As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 18, 2023

Securities Act File No. 333-264472

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-2

 

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Pre-Effective Amendment No.    

Post-Effective Amendment No. 3

 

 

Blackstone Private Credit Fund

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, NY

(212) 503-2100

(Address and telephone number, including area code, of principal executive offices)

 

 

Marisa J. Beeney, Esq.

Blackstone Credit BDC Advisors LLC

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, NY 10154

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

COPIES TO:

Rajib Chanda

Benjamin C. Wells

Christopher P. Healey

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

900 G Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20001

 

 

Approximate Date of Commencement of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

 

☐	Check box if the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans.

 

☒	Check box if any securities being registered on this Form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”), other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan.

 

☐	Check box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction A.2 or a post-effective amendment thereto.

 

☐	Check box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction B or a post-effective amendment thereto that will become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act.

☐	Check box if this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction B to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act.

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

☐	when declared effective pursuant to Section 8(c) of the Securities Act.

 

☒	immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 486.

 

☐	on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 486.

 

☐	60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 486.

 

☐	on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 486.

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

☐	This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment registration statement.

 

☐	This Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is:

 

☐	This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is:

 

☐	This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is:

Check each box that appropriately characterizes the Registrant:

 

☐	Registered Closed-End Fund (closed-end company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Investment Company Act”)).

 

☒	Business Development Company (closed-end company that intends or has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act).

 

☐	Interval Fund (Registered Closed-End Fund or a Business Development Company that makes periodic repurchase offers under Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act).

 

☐	A.2 Qualified (qualified to register securities pursuant to General Instruction A.2 of this Form).

 

☐	Well-Known Seasoned Issuer (as defined by Rule 405 under the Securities Act).

 

☐	Emerging Growth Company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”)).

 

☐	If an Emerging Growth Company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act.

 

☐	New Registrant (registered or regulated under the Investment Company Act for less than 12 calendar months preceding this filing).

 

 

Explanatory Note

This Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 (the “Amendment”) to the Registration Statement on Form N-2, as amended (No. 333-264472) of Blackstone Private Credit Fund (the “Registrant”) is being filed pursuant to Rule 486(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to provide updated financial information and make certain other non-material changes to the Registrant’s prospectus. This Amendment is organized as follows: (a) Prospectus and (b) Part C Information relating to the Registrant.

No new interests in the Registrant are being registered by this filing. The registration fee was paid in connection with Registrant’s previous filings.

 

 

 

Prospectus

Blackstone Private Credit Fund

Class S, Class D and Class I Shares

Maximum Offering of $36,500,000,000

 

 

Blackstone Private Credit Fund is a Delaware statutory trust that seeks to invest primarily in originated loans and other securities, including broadly syndicated loans, of U.S. private companies and to a lesser extent European and other non-U.S. companies. We are externally managed by an affiliate of Blackstone Inc. (formerly, The Blackstone Group Inc.) (“Blackstone”), which is the largest alternative asset manager in the world with deep investment expertise and preeminent investment businesses across asset classes. Our investment objectives are to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, long-term capital appreciation. Throughout the prospectus, we refer to Blackstone Private Credit Fund as the “Fund,” the “Company,” “BCRED,” “we,” “us” or “our.”

We are a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Our adviser, Blackstone Credit BDC Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”) is an affiliate of Blackstone Alternative Credit Advisors LP, the credit-focused business of Blackstone (“Blackstone Credit”). We have elected to be treated for federal income tax purposes, and intend to qualify annually, as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

We are offering on a continuous basis up to $36,500,000,000 of our common shares of beneficial interest (“Common Shares”). We are offering to sell any combination of three classes of Common Shares—Class S shares, Class D shares and Class I shares—with a dollar value up to the maximum offering amount. The share classes have different ongoing shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees. The purchase price per share for each class of Common Shares equals our net asset value (“NAV”) per share, as of the effective date of the monthly share purchase date. This is a “best efforts” offering, which means that Blackstone Securities Partners L.P., the intermediary manager for this offering, will use its best efforts to sell shares, but is not obligated to purchase or sell any specific amount of shares in this offering.

Investing in our Common Shares involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 35 of this prospectus. Also consider the following:

 

•

We have limited prior operating history and there is no assurance that we will achieve our investment objectives.

 

•

This is a “blind pool” offering and thus you will not have the opportunity to evaluate our investments before we make them.

 

•

You should not expect to be able to sell your shares regardless of how we perform.

 

•

You should consider that you may not have access to the money you invest for an extended period of time.

