The Facts For Today’s Environment
FOR EXISTING SHAREHOLDERS ONLY
With changing environments comes questions about BCRED’s positioning. We aim to address these for our shareholders by highlighting strong historical performance and key stats to consider in private credit portfolios.
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BCRED Overview
Resilient Asset Class
Private credit’s historical track record demonstrates stability during periods of market uncertainty.
- In 13 of the last 17 years, private credit has been a top one or two performer with lower volatility compared to traditional fixed income*
- When the S&P has had a greater than 5% drawdown in performance, private credit has protected capital more efficiently than traditional fixed income
- In Q2’2022, when the S&P exhibited its largest quarterly drawdown since BCRED’s inception, traditional fixed income delivered a -5.9% return vs. private credit at 0.5%
Average Return During S&P 500’s 5%+ Drawdown Quarters [ 8 ]
Since March 2010
Healthy fundamentals
BCRED’s focus on quality assets is reflected in strong and consistent fundamental performance.
Historical Portfolio Summary
Q1’23 | Q2’23 | Q3’23 | Q4’23 | Q1’24 | Q2’24 | Q3’24 | Q4’24 | Q1’25 | |
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Senior Secured Debt [ 1 ] | 97% | 97% | 97% | 97% | 97% | 97% | 97% | 96% | 97% |
Average Issuer LTM EBITDA [ 10 ] | $200M | $209M | $215M | $223M | $225M | $234M | $223M | $234M | $238M |
Average Loan to Value [ 15 ] | 42% | 43% | 43% | 44% | 44% | 43% | 43% | 43% | 43% |
Interest Coverage Ratio [ 16 ] | 1.7x | 1.7x | 1.6x | 1.6x | 1.5x | 1.6x | 1.6x | 1.7x | 1.8x |
Assets Marked at <85% of Amortized Cost [ 17 ] | 3.0% | 2.8% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 1.7% |
Non-Accruals (at cost) [ 7 ] |
0.3% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
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Leading Alternatives Platform
Ability to perform through market cycles and mitigate risk during periods of market uncertainty.
- Blackstone Credit & Insurance is the world’s largest third-party private credit manager [ 20 ]
- ~20 years of experience in North America Direct Lending, investing ~$135 billion [ 21 ] with a 0.05% annualized loss rate [ 22 ]
- Ability to leverage knowledge, insights, and global footprint of the Blackstone platform
- Blackstone Private Wealth has been delivering private market solutions to individual investors for 13 years across a diverse range of asset classes
Important Disclosure Information
FOR EXISTING SHAREHOLDERS ONLY
Data is as of March 31, 2025 unless otherwise indicated. Reflects Blackstone Credit & Insurance’s views and beliefs as of the date of this material only, which is subject to change. Past performance does not predict future returns and there can be no assurance that BCRED will achieve results comparable to those of any of Blackstone Credit & Insurance’s prior funds or be able to implement its strategy or achieve its investment objectives, including due to an inability to access sufficient investment opportunities. There can be no assurances that any of the trends described throughout will continue or will not reverse.
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING FEES AND EXPENSES
Investors in the Access Fund will be subject to fees and expenses including a management fee and an incentive fee composed of an income component and a capital appreciation component of the Underlying Fund) in addition to the Access Fund’s expenses and administrative fee. As a result, Access Fund investors will experience lower returns than investors subscribing directly to the corresponding class of the Underlying Fund.
Important Disclosure Information
This material was not created by any third-party registered broker-dealers or investment advisers who are distributing shares of BCRED (each, a “Dealer”). The Dealers are not affiliated with BCRED and have not prepared the material or the information herein.
Investments mentioned may not be in the best interest of, or suitable for all investors. Any product discussed herein may be purchased only after an investor has carefully reviewed the prospectus and executed the subscription documents.
Alternative investments often are speculative, typically have higher fees than traditional investments, often include a high degree of risk and are in the best interest of, or suitable for, eligible, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time. They may be highly illiquid and can engage in leverage and other speculative practices that may increase volatility and risk of loss.
Although certain Loans in which the Fund may invest will be secured by collateral, there can be no assurance that such collateral could be readily liquidated or that the liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal.
Opinions expressed herein reflect the current opinions of Blackstone as of the date appearing in the materials only and are based on Blackstone’s opinions of the current market environment, which is subject to change. Shareholders, financial professionals and prospective investors should not rely solely upon the information presented when making an investment decision and should review the most recent prospectus, as supplemented, available at www.BCRED.com. Certain information contained in the materials discusses general market activity, industry or sector trends, or other broad-based economic, market or political conditions and should not be construed as research or investment advice.
