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Associate Editor Armie Lee sits down with Tyler Gately, Head of North America Private Credit at Barings, for a candid read on the state of direct lending in 2026. Recorded as Q1 was wrapping up, the conversation cuts through the noise. Tyler opens with a reality check on the private credit headlines (00:00:36), then walks through what is actually driving volume, why add-on activity is accounting for 60 to 70 percent of dollars going out the door (00:01:13), and the fastest market repricing since COVID, with spreads gapping out 50 to 100 basis points as the retail BDC dollar pulls back (00:03:02). He covers the Q2 pipeline and the long-predicted M&A bounce-back question (00:04:45), and explains what this dislocation means for institutional platforms that deploy their own capital (00:08:18).
The second half digs into AI and software risk in private credit, why Tyler thinks the macro fear is overblown (00:10:13), and the new questions Barings is asking software borrowers today (00:12:55). He breaks down the Barings platform and how it has reconstructed the banking landscape for sponsors (00:16:27), the tale of two markets between retail and institutional LPs (00:18:01), and what actually separates a platform worth committing to from one that just looks good on paper (00:21:12). The conversation closes with Tyler's 2026 outlook (00:24:49), what starting his career in the 2008 financial crisis taught him about discipline (00:28:08), and a rapid fire round on mindset shifts, market trends, and what young credit professionals still get wrong (00:32:48).
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Hosted by Armie LeeGuest: Tyler Gately (Head of North America Private Credit, Barings)Produced and Edited by Tanya HubbardA Production of The Octus Podcast Network
Associate Editor Armie Lee sits down with Tyler Gately, Head of North America Private Credit at Barings, for a candid read on the state of direct lending in 2026. Recorded as Q1 was wrapping up, the conversation cuts through the noise. Tyler opens with a reality check on the private credit headlines (00:00:36), then walks through what is actually driving volume, why add-on activity is accounting for 60 to 70 percent of dollars going out the door (00:01:13), and the fastest market repricing since COVID, with spreads gapping out 50 to 100 basis points as the retail BDC dollar pulls back (00:03:02). He covers the Q2 pipeline and the long-predicted M&A bounce-back question (00:04:45), and explains what this dislocation means for institutional platforms that deploy their own capital (00:08:18).
The second half digs into AI and software risk in private credit, why Tyler thinks the macro fear is overblown (00:10:13), and the new questions Barings is asking software borrowers today (00:12:55). He breaks down the Barings platform and how it has reconstructed the banking landscape for sponsors (00:16:27), the tale of two markets between retail and institutional LPs (00:18:01), and what actually separates a platform worth committing to from one that just looks good on paper (00:21:12). The conversation closes with Tyler's 2026 outlook (00:24:49), what starting his career in the 2008 financial crisis taught him about discipline (00:28:08), and a rapid fire round on mindset shifts, market trends, and what young credit professionals still get wrong (00:32:48).
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Hosted by Armie Lee
Guest: Tyler Gately (Head of North America Private Credit, Barings)
Produced and Edited by Tanya Hubbard
A Production of The Octus Podcast Network
Go beyond the headlines with in-depth conversations featuring top industry leaders across the entire credit lifecycle. From CLOs and private credit to the broader financial landscape under the Octus umbrella, this series delivers expert perspectives, market-shaping insights, and exclusive analysis to keep you ahead of the curve.