 

•

We do not intend to list our shares on any securities exchange, and we do not expect a secondary market in our shares to develop prior to any listing.

 

•

Because you may be unable to sell your shares, you will be unable to reduce your exposure in any market downturn.

 

•

We have implemented a share repurchase program, but only a limited number of shares will be eligible for repurchase and repurchases will be subject to available liquidity and other significant restrictions.

•

An investment in our Common Shares is not suitable for you if you need access to the money you invest. See “Suitability Standards” and “Share Repurchase Program.”

 

•

You will bear substantial fees and expenses in connection with your investment. See “Fees and Expenses.”

 

•

We cannot guarantee that we will make distributions, and if we do, we may fund such distributions from sources other than cash flow from operations, including the sale of assets, borrowings, return of capital or offering proceeds, and although we generally expect to fund distributions from cash flow from operations, we have not established limits on the amounts we may pay from such sources.

 

•

Distributions may also be funded in significant part, directly or indirectly, from temporary waivers or expense reimbursements borne by the Adviser or its affiliates, that may be subject to reimbursement to the Adviser or its affiliates. The repayment of any amounts owed to our affiliates will reduce future distributions to which you would otherwise be entitled.

 

•

We use and continue to expect to use leverage, which will magnify the potential for loss on amounts invested in us.

 

•

We intend to invest in securities that are rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as “junk,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be illiquid and difficult to value.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities regulator has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Securities regulators have also not passed upon whether this offering can be sold in compliance with existing or future suitability or conduct standards including the ‘Regulation Best Interest’ standard to any or all purchasers.

The use of forecasts in this offering is prohibited. Any oral or written predictions about the amount or certainty of any cash benefits or tax consequences that may result from an investment in our Common Shares is prohibited. No one is authorized to make any statements about this offering different from those that appear in this prospectus.

 

		Offering Price to the Public(1)				Proceeds to Us, Before Expenses(2)
Maximum Offering(3)		$	36,500,000,000			$	36,500,000,000
Class S Shares, per Share		$	24.84			$	12,166,666,667
Class D Shares, per Share		$	24.84			$	12,166,666,667
Class I Shares, per Share		$	24.84			$	12,166,666,667

 

(1)	Class S shares, Class D shares and Class I shares were initially offered at $25.00 per share, and are currently being offered on a monthly basis at a price per share equal to the NAV per share for such class. The table reflects the NAV per share of each class as of February 28, 2023.

(2)

No upfront sales load will be paid with respect to Class S shares, Class D shares or Class I shares, however, if you buy Class S shares or Class D shares through certain financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you transaction or other fees, including upfront placement fees or brokerage commissions, in such amount as they may determine, provided that selling agents limit such charges to a 1.5% cap on NAV for Class D shares and 3.5% cap on NAV for Class S shares. Selling agents will not charge such fees on Class I shares. We will also pay the following shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees to the intermediary manager, subject to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) limitations on underwriting compensation: (a) for Class S shares, a shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee equal to 0.85% per annum of the aggregate NAV as of the beginning of the first calendar day of the month for the Class S shares and (b) for Class D shares only, a shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee equal to 0.25% per annum of the aggregate NAV as of the beginning of the first calendar day of the month for the Class D shares, in each case, payable monthly. No

shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees will be paid with respect to the Class I shares. The total amount that will be paid over time for other underwriting compensation depends on the average length of time for which shares remain outstanding, the term over which such amount is measured and the performance of our investments. We will also pay or reimburse certain organization and offering expenses, including, subject to FINRA limitations on underwriting compensation, certain wholesaling expenses. See “Plan of Distribution” and “Use of Proceeds.” The total underwriting compensation and total organization and offering expenses will not exceed 10% and 15%, respectively, of the gross proceeds from this offering. Proceeds are calculated before deducting shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees or organization and offering expenses payable by us, which are paid over time.

(3)

The table assumes that all shares are sold in the primary offering, with 1/3 of the gross offering proceeds from the sale of Class S shares, 1/3 from the sale of Class D shares, and 1/3 from the sale of Class I shares. The number of shares of each class sold and the relative proportions in which the classes of shares are sold are uncertain and may differ significantly from this assumption.

This prospectus contains important information you should know before investing in the Common Shares. Please read this prospectus before investing and keep it for future reference. We also file periodic and current reports, proxy statements and other information about us with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This information is available free of charge by contacting us at 345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor, New York, NY 10154, calling us at (212) 503-2100 or visiting our corporate website located at www.bcred.com. Information on our website is not incorporated into or a part of this prospectus. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains this information.