Blackstone products are subject to the risk of capital loss and investors may not get back the amount originally invested.
Further, opinions expressed herein may differ from the opinions expressed by a Dealer and/or other businesses / affiliates of a Dealer. This is not a “research report” as defined by FINRA Rule 2241 and was not prepared by the research departments of a Dealer or its affiliates.
Blackstone Securities Partners L.P. (“BSP”) is a member of FINRA and a broker-dealer whose purpose is to distribute Blackstone managed or affiliated products. BSP provides services to its Blackstone affiliates, not to investors in its funds, strategies or other products. BSP does not make any recommendation regarding, and will not monitor, any investment. As such, when BSP presents an investment strategy or product to an investor, BSP does not collect the information necessary to determine –and BSP does not engage in a determination regarding –whether an investment in the strategy or product is in the best interests of, or is suitable for, the investor. You should exercise your own judgment and/or consult with a professional advisor to determine whether it is advisable for you to invest in any Blackstone strategy or product. Please note that BSP may not provide the kinds of financial services that you might expect from another financial intermediary, such as overseeing any brokerage or similar account. For financial advice relating to an investment in any Blackstone strategy or product, contact your own professional advisor.
Past performance does not predict future returns. Actual results may vary. Diversification of an investor’s portfolio does not assure a profit or protect against loss in a declining market.
Alternative investments involve complex tax structures, tax inefficient investing, and delays in distributing important tax information. Individual funds have specific risks related to their investment programs that will vary from fund to fund. Investors should consult their own tax and legal advisors as Dealers generally do not provide tax or legal advice. BDCs are generally not taxed at the corporate level to the extent they distribute all of their taxable income in the form of dividends. Ordinary income dividends are taxed at individual tax rates and distributions may be subject to state tax. Each investor’s tax considerations are different and consulting a tax advisor is recommended. Any of the data provided herein should not be construed as investment, tax, accounting or legal advice.
Interests in alternative investment products are distributed by the applicable Dealer and (1) are not FDIC-insured, (2) are not deposits or other obligations of such Dealer or any of its affiliates, and (3) are not guaranteed by such Dealer and its affiliates. Each Dealer is a registered broker-dealer or investment adviser, not a bank.
Blackstone Proprietary Data. Certain information and data provided herein is based on Blackstone proprietary knowledge and data. Portfolio companies may provide proprietary market data to Blackstone, including about local market supply and demand conditions, current market rents and operating expenses, capital expenditures, and valuations for multiple assets. Such proprietary market data is used by Blackstone to evaluate market trends as well as to underwrite potential and existing investments. While Blackstone currently believes that such information is reliable for purposes used herein, it is subject to change, and reflects Blackstone’s opinion as to whether the amount, nature and quality of the data is sufficient for the applicable conclusion, and no representations are made as to the accuracy or completeness thereof.
Conflicts of Interest. There may be occasions when a Fund’s general partner and/or the investment advisor, and their affiliates will encounter potential conflicts of interest in connection with such Fund’s activities including, without limitation, the allocation of investment opportunities, relationships with Blackstone’s and its affiliates’ investment banking and advisory clients, and the diverse interests of such Fund’s limited partner group. There can be no assurance that Blackstone will identify, mitigate, or resolve all conflicts of interest in a manner that is favorable to the fund.
Exchange Rate. Currency fluctuations may have an adverse effect on the value, price, income or costs of the product which may increase or decrease as a result of changes in exchange rates.
Feeder Fund Structures. In certain instances, a third-party manager will form an investment vehicle (the “Third-Party Feeder Fund”) that invests all or substantially all of its assets in a fund that is managed by Blackstone (the “Underlying Blackstone Fund”).Investors in the Third-Party Feeder Fund are subject to additional costs and risks in addition to those costs and risks borne by investors who invest directly into the Underlying Blackstone Fund. Specifically, in addition to bearing a share of the costs of the Third-Party Feeder Fund’s investment in the Underlying Blackstone Fund (including the Underlying Blackstone Fund’s expenses, fees, and performance allocations payable to Blackstone), investors in the Third-Party Feeder Fund also bear additional costs, fees and expenses that are charged at the Third-Party Feeder Fund level. For example, the third-party manager is expected to charge investors in the Third-Party Feeder Fund their pro-rata portion of organizational expenses, management fees, and other fees and expenses. As a result, the performance of an investment in the Third-Party Feeder Fund will be lower, possibly materially, than an investment made directly in the Underlying Blackstone Fund. In addition, a variety of other factors may contribute to differences between the performance of the Third-Party Feeder Fund and the Underlying Blackstone Fund, including, but not limited to, the size of the Third-Party Feeder Fund’s cash reserves and the differences in timing of the cash flows. The manager of the Third-Party Feeder Fund also has discretion to manage expenses and cash reserves, which may cause an adverse difference in performance between the Third-Party Feeder Fund and the Underlying Blackstone Fund. The performance shown herein reflects that of investors who invest directly in an Underlying Blackstone Fund, not investors in a Third-Party Feeder Fund; the performance of an investor in a Third-Party Feeder Fund would have been lower. In instances where inception-to-date performance is presented, the Third-Party Feeder Fund will have different inception-to-date performance than the Underlying Blackstone Fund because the Third-Party Feeder Fund invests after the inception of the Underlying Blackstone Fund.
