Private credit
Video series: unlocking private credit at MA Financial
Office meeting room with chairs around table, floor to ceiling windows with building visible.
Published 14 August 2024
Share article

At MA Financial, we invest across a range of private credit market segments where we have genuine edge and differentiated expertise. We are focused on proprietary deal flow and finding lending opportunities where we can be a term and price setter.

As an aligned manager with substantial co-investment alongside our clients, we care deeply about risk management, consistency of returns and downside protection.

Our investment processes and robust governance frameworks are carefully designed with these objectives in mind.

Global Credit Solutions at MA Financial

In this video series two of our senior leaders – Joint CEO Chris Wyke and Head of Credit Investments and Lending Frank Danieli – provide transparency into our detailed and diligent approach to private credit investing explaining how and why it sets us apart.

Frank leads our Global Credit Solutions team which invests in diversified private credit in Australia and the US, including direct lending, asset-based finance and specialty credit.

Guy Kauffman wearing a dark suit and white business shirt, holding a pen and talking during a meeting in a meeting room with a colourful painting on the wall behind him.
Art and science: our investment process

We have spent years designing and refining an investment process that allows us to lean into our core competencies, harness the talents of our people, unearth good ideas and try to mitigate avoidable mistakes. In this video, we provide an inside look at how our investment process works, what we focus on and what differentiates MA Financial’s approach to private credit.

Nine people sitting in a horseshoe configuration in a meeting room with artwork on the walls.
War Games: preparation matters

War Games is a unique feature of our investment process. It is our semi-annual portfolio stress testing exercise where we simulate three economic downturn scenarios – a moderate recession, severe recession and a financial crisis or depression -- as well as other discrete risk scenarios on our portfolios. The purpose is to ensure, as fiduciaries, we are prepared with defensive steps to safeguard investor capital if or when a downturn occurs.

Sophie Masterton, Frank Danieli and Elliott Etheridge all looking down at computer screens, with white bottles and glasses on the table in front of them.
Red Team: prevention is better than cure

The Red Team is one of the most important parts of our investment process. The role of the Red Team is to join the Investment Committee as a contrarian perspective when we're considering a new investment and challenge the investment team’s thesis after conducting their own independent research. The Red Team helps us ensure we make balanced and robust decisions on behalf of our investors.

Frank Danieli looking just off camera with Sydney skyline filling the window behind him.
Game Day: the Investment Committee

The Investment Committee (IC) is the final stage of our investment process – where our investment and portfolio management teams recommend a proposed deal for inclusion into our funds. The IC consists of some of the most senior and experienced professionals within MA Financial who draw on their unique perspectives and experience to help us make good investment decisions. Debate at the IC is more than facts and numbers – it’s about understanding what you have to believe to make the investment, and how the investment can play out in the real world.

Frank Danieli standing beside a sitting Will Taylor both looking at the same computer screen.
Balancing the scales: why team setup matters

At MA Financial we believe the role of a portfolio manager in private credit is split into equal thirds – make great investments, construct your portfolio well, and prudently manage risk – and we’ve designed our team structure to account for this. We believe team structure is critical to deliver good investor outcomes through cycles.

Manhattan at sunset with Brooklyn bridge in background
Private credit investment series
Learn more
© Copyright 2024 MA Financial Group. All rights reserved. The MA and MA Financial Group logos are registered trademarks of MAFG Operations Pty Ltd. We invest. We lend. We advise.’ is a trademark of MAFG Operations Pty Ltd. All facts and figures current as at 30 September 2024.
This webpage is provided by MA Financial Group Limited (ACN 142 008 428) on behalf of MA Financial Group Limited and its related bodies corporate (referred collectively as MAF) for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. Before acting on any information contained on this webpage, you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your particular objectives, financial situation and needs and seek professional advice. Refer to the terms of use for further information.
Linkedin iconblue icon of camera
Follow us