BNP Paribas Asset Management is launching two private debt funds to invest in infrastructure.
The firm said infrastructure had been a resilient asset class in recent months under the strain of Covid-19.
BNP Paribas European Infrastructure Debt Fund II will target €500 million, and the BNP Paribas European Junior Infrastructure Debt Fund I will target €300-500 million.
The funds will apply rigorous ESG policy using its in-house sustainability resources centre, be aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement, and offer high quality ESG client reporting, according to the French fund manager.
The Infrastructure Debt Fund II follows the firm’s first senior debt fund launched in late 2017, which raised €474 million and is currently at the end of its investment period.
Karen Azoulay, head of infrastructure debt at BNP Paribas AM, said: “Infrastructure assets have shown strong resilience in recent months, given the central role of the services that they offer, such as power generation, water treatment or high speed internet access.
“Investors seeking exposure to assets that can weather economic turbulence and crises such as Covid-19 appreciate that infrastructure debt is able to generate stable cash flows over the long term throughout the economic cycle.”
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