Estimates/Targets. Any estimates, targets, forecasts, or similar predictions or returns set forth herein are based on assumptions and assessments made by Blackstone that it considers reasonable under the circumstances as of the date hereof. They are necessarily speculative, hypothetical, and inherently uncertain in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying such estimates, targets, forecasts, or similar predictions or returns contained herein will not materialize and/or that actual events and consequences thereof will vary materially from the assumptions upon which such estimates, targets, forecasts, or similar predictions or returns have been based. Among the assumptions to be made by Blackstone in performing its analysis are (i) the amount and frequency of current income from an investment, (ii) the holding period length, (iii) EBITDA growth and cost savings over time, (iv) the manner and timing of sale, (v) exit multiples reflecting long-term averages for the relevant asset type, (vi) customer growth and other business initiatives, (vii) availability of financing, (viii) potential investment opportunities Blackstone is currently or has recently reviewed and (ix) overall macroeconomic conditions such as GDP growth, unemployment and interest rate levels. Inclusion of estimates, targets, forecasts, or similar predictions or returns herein should not be regarded as a representation or guarantee regarding the reliability, accuracy or completeness of such information, and neither Blackstone nor the Fund is under any obligation to revise such returns after the date provided to reflect the occurrence of future events, even in the event that any or all of the assumptions underlying such returns are later shown to be incorrect. None of Blackstone, the Fund, their affiliates or any of the respective directors, officers, employees, partners, shareholders, advisers and agents of any of the foregoing makes any assurance, representation or warranty as to the accuracy of such assumptions. Investors and clients are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Recipients of the materials are encouraged to contact Fund representatives to discuss the procedures and methodologies used to make the estimates, targets, forecasts, and/or similar predictions or returns and other information contained herein.
Recent Market Events Risk. Local, regional, or global events such as war (e.g., Russia/Ukraine), acts of terrorism, public health issues like pandemics or epidemics (e.g., COVID-19), recessions, or other economic, political and global macro factors and events could lead to a substantial economic downturn or recession in the U.S. and global economies and have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. The recovery from such downturns is uncertain and may last for an extended period of time or result in significant volatility, and many of the risks discussed herein associated with an investment in the Fund may be increased.
The North America Direct Lending Track Record. Represents U.S. and Canada first lien and unitranche debt or non-U.S. first lien and unitranche debt where >50% of the revenue is generated from the U.S. (which may be secured by the applicable borrower’s assets and/or equity) transactions in companies that were originated or anchored by certain Blackstone Credit & Insurance managed, advised or sub-advised funds (including the Fund, Blackstone Credit & Insurance managed mezzanine funds and Blackstone Credit & Insurance sub-advised BDCs, as well as certain other Blackstone Credit & Insurance managed funds and accounts) and, with respect to certain transactions, investments allocated to affiliates of Blackstone Credit & Insurance, which may be sold to Blackstone Credit & Insurance managed funds or accounts in the future (the “North America Direct Lending track record”). The track record includes investments for periods prior to December 31, 2017, in BDCs that were sub-advised by Blackstone Credit & Insurance on a nondiscretionary basis until April 9, 2018 (the “Sub-Advised Investments”). With respect to certain transactions, the North America Direct Lending track record includes free equity and/or warrants that accompanied the debt financings, as well as any loans or securities into which the applicable first lien and unitranche debt may have been restructured subsequent to Blackstone Credit & Insurance’s initial investment. The North America Direct Lending track record excludes (i) broadly syndicated, mezzanine, second lien and equity (other than the aforementioned free equity and/or warrants or securities issued upon restructuring) transactions, among others and (ii) transactions where Blackstone Credit & Insurance’s invested capital (net of transactions fees) was under $25 million.