 

 

The date of this prospectus is April 18, 2023

SUITABILITY STANDARDS

Common Shares offered through this prospectus are suitable only as a long-term investment for persons of adequate financial means such that they do not have a need for liquidity in this investment. We have established financial suitability standards for initial shareholders in this offering which require that a purchaser of shares have either:

 

•

a gross annual income of at least $70,000 and a net worth of at least $70,000, or

 

•

a net worth of at least $250,000.

For purposes of determining the suitability of an investor, net worth in all cases should be calculated excluding the value of an investor’s home, home furnishings and automobiles. In the case of sales to fiduciary accounts, these minimum standards must be met by the beneficiary, the fiduciary account or the donor or grantor who directly or indirectly supplies the funds to purchase the shares if the donor or grantor is the fiduciary.

In addition, we will not sell shares to investors in the states named below unless they meet special suitability standards set forth below:

Alabama—In addition to the suitability standards set forth above, an investment in us will only be sold to Alabama residents that have a liquid net worth of at least 10 times their investment in us and our affiliates.

California—California residents may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us and must have either (a) a liquid net worth of $70,000 and annual gross income of $70,000 or (b) a liquid net worth of $300,000. Investors who are accredited investors as defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) are not subject to the foregoing investment concentration limit.

Idaho—Purchasers residing in Idaho must have either (a) a liquid net worth of $85,000 and annual gross income of $85,000 or (b) a liquid net worth of $300,000. Additionally, the total investment in us shall not exceed 10% of their liquid net worth.

Iowa—Iowa investors must (i) have either (a) an annual gross income of at least $100,000 and a net worth of at least $100,000, or (b) a net worth of at least $350,000 (net worth should be determined exclusive of home, auto and home furnishings); and (ii) limit their aggregate investment in this offering and in the securities of other non-traded business development companies (“BDCs”) to 10% of such investor’s liquid net worth (liquid net worth should be determined as that portion of net worth that consists of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities). Investors who are accredited investors as defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act are not subject to the foregoing concentration limit.

Kansas—It is recommended by the Office of the Securities Commissioner that Kansas investors limit their aggregate investment in our securities and other non-traded business development companies to not more than 10% of their liquid net worth. For these purposes, liquid net worth shall be defined as that portion of total net worth (total assets minus total liabilities) that is comprised of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities.

Kentucky—A Kentucky investor may not invest more than 10% of its liquid net worth in us or our affiliates. “Liquid net worth” is defined as that portion of net worth that is comprised of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities.

Maine—The Maine Office of Securities recommends that an investor’s aggregate investment in this offering and similar direct participation investments not exceed 10% of the investor’s liquid net worth. For this purpose, “liquid net worth” is defined as that portion of net worth that consists of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities.

 

i

Massachusetts—In addition to the suitability standards set forth above, Massachusetts residents may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us and in other illiquid direct participation programs.

Missouri—In addition to the suitability standards set forth above, no more than ten percent (10%) of any one (1) Missouri investor’s liquid net worth shall be invested in us.

Nebraska—Nebraska investors must have (i) either (a) an annual gross income of at least $70,000 and a net worth of at least $70,000, or (b) a net worth of at least $250,000; and (ii) Nebraska investors must limit their aggregate investment in this offering and the securities of other business development companies to 10% of such investor’s net worth. Investors who are accredited investors as defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act are not subject to the foregoing investment concentration limit.

New Jersey—New Jersey investors must have either (a) a minimum liquid net worth of $100,000 and a minimum annual gross income of $85,000, or (b) a minimum liquid net worth of $350,000. For these purposes, “liquid net worth” is defined as that portion of net worth (total assets exclusive of home, home furnishings and automobiles, minus total liabilities) that consists of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities. In addition, a New Jersey investor’s investment in us, our affiliates and other non-publicly-traded direct investment programs (including real estate investment trusts, business development companies, oil and gas programs, equipment leasing programs and commodity pools, but excluding unregistered, federally and state exempt private offerings) may not exceed 10% of his or her liquid net worth.

New Mexico—In addition to the general suitability standards listed above, a New Mexico investor may not invest, and we may not accept from an investor more than ten percent (10%) of that investor’s liquid net worth in shares of us, our affiliates and in other non-traded business development companies. Liquid net worth is defined as that portion of net worth which consists of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities.

North Dakota—Purchasers residing in North Dakota must have a net worth of at least ten times their investment in us.

