A tailored approach to private debt investing
We design strategies that align closely with investors’ goals – spanning infrastructure, real estate, bespoke private asset-based finance, blended finance and private corporate debt – through bilateral or club deals.
Our focus on risk management is unwavering. We employ strong controls through collateralised assets, robust financial covenants, and, where appropriate, seniority within the capital structure. Our independent credit research team ensures robust governance and we follow a disciplined and rigorous investment process.
Why invest?
Private debt solutions can offer stable, recurring cash flows to support income and liability matching objectives, while enhancing portfolio diversification and resilience. By capturing the illiquidity premium and providing tailored structures, they can deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns aligned with investors’ long-term goals.
Conviction in scale
Our $40 billion platform gives us access to a broad range of transactions and the ability to source bespoke deals across investment-grade and sub-investment-grade investments, delivering solutions aligned with diverse client objectives.
A nimble relative value approach
We operate as one integrated private markets platform, combining cross‑asset insights to capture relative value through market cycles and design bespoke client solutions.
Responsibility built-in
Our ESG framework and in-house team are fully embedded into the investment process, helping us manage risk and identify exciting opportunities, providing access to sustainable assets such as renewables, and both sustainable and green real estate loans.*
*ESG integration means the integration of ESG factors and consideration of sustainability risk as part of the investment decision making process. This process is applied beyond any specific binding constraints (in the objective or strategy of the fund as detailed in the prospectus or investment management agreement and in accordance with our Baseline Exclusions Policy). The investment manager retains discretion on decision making taking all risks into account, beyond any binding criteria.
Our private debt capabilities
Asset-Based Finance
Bespoke asset‑based opportunities spanning hard assets (aviation, auto loans), financial assets (consumer loans, NAV facilities) and specialty assets — backed by contractual cashflows and robust risk controls, tailored from short‑duration investment‑grade allocations to higher‑yielding exposures.
Private Corporate Debt
Private placements and bilateral loans, with strong covenants across a variety of profiles and maturities to help improve risk-adjusted returns.
Show Me the Value: Implementing Private Debt for UK Pensions
As the search for better retirement outcomes for the 28 million members of the UK’s defined contribution (DC) pension schemes continues, where are the opportunities for DC investors in private debt and how can they be harnessed?
Join Aviva Investors’ Nick Fisher (Private Debt Research Director) and Luke Layfield (Head of Multi-Asset Portfolio Management, Private Markets) as we discuss the opportunities within the private debt universe, the benefits of adopting a multi-sector approach and how we leverage our market-leading private markets research capabilities.
Transcript for video Show Me the Value: Implementing Private Debt for UK Pensions
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Key risks of private debt
Investment risk
The value of an investment and any income from it can go down as well as up and can fluctuate in response to changes in currency and exchange rates. Investors may not get back the original amount invested.
Real Estate Risk
Investments can be made in real estate, infrastructure and illiquid assets. Investors may not be able to switch or cash in an investment when they want to because real estate may not always be readily saleable. If this is the case we may defer a request to switch or cash in shares or units. Investors should also bear in mind that the valuation of real estate is generally a matter of valuers’ opinion rather than fact.
Investment insights
Investment thinking that brings together the collective insight of Aviva Investors’ teams from across the globe on the key themes influencing markets.
Views
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Infrastructure equity Q&A: Uniting innovation and rigour
3 Feb 2026
Angenika Kunne outlines Aviva Investors’ infrastructure equity strategy and the key themes driving origination, management and value creation.
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UK low-carbon policy: What to look out for in 2026
27 Jan 2026
Aviva’s Nick Molho looks at this year’s policy priorities and likely developments for the UK’s low-carbon agenda, and reflects on what it means for investors.
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Continued momentum: The outlook for European Infrastructure debt
14 Jan 2026
European infrastructure debt enters 2026 in a healthy position, with no shortage of demand for its diverse range of opportunities. Nonetheless, investors need to be alert to various risks and conduct thorough due diligence, argues Darryl Murphy.
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Cities of the future: What will cities look like in 2050?
8 Jan 2026
Today’s private market investments will shape 2050 cities. We explore what this could look like, and the related challenges and opportunities.
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Boosting low-carbon investment in the UK: 2025 Roadmap Update
11 Dec 2025
In 2024, we outlined our view on the most important public-policy interventions to unlock private investment in the low-carbon economy. In this update, we take stock of policy developments since, and look ahead to 2026 and beyond.
