APO

The global private credit and alternative lending market is projected to reach USD 3.36 trillion by 2031, growing at 7.8% CAGR from a 2026 base of USD 2.31 trillion. Growth is driven by AI/data-center infrastructure debt, insurance-linked capital, and bank retrenchment, though the market faced liquidity stress in 2025-26 concentrated in retail-facing vehicles, resulting in significant redemption pressures and market capitalization losses for major managers.

Blackstone is set to report Q3 2026 earnings on October 22, with consensus estimates projecting a 13.8% earnings decline and only 1.9% revenue growth. While total AUM is expected to grow 11.1% to $1.38 trillion, the company faces headwinds from subdued deal-exit profits, rising expenses, and weaker realized performance revenues. The stock has underperformed peers, declining 12.5% in Q3.

ATLAS SP Partners, majority owned by Apollo funds, announced the pricing of $750 million in 6.250% fixed-to-floating rate senior notes due 2032 through its subsidiary Atlas Warehouse Lending Company. The notes will convert to a floating rate based on SOFR plus 2.534% spread after November 2031.

Proceeds will fund assets, pay fees, and support general corporate purposes including potential debt repayment. The offering is expected to close on October 21, 2026.

Franklin Templeton's assets under management fell 1.9% sequentially to $1.79 trillion as of September 30, 2026, due to market volatility affecting equity and fixed-income portfolios. However, the company generated $6 billion in long-term net inflows and its alternatives business grew to $303 billion, demonstrating resilience. Strategic acquisitions in private credit and digital assets, including the launch of Franklin Crypto, position the company for long-term growth despite near-term headwinds from private credit concerns.

Franklin Templeton achieved record assets under management of $1.79 trillion in Q3 fiscal 2026, with $18.4 billion in long-term net inflows and 13.7% growth in investment management fees. The company is expanding its alternatives business and plans to acquire a majority stake in Stoneshield Capital to add $9 billion in AUM and strengthen European real estate and infrastructure capabilities.

Ameriprise Financial authorized an additional $5.5 billion for share repurchases through September 2028, supported by strong excess capital and free cash flow generation. The company returned $1.9 billion to shareholders in H1 2026 and has returned approximately $25 billion over the past decade. However, competing capital investments in technology, AI, and business expansion raise questions about long-term sustainability of the buyback program.