Ohio—It is unsuitable for Ohio residents to invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in the issuer, affiliates of the issuer and in any other non-traded BDC. “Liquid net worth” is defined as that portion of net worth (total assets exclusive of primary residence, home furnishings and automobiles, minus total liabilities) comprised of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities.

Oklahoma—Purchasers residing in Oklahoma may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us.

Oregon—In addition to the suitability standards set forth above, Oregon investors may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us and our affiliates. Liquid net worth is defined as net worth excluding the value of the investor’s home, home furnishings and automobile.

Puerto Rico—Purchasers residing in Puerto Rico may not invest more than 10% of their liquid net worth in us, our affiliates and other non-traded business development companies. For these purposes, “liquid net worth” is defined as that portion of net worth (total assets exclusive of primary residence, home furnishings and automobiles minus total liabilities) consisting of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities.

Tennessee—Purchasers residing in Tennessee must have a liquid net worth of at least ten times their investment in us.

Vermont—Accredited investors in Vermont, as defined in 17 C.F.R. §230.501, may invest freely in this offering. In addition to the suitability standards described above, non-accredited Vermont investors may not purchase an amount in this offering that exceeds 10% of the investor’s liquid net worth. For these purposes, “liquid net worth” is defined as an investor’s total assets (not including home, home furnishings or automobiles) minus total liabilities.

 

ii

The Adviser, those selling shares on our behalf, and participating brokers and registered investment advisers recommending the purchase of shares in this offering are required to make every reasonable effort to determine that the purchase of shares in this offering is a suitable and appropriate investment for each investor based on information provided by the investor regarding the investor’s financial situation and investment objectives and must maintain records for at least six years after the information is used to determine that an investment in our shares is suitable and appropriate for each investor. In making this determination, the participating broker, registered investment adviser, authorized representative or other person selling shares will, based on a review of the information provided by the investor, consider whether the investor:

 

•

meets the minimum income and net worth standards established in the investor’s state;

 

•

can reasonably benefit from an investment in our Common Shares based on the investor’s overall investment objectives and portfolio structure;

 

•

is able to bear the economic risk of the investment based on the investor’s overall financial situation, including the risk that the investor may lose its entire investment; and

 

•

has an apparent understanding of the following:

 

•

the fundamental risks of the investment;

 

•

the lack of liquidity of our shares;

 

•

the background and qualification of our Adviser; and

 

•

the tax consequences of the investment.

In addition to investors who meet the minimum income and net worth requirements set forth above, our shares may be sold to financial institutions that qualify as “institutional investors” under the state securities laws of the state in which they reside. “Institutional investor” is generally defined to include banks, insurance companies, investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act, pension or profit sharing trusts and certain other financial institutions. A financial institution that desires to purchase shares will be required to confirm that it is an “institutional investor” under applicable state securities laws.

In addition to the suitability standards established herein, (i) a participating broker may impose additional suitability requirements and investment concentration limits to which an investor could be subject and (ii) various states may impose additional suitability standards, investment amount limits and alternative investment limitations.

Broker-dealers must comply with Regulation Best Interest, which, among other requirements, enhances the existing standard of conduct for broker-dealers and establishes a “best interest” obligation for broker-dealers and their associated persons when making recommendations of any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities to a retail customer. The obligations of Regulation Best Interest are in addition to, and may be more restrictive than, the suitability requirements listed above. When making such a recommendation to a retail customer, a broker-dealer must, among other things, act in the best interest of the retail customer at the time a recommendation is made, without placing its interests ahead of its retail customer’s interests. A broker-dealer may satisfy the best interest standard imposed by Regulation Best Interest by meeting disclosure, care, conflict of interest and compliance obligations. Regulation Best Interest also requires registered investment advisers and registered broker-dealers to provide a brief relationship summary to retail investors. This relationship summary, referred to as Form CRS, is not a prospectus. Investors should refer to the prospectus for detailed information about this offering before deciding to purchase Common Shares. Currently, there is no administrative or case law interpreting Regulation Best Interest and the full scope of its applicability on brokers participating in our offering cannot be determined at this time. In addition to Regulation Best Interest, certain states, including Massachusetts, have adopted or may adopt state-level standards that seek to further enhance the broker-dealer standard of conduct to a fiduciary standard for all broker-dealer recommendations made to retail customers in their states. In comparison to the standards of Regulation Best Interest, the Massachusetts fiduciary standard, for example,

 

iii

requires broker-dealers to adhere to the duties of utmost care and loyalty to customers. The Massachusetts standard requires a broker-dealer to make recommendations without regard to the financial or any other interest of any party other than the retail customer, and that broker-dealers must make all reasonably practicable efforts to avoid conflicts of interest, eliminate conflicts that cannot reasonably be avoided, and mitigate conflicts that cannot reasonably be avoided or eliminated.

