Finalists
Accunia European CLO Opp — Accunia; BNPP AM Novalto – CLO Credit Fund — BNP Paribas AM Alts; BSP Structured Credit Evergreen — Benefit Street Partners; CIFC Global Flting. Rate CF (UCITS) — CIFC AM; Octagon CLO IG Income Fund — Octagon CI
Methodology
Volatility-adjusted weighted performance
Eligibility
Funds that invest predominantly in CLOs, which are present in Creditflux’s monthly listings, with an AUM >$150m at 31-Dec-2025
From left: Zoltan Szucs, Freddie Herman, Federico Della Torre and Julia He
Best European CLO manager
Napier Park Global Capital
Finalists
Bain Capital Credit
CIFC Asset Management
Spire Partners
UBS Asset Management
Methodology
Mean blended outperformance across European CLOs
Eligibility
Firms with six or more active CLOs that invest in European collateral and whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Best CLO Fund (<$150m)
BSP Structured Credit Mezzanine
Benefit Street Prs.
Finalists
Alegra HG ABS Fund (UCITS) — Alegra Cap.; Cedra Income, SICAV RAIF Fund — Adepa Mgt Company (Clerville IM); CIFC CLO Enhanced IF — CIFC AM; Fair Oaks AAA CLO Fund — Fair Oaks Cap.; Vibrant Opp. Fund — Vibrant CP
Methodology
Volatility-adjusted weighted performance
Eligibility
Funds that invest predominantly in CLOs, which are present in Creditflux’s monthly performance listings, with an AUM <$150m as of 31-Dec-2025
Gus Machado, Nikunj Gupta (HSBC)
From left: Anish Gupta and Logan Lowe (Diameter); Joanna Nicholas (Clifford Chance)
Best US CLO
Diameter Capital CLO 8
Diameter Capital Partners
Finalists
Canyon CLO 2023-2 — Canyon Partners
CIFC Funding 2024-III — CIFC AM
Juniper Valley Park CLO — Blackstone Credit & Insurance
Sandstone Peak II — Beach Point Capital Management
Methodology
Blended outperformance
Eligibility
CLOs that went effective before 2025, which are still within reinvestment, and which invest in broadly syndicated US collateral, with reports listed on CLO-i
From left: Rami Hirmiz (Jefferies); Jacob Walton and Ludovic Walter (Sona)
Best European Boutique CLO Manager
Sona Asset Management
Finalists
Canyon Partners
Fair Oaks Capital
Fidelity Investment Management
Serone Capital Management
Methodology
Mean blended outperformance across European CLOs
Eligibility
Firms with five or fewer active CLOs which invest in European collateral and whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Best new European CLO
Henley 13
Napier Park Global Capital
Finalists
AlbaCore Euro CLO VII — AlbaCore Capital; Canyon European CLO 2025-1 — Canyon Partners; RRE 24 — Redding Ridge AM; Sona Fios CLO V — Sona AM
Methodology
Blended outperformance
Eligibility
CLOs that went effective in 2025, which invest in European collateral and whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Julia He
Federico Della Torre, Julia He
Best European CLO
Henley 10
Napier Park Global Capital
Finalists
Dryden 103 — PGIM; Madison Park Euro Funding XIX — UBS AM; Penta 15 — Partners Group; Sona Fios CLO III — Sona AM
Methodology
Blended outperformance
Eligibility
CLOs that went effective before 2025, which are still within reinvestment, and which invest in European collateral, with reports listed on CLO-i
Best US Boutique CLO Manager
Beach Point Capital Management
Finalists
HalseyPoint Asset Management; Hayfin Capital Management; Nassau Global Credit; Shenkman Capital Management
Methodology
Mean blended outperformance across US CLOs
Eligibility
Firms with six or fewer active CLOs which invest in US broadly syndicated collateral and whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Sinjin Bowron
Corey Geis
Best new US CLO
Harvest US CLO 2025-2
Investcorp Credit Management
Finalists
AGL CLO 44 — AGL Credit Management; Bain Capital Credit CLO 2025-4 — Bain Capital Credit; Rockford Tower CLO 2025-2 — Rockford Tower Capital Management; Sagard-HalseyPoint CLO 10 — HalseyPoint AM
Methodology
Blended outperformance
Eligibility
CLOs that went effective in 2025, which invest in broadly syndicated US collateral and whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Joe Carden
Best MM CLO Manager
Cerberus Business Finance
Finalists
Antares Capital
Bain Capital Credit
Blackstone Credit & Insurance