Third-Party Information. Certain information contained in the Materials has been obtained from sources outside Blackstone, which in certain cases have not been updated through the date hereof. While such information is believed to be reliable for purposes used herein, no representations are made as to the accuracy or completeness thereof and none of Blackstone, its funds, nor any of their affiliate takes any responsibility for, and has not independently verified, any such information.
Trends. There can be no assurances that any of the trends described herein will continue or will not reverse. Past events and trends do not imply, predict or guarantee, and are not necessarily indicative of, future events or results.
Use of Leverage. BCRED intends to borrow money. If returns on such investment exceed the costs of borrowing, investor returns will be enhanced. However, if returns do not exceed the costs of borrowing, BCRED performance will be depressed. This includes the potential for BCRED to suffer greater losses than it otherwise would have. The effect of leverage is that any losses will be magnified. The use of leverage involves a high degree of financial risk and will increase BCRED’s exposure to adverse economic factors such as rising interest rates, downturns in the economy or deteriorations in the condition of the Investments. This leverage may also subject BCRED and its Investments to restrictive financial and operating covenants, which may limit flexibility in responding to changing business and economic conditions. For example, leveraged entities may be subject to restrictions on making interest payments and other distributions.
Past Performance and Forward-Looking Statements
Past performance does not predict future returns. The opinions expressed herein reflect the current opinions of Blackstone as of the date appearing in this material only. There can be no assurance that views and opinions expressed in this document will come to pass. The above is not intended to be indicative of future results to be achieved by the proposed fund; actual results may differ materially from the information generated through the use of illustrative components of return. While Blackstone believes that these assumptions are reasonable under the circumstances, there is no assurance that the results will be obtained, and unpredictable general economic conditions and other factors may cause actual results to vary materially. Any variations could be adverse to the actual results.
Certain information contained in this communication constitutes “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as “outlook,” “indicator,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,“ “continues,” “may,” “can,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,“ “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates”, “confident,” “conviction,“ “identified” or the negative versions of these words or other comparable words thereof. These may include financial estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements about plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, statements regarding future performance, statements regarding economic and market trends and statements regarding identified but not yet closed investments. Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. BCRED believes these factors also include but are not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in its prospectus, and any such updated factors included in its periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this document (or BCRED’s prospectus and other filings). Except as otherwise required by federal securities laws, BCRED undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Summary of Risk Factors
Blackstone Private Credit Fund (“BCRED” or the “Fund”) is a non-exchange traded business development company (“BDC”) that expects to invest at least 80% of its total assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in private credit investments (loans, bonds and other credit instruments that are issued in private offerings or issued by private companies). This investment involves a high degree of risk. You should purchase these securities only if you can afford the complete loss of your investment. You should read the prospectus carefully for a description of the risks associated with an investment in BCRED. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
- There is no assurance that we will achieve our investment objectives.
- This is a “blind pool” offering and thus you will not have the opportunity to evaluate our investments before we make them.
- You should not expect to be able to sell your shares regardless of how we perform.
- You should consider that you may not have access to the money you invest for an extended period of time.
- We do not intend to list our shares on any securities exchange, and
- we do not expect a secondary market in our shares to develop prior to any listing.
- Because you may be unable to sell your shares, you will be unable to reduce your exposure in any market downturn.
- We have implemented a share repurchase program, but only a limited number of shares will be eligible for repurchase and repurchases will be subject to available liquidity and other significant restrictions.
- An investment in our common shares is not suitable for you if you need access to the money you invest. See “Suitability Standards” and “Share Repurchase Program” in the prospectus.
- You will bear substantial fees and expenses in connection with your investment. See “Fees and Expenses” in the prospectus.
- We cannot guarantee that we will make distributions, and if we do we may fund such distributions from sources other than cash flow from operations, including the sale of assets, borrowings, return of capital or offering proceeds, and although we generally expect to fund distributions from cash flow from operations, we have not established limits on the amounts we may pay from such sources.Distributions may also be funded in significant part, directly or indirectly, from temporary waivers or expense reimbursements borne by Blackstone Private Credit Strategies LLC (the “Adviser”) and Blackstone Credit BDC Advisors LLC (the “Sub Adviser” and, together with the Adviser, the”Advisers”) or their affiliates. The repayment of any amounts owed to our affiliates will reduce future distributions to which you would otherwise be entitled. We use and continue to expect to use leverage, which will magnify the potential for loss on amounts invested in us.