 

iv

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

Please carefully read the information in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplements, which we refer to collectively as the “prospectus.” You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date later than the date hereof or such other dates as are stated herein or as of the respective dates of any documents or other information incorporated herein by reference.

We will disclose the NAV per share of each class of our Common Shares for each month when available on our website at www.bcred.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider that information to be part of this prospectus.

The words “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” “BCRED” and the “Fund” refer to Blackstone Private Credit Fund, together with its consolidated subsidiaries.

The Adviser is an affiliate of Blackstone Credit and is led by substantially the same investment personnel as Blackstone Credit. As such, the Adviser has access to the broader resources of Blackstone Credit and Blackstone, subject to Blackstone’s policies and procedures regarding the management of conflicts of interest. As such, the term “Blackstone Credit” may be used when describing advisory services and resources.

Unless otherwise noted, numerical information relating to Blackstone (as defined below) and Blackstone Credit is approximate as of December 31, 2022.

Citations included herein to industry sources are used only to demonstrate third-party support for certain statements made herein to which such citations relate. Information included in such industry sources that do not relate to supporting the related statements made herein are not part of this prospectus and should not be relied upon.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements about our business, including, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies and objectives. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue” or other similar words. These statements include our plans and objectives for future operations (including plans and objectives relating to future growth and availability of funds), expectations for current or future investments, and expectations for market and other macroeconomic trends, and are based on current expectations that involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Assumptions relating to these statements involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive and market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to accurately predict and many of which are beyond our control. Although we believe the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements, and the forward- looking statements themselves, are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate and, therefore, there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and our actual results, performance and achievements may be materially different from that expressed or implied by these forward- looking statements. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in these forward looking statements, the inclusion of this information should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that our objectives and plans, which we consider to be reasonable, will be achieved.

You should carefully review the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus for a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition. Except as otherwise required by federal securities laws, we do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
SUITABILITY STANDARDS			i
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			v
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			v
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			1
FEES AND EXPENSES			29
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS			33
RISK FACTORS			35
USE OF PROCEEDS			81
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS			84
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES			103
SENIOR SECURITIES			122
PORTFOLIO COMPANIES			123
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND			187
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT			202
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT			207
POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST			212
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS			256
DISTRIBUTIONS			257
DESCRIPTION OF OUR SHARES			259
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE			271
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			273
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE			281
SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM			284
DISTRIBUTION REINVESTMENT PLAN			287
REGULATION			288
CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS			292
CERTAIN ERISA CONSIDERATIONS			298
CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER AND DISTRIBUTION PAYING AGENT AND REGISTRAR			301
BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES			301
EXPERTS			301
LEGAL MATTERS			302
AVAILABLE INFORMATION			302
WEBSITE DISCLOSURE			302
INVESTOR DATA PRIVACY NOTICE			303
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS			F-1
APPENDIX A: SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT			A-1

 

vi

 

1

 

2

 

3

 

4

 

5

savings, that at times have been substantial, through their use of GPO, often from existing suppliers, on maintenance, repair, operations, back office, information technology, hardware, software, telecommunications, business insurance and human resources, among others.¹² The preferred partnership program also assists smaller and medium sized companies in gaining access to enterprise level sales teams which can be more attentive in addressing service issues they may experience. One of the biggest differentiators within the program is our access to the Blackstone Sourcing Center, which is a team of 13+ procurement professionals, who run electronic requests for proposal (“eRFPs”) and eAuctions for companies at no cost. This team has run over 280 projects and tensioned over $750 million worth of requests for proposal (“RFPs”) and eAuctions for Blackstone Credit companies. As of December 31, 2022, the Blackstone Value Creation Program has reduced annual costs by approximately $249 million.¹³ (ii) On the revenue generating side, the Blackstone Value Creation team actively works with management teams to create crossselling plans to the over 450+ Blackstone portfolio. This involves working with management to refine marketing material, create pitch material and identify companies who might be meaningful connections. To date, the team has made over 330+ introductions and across the broader Blackstone portfolio, revenue has grown by more than $500 million through Blackstone portfolio connections. (iii) The program also provides access to valuable resources across the firm, including the Portfolio Operations team which consists of over 100+ internal resources, who are focused on areas such as cyber-security, ESG, data science, healthcare, human resources, information technology, among others. One area of focus has been improving the cyber security posture of companies in which Blackstone Credit is invested in, by leveraging the Blackstone Portfolio Cybersecurity Program. The BX Portfolio Cybersecurity team’s goal is to help reduce operating risk within the portfolio by improving cybersecurity practices in order to minimize the occurrence and impact of cyber incidents. The team takes a proactive approach to governing cybersecurity risk and helps companies identify gaps in cyber policy, then works with companies to improve these identified gaps. In 2022, Blackstone Credit’s dedicated cyber lead conducted 42 assessments and helped companies correct 90 critical cybersecurity issues.