Golub Capital
Methodology
Mean blended outperformance across mid-market CLOs
Eligibility
Firms that manage CLOs which invest in middle market loans and whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Tomasz Gruszka, Anne-Sofie Biltoft, Dhaval Patel, Gavin James
Best Redeemed US CLO
RR 1
Redding Ridge Asset Management
Finalists
CIFC Funding 2013-II — CIFC AM; GoldenTree Loan Management US CLO 5 — GoldenTree AM; Madison Park Funding XL — UBS AM; PLMRS 2015-2 — Palmer Square Capital Management
Methodology
Final IRR
Eligibility
US BSL CLOs redeemed in 2025
Best Redeemed European CLO
Dryden 29
PGIM
Finalists
BlackRock European CLO V — BlackRock; Cumulus Static CLO 2023-1 — Blackstone Credit & Insurance; Harvest CLO IX — Investcorp Credit Management; OZLME III — Sculptor Capital Management
Methodology
Final IRR
Eligibility
European CLOs redeemed in 2025
Ben Gaitskell, Brian Nolan, Gianluca Consoli, Alex Collins (Orrick), Simona Pasini
Landis Wood, Alex Wall
Best New Middle Market CLO
Golub Capital BDC CLO 8
Golub Capital
Finalists
BXSL CLO 2024-1 — Blackstone C&I; Cerberus Loan Funding XLVIII — Cerberus Business Finance; Monroe Capital MML CLO XVII — Monroe Capital; Windhill 3 — PGIM
Methodology
Blended outperformance
Eligibility
CLOs that went effective before 2025 that are still within reinvestment and which invest in mid-market loans whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Best Middle Market CLO
Golub Capital Partners CLO 42 (M)
Golub Capital
Finalists
Antares CLO 2024-2 — Antares Capital; BCC Middle Market CLO 2023-1 — Bain Capital Credit; BCRED MML CLO 2022-1 — Blackstone C&I; Monroe Capital MML CLO XIII — Monroe Capital
Methodology
Blended outperformance
Eligibility
CLOs that went effective before 2025 that are still within reinvestment and which invest in mid-market loans whose reports are listed on CLO-i
Landis Wood, Alex Wall
Sanjai Bhonsle
Best Private Closed-End CLO Fund
ArrowMark CLO Equity Strategic Pars Fund
ArrowMark Pars.
Finalists
Bain Capital Credit CLO Mgt II — Bain CC; BK Opportunities Fund 7 — Crystal Fund; BSP Structured Credit IV — Benefit Street Prs; GoldenTree LM I — GoldenTree AM; Wollemi Investments I — Fair Oaks Capital
Methodology
Annualised IRR
Eligibility
Private funds that invest mainly in CLOs and have no periodic redemption requirements
Best Public Closed-End CLO Fund
Flat Rock Enhanced Income Fund
Flat Rock Global
Finalists
Ellington Credit Company — Ellington MG; Fair Oaks IL – Ord. Shares — Fair Oaks Cap.; Flat Rock Opportunity Fund — Flat Rock Glbl.; Nuveen Enhanced CLO IF — Nuveen; XAI Octagon Fltg. Rate & Alt. IT — Octagon CI; Ymer Alternative Credit Fund III — Ymer SC; Ymer SC AC — Ymer SC
Methodology
Annualised change in total outstanding value of fund
Eligibility
Publicly listed funds that invest mainly in CLOs and have no periodic redemption requirements
Shiloh Bates
Awards methodology
Blended outperformance
The ranking of each CLO relative to its peers by up to 10 performance metrics. This rewards managers that achieve high returns without compromising portfolio quality. The metrics used are: change in junior OC; headroom in junior OC; WARF; average collateral value; weighted average spread; cash-on-cash return to equity; equity volatility; multiples of money; leverage. Day-one arbitrage is considered for new CLOs.
Volatility-adjusted weighted performance
A measure that combines absolute change in mark-to-market net asset value during 2025 with volatility relevant to each fund’s redemption profile.
Funds that promise liquidity need to deliver stable returns; those that lock up investors’ capital need to achieve greater absolute performance.
Closed-end funds
Private closed-end funds were judged on the basis of an annualised IRR that assumed NAV at the start of the year and any drawdowns as inflows. Distributions and final NAV at the end of the year are considered as outflows.
Public closed-end funds were judged using the change in value of the fund over the year accounting for share issuance and distributions.
Final IRR equity
IRR based on the notional size of the CLO equity and taking into account all payments received.