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Navigating nature: Opportunities for the investor of tomorrow
10 Dec 2025
Our society, economies and financial systems are embedded in nature, not external to it. This paper sets out the actions we are taking to understand nature-related risks and opportunities to deliver outcomes that meet our clients’ needs, and to support nature-related global goals.
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Purposeful run-on: A credible alternative to buyout
5 Dec 2025
Discover why purposeful run-on is emerging as a credible alternative to buyout for well-funded defined benefit (DB) pension schemes – and how it can unlock long-term value while keeping clients' needs at the centre.
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Beyond buyout: Why DB schemes are reconsidering their endgame
4 Dec 2025
Significant shifts in the defined benefit (DB) pension schemes landscape mean that as schemes mature, trustees and sponsors now face a broader spectrum of strategic choices. We explain why the choice between buyout and run-on is no longer binary.
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Illiquidity premia in private debt: Q3 2025
12 Nov 2025
Having crunched the data, our private markets research team looks at how evolving macro conditions are impacting private debt returns.
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Aviva Investors’ Social Value Label: Recognising achievements during construction
11 Nov 2025
The newly launched Aviva Investors’ Social Value Label recognises quality practice in the construction supply chain. It will be awarded to contractors who deliver social value when building commercial real estate.
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From niche to core: Asset-based finance emerges as a driving force as private debt markets continue to evolve
7 Oct 2025
Asset-based finance is capturing the attention of institutional investors – from pension schemes to insurers – thanks to its diverse risk-return drivers and its growing role as a strategic building block in investors’ portfolios.
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Solid foundations: The case is building for infrastructure equity
3 Oct 2025
In this article Viktor Dietrich, Research Director for infrastructure, venture capital and natural capital, revisits the case for investing in European infrastructure equity. He suggests reasons why small-to-mid-sized opportunities should feature prominently on investors’ radar.
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Energy-intensive industries: Unlocking low-carbon investment
16 Sep 2025
Vital industries for UK growth like steel or cement are also energy intensive, and their decarbonisation is essential. We convened a roundtable of experts to discuss barriers and solutions to unlocking low-carbon investment opportunities.
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RELI’s return: Why real estate long income (RELI) has a growing fanbase
11 Sep 2025
After falling out of favour following the 2022 UK mini-budget crisis, real estate long income is making something of a comeback. Fund managers Renos Booth and Kris McPhail explain why it is starting to attract interest from a variety of investors.
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Illiquidity premia in private debt: Q2 2025
14 Aug 2025
In our latest private markets deep dive, our research team crunches the data to see how evolving macro conditions are reflected in private debt returns.
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Building advantage: Finding a competitive edge in European high yield real estate debt
14 Jul 2025
While opportunities in European high yield real estate debt remain, growing competition underscores the need for deep market expertise, a robust underwriting framework, and disciplined deal selection to identify and capture resilient value.
Articles in focus
From niche to core: Asset-based finance emerges as a driving force as private debt markets continue to evolve
Asset-based finance is capturing the attention of institutional investors – from pension schemes to insurers – thanks to its diverse risk-return drivers and its growing role as a strategic building block in investors’ portfolios.
Building advantage: Finding a competitive edge in European high yield real estate debt
While opportunities in European high yield real estate debt remain, growing competition underscores the need for deep market expertise, a robust underwriting framework, and disciplined deal selection to identify and capture resilient value.
Private Markets Study
Private Markets Study 2026
In the eighth edition of the study, we tap into the views of 500 institutional investors managing $6.5 trillion in assets across Asia, Europe and North America. Uncovering the key trends, opportunities and barriers investors are navigating in the pursuit of long-term outperformance. Explore how private markets will continue to drive institutional investor allocations in 2026 and beyond.
House View
House View
No one can predict the future. But our quarterly House View sets out the collective wisdom of our investment teams on the current state of global markets – and where they might be heading.
Private debt team
Meet our Private debt investment team.
Munawer Shafi
Managing Director, Head of Alternative Credit Solutions
Darryl Murphy
Managing Director, Infrastructure
Gregor Bamert
Head of Real Estate Debt
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Private markets
As one of Europe’s largest private markets investment managers, we have the scale to access the full depth and breadth of private markets.