Over 90% of Blackstone Credit portfolio companies across our private credit strategies, which have been introduced to the Blackstone Value Creation team, have used the Blackstone Value Creation Program, speaking to the program’s strength and offerings. The dedicated Blackstone Credit operational program provides support and resources to portfolio companies and to date, has created approximately $3 billion in illustrative enterprise value.¹⁴

 

12	There can be no assurance that any Blackstone strategy or product will achieve their objectives or avoid significant losses.

13	Represents estimated savings utilizing our program at the time cost is benchmarked with portfolio companies.

14

Represents (a) estimated annual cost reduction at the time cost is benchmarked with portfolio companies, with exception of multi-year software contracts where cumulative identified cost reduction is included, and represents a de minimis amount of overall opportunities multiplied by (b) enterprise value multiple at the time of Blackstone Credit’s initial investment. The number is presented for illustrative purposes and does not reflect actual realized proceeds to Blackstone Credit or to the equity sponsor or the company, and there can be no assurance that realized proceeds received by Blackstone or any investor in a Blackstone fund will be increased as a result.

 

6

 

7

 

8

 

9

 

10

 

11

 

12

 

13

 

14

 

15

 

16

 

17

 

18

 

19

 

20

 

21

 

22

 

23

 

24

 

25

 

26

 

27

 

28

FEES AND EXPENSES

The following table is intended to assist you in understanding the costs and expenses that an investor in Common Shares will bear, directly or indirectly. Other expenses are estimated and may vary. Actual expenses may be greater or less than shown.

 

		Class S Shares				Class D Shares				Class I Shares
Shareholder transaction expenses (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum sales load(1)			—	%			—	%			—	%
Maximum Early Repurchase Deduction(2)			2.0	%			2.0	%			2.0	%

 

		Class S Shares				Class D Shares				Class I Shares
Annual expenses (as a percentage of net assets attributable to our Common Shares)(3)
Base management fees(4)			1.25	%			1.25	%			1.25	%
Incentive fees(5)			—	%			—	%			—	%
Shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees(6)			0.85	%			0.25	%			—	%
Interest payment on borrowed funds(7)			4.75	%			4.75	%			4.75	%
Other expenses(8)			0.19	%			0.19	%			0.19	%
Total annual expenses			7.04	%			6.44	%			6.19	%

 

(1)

No upfront sales load will be paid with respect to Class S shares, Class D shares or Class I shares, however, if you buy Class S shares or Class D shares through certain financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you transaction or other fees, including upfront placement fees or brokerage commissions, in such amount as they may determine, provided that selling agents limit such charges to a 1.5% cap on NAV for Class D shares and 3.5% cap on NAV for Class S shares. Selling agents will not charge such fees on Class I shares. Please consult your selling agent for additional information.

(2)

Under our share repurchase program, to the extent we offer to repurchase shares in any particular quarter pursuant to a tender offer, we expect to repurchase shares at a purchase price equal to the NAV per share as of the Valuation Date. The one-year holding period is measured as of the subscription closing date immediately following the prospective repurchase date. Shareholders should keep in mind that if they tender Common Shares in a tender offer with a Valuation Date that is within the 12 month period following the initial issue date of their tendered Common Shares, such Common Shares will be subject to an Early Repurchase Deduction. The Early Repurchase Deduction may be waived in the case of repurchase requests arising from the death, divorce or qualified disability of the holder; in the event that a shareholder’s shares are repurchased because the shareholder has failed to maintain the $500 minimum account balance; due to trade or operational error; and repurchases of shares submitted by discretionary model portfolio management programs (and similar arrangements) as approved by the Fund. The Early Repurchase Deduction will be retained by the Fund for the benefit of remaining shareholders.

(3)	Total average net assets as of December 31, 2022 employed as the denominator for expense ratio computation is $20,839 million.

(4)	The base management fee paid to the Adviser is calculated each month at an annual rate of 1.25% of the Fund’s net assets as of the beginning of the first business day of the month.

