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The 2026 LSEG LPC Large Corporate Leveraged & Middle Market Loans Conference will take place in New York City on Thursday October 29, 2026.

Join 250 delegates - including investors, borrowers, bankers and legal advisors - for a day filled with insightful discussions on the most important issues facing the loan market.

Now in its 32nd year, this must-attend, full-day conference will comprise ten in-depth sessions providing actionable insights from over 35 of the industry's most respected thought leaders as they discuss Private Credit and Syndicated Lending across the Large Corporate and Middle Market segments.


  Agenda (with confirmed speakers to date):  

08:00   Registration

08:40   Syndicated Leveraged Loans and Direct Lending: Market Trends and Outlook

  • CJ Doherty - Director, Market Analysis, LSEG LPC

09:05   Navigating the Evolving Private Markets Landscape

  • Jenn Giacobbe - Global Head of Private Markets, LSEG LPC

09:15   Private Credit vs. BSL:  Interplay, competition and market dynamics. New capital structure coexistence rooted in blending of leveraged loans, bonds and private credit.  Sponsored by DLA Piper.

  • Alan Rockwell - Partner, DLA Piper (moderator)
  • Jackson Merchant - Managing Director, Leveraged Debt Capital Markets, Deutsche Bank
  • Dan Dirscherl - Managing Director, Leveraged Debt Capital Markets, Ares Credit Group
  • Aashish Dhakhad - Head of Private Credit Origination, North America, Citi
  • Matt Teichner - Managing Director, Head of Credit Opportunities, Golub Capital
Discussion topics:
  • 2026 market drivers: What market developments in 2026 have driven borrowers to either market, and are the markets now evolving to more closely interact with each other?
  • How has the market reaction to exposure to software risk as a result of AI disruption driven those dynamics?
  • Which sectors do you anticipate being “hot” for the rest of the year? And looking ahead into 2027.
  • What is the projection for Sponsor and Corporate M&A activity looking ahead to next year?
  • How is the market reacting to liability management transaction risks in light of recent litigations such as Serta and Del Monte?

10:00   Navigating (di)stress in the software sector.  Sponsored by Ropes & Gray.

  • Eliza Hollander - Partner, Ropes & Gray (co-moderator)
  • Allison Liff - Partner, Ropes & Gray (co-moderator)
  • Anne Russ - Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets, STG
  • Fran Blair - Managing Director, Credit Investments, PSP Investments
  • Bilal Bazzy - Managing Director, Restructuring, Piper Sandler 
Discussion topics:
  • The "SaaSpocalypse" and sector-wide credit stress: state of play after over a year of software anxiety.
  • Protecting enterprise value in a sector where the most important assets are highly mobile.
  • Proactive capital structure planning in a rising-rate, compressed-multiple environment.
  • Identifying the early warning signals of (di)stress in a software business.
  • Navigating unique valuation and collateral challenges.
  • IP as a strategic lever, including in liability management transactions.

10:45   Morning Break

11:15   The view from the top: observations from the large syndicated loan market.  Sponsored by Latham & Watkins.

  • Alfred Xue - Partner & Global Vice Chair, Banking & Private Credit Practice, Latham & Watkins (moderator)
  • Kirk Jones - Co-Head, Leveraged Finance Capital Markets, Citi
  • Mark Pepe - Global Co-Head, Leveraged Finance & Capital Markets, RBC
  • Ned Sullivan - Vice President, Capital Markets, Thoma Bravo
  • Erin Cunningham - Managing Director, Leveraged Finance, Goldman Sachs
Discussion topics:
  • Opportunities and trends in large cap transactions in 2026.
  • Specific deal attributes drawing the most focus and discussion in large syndicated deals.
  • Must-have terms in 2026 syndicated market.
  • Predictions for directional change in syndicated lending in 2027.

12:00   Private credit perspectives: direct lending and capital solutions.  Sponsored by Kirkland & Ellis.

  • HT Flanagan - Partner, Kirkland & Ellis (moderator)
  • Aaron Mack - Managing Director, Crestline
  • Mac Maynard - Managing Director, Fortress
Discussion topics:
  • Acquisition financing: Where are the opportunities, and how are sponsors structuring financings to get deals done? 
  • Sponsor expectations and the LBO outlook: What are sponsors expecting for deal activity through 2027, particularly for LBOs? What needs to change — including valuations, financing costs and the broader market backdrop — to drive a more sustained pickup in sponsor-backed transactions? 
  • Evolving deal terms: How are pricing and leverage evolving in operating-company lending? 
  • Competition among direct lenders: What does increased competition mean for the market, and how is it being reflected in pricing, leverage, documentation and other deal terms? 
  • Syndication vs. club deals: How are direct lenders continuing to evolve financing solutions, particularly as deal sizes increase? 
  • Relationship lending and the BSL market: What are the key lender and borrower considerations when evaluating financing solutions and relationships across private credit and the broadly syndicated loan market? 
  • Current pipeline: In a year marked by episodic bouts of market uncertainty but abundant liquidity, what does the pipeline look like for the remainder of 2026 and into 2027

12:45   Lunch

13:30     NEW SESSION ADDED!    Latest trends in liability management.  A fireside chat, sponsored by Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

  • Eugene Y Park - Partner, Strategic Capital and Restructuring, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
  • Sanjeev Khemlani - Managing Director, Restructuring & Liability Management Group, Chairman of Senior Lender Advisory, Lazard

14:00   Hybrid capital market trends.  Sponsored by Davis Polk.