- We intend to invest in securities that are rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as “junk,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be illiquid and difficult to value.
- We do not own the Blackstone name, but we are permitted to use it as part of our corporate name pursuant to the investment advisory agreement between BCRED and an affiliate of Blackstone Inc. (“Blackstone”). Use of the name by other parties or the termination of the use of the Blackstone name under the investment advisory agreement may harm our business.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities regulator has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if the prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is unlawful.
This sales material must be read in conjunction with the BCRED prospectus in order to fully understand all the implications and risks of an investment in BCRED. This sales material is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. An offering is made only by the prospectus, which must be made available to you prior to making a purchase of shares and is available at www.BCRED.com. An investor should consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of BCRED carefully before investing. Prior to making an investment, investors should read the prospectus, including the “Risk Factors” section therein, which contains a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition.
Numerical data is approximate and as of March 31, 2025, unless otherwise noted. The words “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to BCRED, unless the context requires otherwise.
Index Definitions
Morningstar LSTA US Leveraged Loan Index is a market value-weighted index designed to measure the performance of the US leveraged loan market based upon market weightings, spreads and interest payments.
Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Index measures the USD-denominated, high yield, fixed-rate corporate bond market. Securities are classified as high yield if the middle rating of Moody’s, Fitch and S&P is Ba1/BB+/BB+ or below.
Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable, and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities, and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis.
Index Comparison. The volatility and risk profile of the indices presented in this document is likely to be materially different from that of BCRED. In addition, the indices employ different investment guidelines and criteria than BCRED and do not employ leverage; as a result, the holdings in BCRED and the liquidity of such holdings may differ significantly from the securities that comprise the indices. The indices are not subject to fees or expenses and it may not be possible to invest in the indices. A summary of the investment guidelines for the indices presented is available upon request.
Additional Information on Certain Indexes. High Yield is represented by the Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Index. It is not possible to invest in the above index. We believe that this index is appropriate and accepted indexes representing common public fixed income asset classes.
An investment in BCRED has material differences from an investment in investment grade bonds, leveraged loans, and high yield bonds, including, among other things, those related to costs and expenses, liquidity, volatility, risk profile and tax treatment. Unlike BCRED shareholders, holders of bonds do not hold an ownership interest in the issuer. Investment grade bonds and high yield bonds are typically issued in $1,000 or $5,000 denominations and when purchased as a new issue, are not subject to fees or expenses. Leveraged loan denominations are negotiated by the issuer and arranger and typically are subject to fees and expenses. The purchase price of BCRED shares is generally the prior month’s NAV per share for the applicable class, plus upfront selling commissions and dealer manager fees for Class S and D shares. Such shares classes are also subject to shareholder servicing fees.
While the liquidity of assets in public markets depends on its credit rating and market conditions, there exists a secondary market for such bonds. There is no public trading market for shares of BCRED and an investor’s ability to dispose of shares will likely be limited to repurchase by us, subject to the limitations described in BCRED’s prospectus.
The volatility and risk profile of public markets are also likely to be materially different from that of BCRED because, among other things, BCRED’s shares are not fixed-rate debt instruments and such bonds represent debt issued by corporations across a variety of issuers with varying pricing, terms and conditions. BCRED’s share price may be subject to less volatility because its per share NAV is based on the value of assets it owns and is not subject to market pricing forces in the same way as are the prices of bonds in public markets, but is not immune to fluctuations. The bonds in the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index bear a contractual interest rate for periods of over one year, whereas BCRED’s yield is generated primarily by income from its underlying assets and these obligations are not rated. Furthermore, issuers of investment grade bonds and high yield bonds are contractually obligated to pay periodic interest and repay a fixed principal amount at maturity, whereas we cannot guarantee that we will make any distributions and investing in BCRED involves a high degree of risk, as described in BCRED’s prospectus.
In addition, the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index, employs different investment guidelines and criteria than BCRED; as a result, the assets in BCRED may differ significantly from the holdings of the securities that comprise these indexes.
Such bonds generally provide investors with current income, and BCRED’s primary objective is to provide current income with some appreciation. While BCRED invests primarily in privately originated and privately negotiated U.S. first lien senior secured floating rate loans, an investment in BCRED is not a direct investment in the underlying portfolio companies and BCRED’s investments are typically below investment grade. As of March 31, 2025, 1-month, 3-month, YTD, 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year returns for the Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Index is as follows: 0.9%;1.1%;2.6%; 10.4%; 3.9%; 4.3%.