(5)	We may have capital gains and investment income that could result in the payment of an incentive fee in the first year of investment operations. The incentive fees, if any, are divided into two parts:

 

•

The first part of the incentive fee is based on income, whereby we will pay the Adviser quarterly in arrears 12.5% of our Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income Returns (as defined below) for each calendar quarter subject to a 5.0% annualized hurdle rate, with a catch-up.

 

•

The second part of the incentive fee is based on realized capital gains, whereby we will pay the Adviser at the end of each calendar year in arrears 12.5% of cumulative realized capital gains from inception

 

29

through the end of such calendar year, computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid incentive fee on capital gains. As we cannot predict whether we will meet the necessary performance targets, we have assumed no incentive fee for this chart. We expect the incentive fees we pay to increase to the extent we earn greater income or generate capital gains through our investments in portfolio companies. If we achieved an annualized total return of 5% for each quarter made up entirely of net investment income, no incentive fees would be payable to the Adviser because the hurdle rate was not exceeded. If instead we achieved a total return of 5% in a calendar year made up of entirely realized capital gains net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation, an incentive fee equal to 0.63% of our net assets would be payable. See “Investment Advisory Agreement and Administration Agreement” for more information concerning the incentive fees.

 

(6)

Subject to FINRA limitations on underwriting compensation, we will also pay the following shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees to the Intermediary Manager: (a) for Class S shares, a shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee equal to 0.85% per annum of the aggregate NAV as of the beginning of the first calendar day of the month for the Class S shares and (b) for Class D shares only, a shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee equal to 0.25% per annum of the aggregate NAV as of the beginning of the first calendar day of the month for the Class D shares, in each case, payable monthly. The distribution and servicing expenses borne by the participating brokers may be different from and substantially less than the amount of shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees charged. All or a portion of the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee may be used to pay for sub-transfer agency, sub-accounting and certain other administrative services. The Fund also may pay for these sub-transfer agency, sub-accounting and certain other administrative services outside of the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees and its Distribution and Servicing Plan. No shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees will be paid with respect to the Class I shares. The total amount that will be paid over time for other underwriting compensation depends on the average length of time for which shares remain outstanding, the term over which such amount is measured and the performance of our investments. We will cease paying the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee on the Class S shares and Class D shares on the earlier to occur of the following: (i) a listing of Class I shares, (ii) our merger or consolidation with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets or (iii) the date following the completion of the primary portion of this offering on which, in the aggregate, underwriting compensation from all sources in connection with this offering, including the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee and other underwriting compensation, is equal to 10% of the gross proceeds from our primary offering. In addition, consistent with the exemptive relief allowing us to offer multiple classes of shares, at the end of the month in which the Intermediary Manager in conjunction with the transfer agent determines that total transaction or other fees, including upfront placement fees or brokerage commissions, and shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees paid with respect to the shares held in a shareholder’s account would exceed, in the aggregate, 10% of the gross proceeds from the sale of such shares (or a lower limit as determined by the Intermediary Manager or the applicable selling agent), we will cease paying the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee on the Class S shares and Class D shares in such shareholder’s account. Compensation paid with respect to the shares in a shareholder’s account will be allocated among each share such that the compensation paid with respect to each individual share will not exceed 10% of the offering price of such share. We may modify this requirement in a manner that is consistent with applicable exemptive relief. At the end of such month, the Class S shares or Class D shares in such shareholder’s account will convert into a number of Class I shares (including any fractional shares), with an equivalent aggregate NAV as such Class S or Class D shares. See “Plan of Distribution” and “Use of Proceeds.” The total underwriting compensation and total organization and offering expenses will not exceed 10% and 15%, respectively, of the gross proceeds from this offering.

(7)

We may borrow funds to make investments, including before we have fully invested the proceeds of this continuous offering. To the extent that we determine it is appropriate to borrow funds to make investments, the costs associated with such borrowing will be indirectly borne by shareholders. The figure in the table assumes that we borrow for investment purposes an amount equal to 125% of our weighted average net

 

30

assets, and that the average annual cost of borrowings, including the amortization of cost associated with obtaining borrowings and unused commitment fees, on the amount borrowed is currently estimated to be 2.85%. Our ability to incur leverage depends, in large part, on the availability of financing in the market.