  • Zachary R. Frimet - Partner, Finance, Davis Polk (moderator)
  • Elizabeth Warner - Managing Director, Ares Credit Group
  • Munesh Advani - Managing Director, Apollo
  • Kevin Meyer - Managing Director, Head of Origination and Capital Markets, Churchill Asset Management
Discussion topics:
  • Why hybrid capital matters in today’s market.
  • Why borrowers are increasingly considering hybrid capital solutions.
  • How does hybrid capital compare to the rest of the capital stack?
  • How do investors evaluate hybrid capital opportunities and what are the key components are closing deals with hybrid capital components?

14:45   Fund finance: what leveraged finance needs to know.  Sponsored by Weil.

  • Danek Freeman - Partner, Weil
  • Nick Nikic - Partner, Weil
  • Max Mickiewicz - Capital Markets Advisor, Altas Partners
  • Kwesi Larbi-Siaw - Partner, Davis Polk
  • Paul Choy - Senior Managing Director, Crestline Investors
  • Nilesh Parikh - Managing Director, Nomura
Discussion topics:
  • What is "Fund Finance"? The primary categories and how they differ, and the line between fund-level and portfolio-level debt.
  • Why fund finance developments matter to the broader leveraged finance market: expanded investment capacity, a competing source of debt financing and post-investment period capital, and alternatives for acquisition and bridge financings.
  • Fund finance as a new credit asset class: what makes it attractive, competition with corporate private credit for capital allocation, and potential conflicts.
  • Looking ahead: How fund-, GP-, and investor-level leverage shape incentives and negotiating dynamics, and the opportunities and risks for the credit market.

15:30   Afternoon Break

15:45   Middle market private credit: navigating a market at an inflection point.  Sponsored by Fried Frank.

  • Caroline Sandberg - Partner, Fried Frank (moderator)
  • Gene Kolodin - Managing Partner, Credit, KKR
  • Alyssa Roland - Co-Founder and Managing Director, Brinley Partners
  • Jeff Boyd - Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Discussion topics:
  • Beyond Direct Lending: Where Middle Market Private Credit Is Expanding. How private credit managers are broadening their strategies beyond traditional sponsor-backed middle-market direct lending, where managers are finding the most attractive opportunities and how this expansion is changing the private credit market.
  • Competitive Dynamics and Where Capital Is Flowing: Deal Flow, Origination Trends and Sector Shifts. Where the strongest deal flow is, who is winning deals and which sectors are attracting the most private credit capital. 
  • Credit Quality, Portfolio Stress and the PIK Debate. Whether middle market private credit is more resilient, which sectors and loans are under stress and payment-in-kind trends.
  • Structuring, Spreads and the Rise of Flexible Capital. Current spread dynamics, how structuring is evolving and what new products are gaining most traction as private credit managers offer increasingly flexible forms of capital.
  • Liquidity, Regulation and the Retailization of Private Credit. BDC redemption pressures, semi-liquid vehicle dynamics, regulatory scrutiny of private credit and growing interconnectedness between banks and private credit providers.
  • Outlook and Strategic Priorities. How private credit providers are positioning for the next phase of the cycle, where they see the biggest opportunities for growth and deployment, and the key risks and challenges ahead.

16:30   US economic outlook

  • Marc P. Giannoni - Managing Director and Chief US Economist, Barclays

17:15   Drinks reception

19:00   Close


  Each full-day delegate booking provides:  

  • Access to each of the conference's nine sessions
  • Continental buffet breakfast
  • Networking buffet lunch
  • Further networking opportunities during the morning and afternoon coffee breaks
  • Access to the post-conference drinks reception


  Event Details  


Date: Thursday October 29 2026

Timings: 08:00 - 17:15 plus Drinks Reception

Location: Convene, 360 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Format: Full-day, in-person conference - including buffet breakfast, lunch and drinks reception

Price: $595 for full access.  Secure your place here.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS CLOSED TO EXTERNAL PRESS.
Our sponsors:
Sponsorship opportunities

There are a limited number of sponsorship packages available for companies looking to promote their brand to the most senior and influential professionals in the market. For more information, contact Leonie Welss.