(8)

“Other expenses” include accounting, legal and auditing fees, reimbursement of expenses to our Administrator, organization and offering expenses and fees payable to our Trustees. Other expenses represent the estimated annual other expenses of the Fund and its subsidiaries based on annualized other expenses for the current fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

We have entered into an Expense Support and Conditional Reimbursement Agreement with the Adviser. The Adviser may elect to pay certain of our expenses on our behalf, including organization and offering expenses, provided that no portion of the payment will be used to pay any interest expense or shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees of the Fund. Any Expense Payment that the Adviser has committed to pay must be paid by the Adviser to us in any combination of cash or other immediately available funds no later than forty-five days after such commitment was made in writing, and/or offset against amounts due from us to the Adviser or its affiliates. If the Adviser elects to pay certain of our expenses, the Adviser will be entitled to reimbursement of such expenses from us if Available Operating Funds (as defined below) exceed the cumulative distributions accrued to the Fund’s shareholders. Because the Adviser’s obligation to pay certain of our expenses is voluntary, the table above does not reflect the impact of any expense support from the Adviser.

Example: We have provided an example of the projected dollar amount of total expenses that would be incurred over various periods with respect to a hypothetical $1,000 investment in each class of our Common Shares. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have assumed that: (1) our annual operating expenses and offering expenses remain at the levels set forth in the table above, except to reduce annual expenses upon completion of organization and offering expenses, (2) the annual return before fees and expenses is 5.0%, (3) the net return after payment of fees and expenses is distributed to shareholders and reinvested at NAV and (4) your financial intermediary does not directly charge you transaction or other fees.

Class S shares

 

Return Assumption		1 Year				3 Years				5 Years				10 Years
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5.0% annual return from net investment income:		$	70			$	205			$	335			$	636
Total expenses assuming a 5.0% annual return solely from net realized capital gains:		$	82			$	238			$	384			$	708

Class D shares

 

Return Assumption		1 Year				3 Years				5 Years				10 Years
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5.0% annual return from net investment income:		$	64			$	189			$	311			$	600
Total expenses assuming a 5.0% annual return solely from net realized capital gains:		$	76			$	223			$	362			$	677

 

31

Class I shares

 

Return Assumption		1 Year				3 Years				5 Years				10 Years
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5.0% annual return from net investment income:		$	62			$	182			$	300			$	583
Total expenses assuming a 5.0% annual return solely from net realized capital gains:		$	74			$	217			$	352			$	663

While the examples assume a 5.0% annual return on investment before fees and expenses, our performance will vary and may result in an annual return that is greater or less than this. These examples should not be considered a representation of your future expenses. If we achieve sufficient returns on our investments to trigger a quarterly incentive fee on income and/or if we achieve net realized capital gains in excess of 5.0%, both our returns to our shareholders and our expenses would be higher. See “Investment Advisory Agreement and Administration Agreement” for information concerning incentive fees.

 

32

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The following table of financial highlights is intended to help a prospective investor understand the Fund’s financial performance for the periods shown. The financial data set forth in the following table as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022 are derived from our consolidated financial statements, which have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose reports thereon are included in this prospectus or the Fund’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, which may be obtained from www.sec.gov or upon request. You should read these financial highlights in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the accompanying prospectus supplement, or the Fund’s Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC.

The following are the financial highlights for the year ended December 31, 2022:

 

		Year Ended December 31, 2022
		Class I				Class S				Class D
Per Share Data(1):
Net asset value, beginning of period		$	25.93			$	25.93			$	25.93
Net investment income			2.44				2.23				2.38
Net unrealized and realized gain (loss)			(1.56	)			(1.56	)			(1.56	)
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations			0.88				0.67				0.82
Distributions from net investment income(2)			(2.23	)			(2.01	)			(2.16	)
Distributions from net realized gains(2)			—				—				—
Net increase (decrease) in net assets from shareholders’ distributions			(2.23	)			(2.01	)			(2.16	)
Early repurchase deduction fees(5)			0.01				—				—
Total increase (decrease) in net assets			(1.34	)			(1.34	)			(1.34	)
Net asset value, end of period		$	24.59			$	24.59			$	24.59
Shares outstanding, end of period			591,237,616				282,541,041				48,795,925
Total return based on NAV(3)			3.57	%			2.70	%			3.31	%
Ratios:
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets(4)			7.47	%			8.41	%			7.97	%
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets(4)			9.76	%			8.96	%			9.63	%
Portfolio turnover rate			21.21	%			21.21	%			21.21	%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period		$	14,537,932			$	6,947,313			$	1,199,819
Asset coverage ratio			184.5	%			184.5	%			184.5	%

 

(1)	The per share data was derived by using the weighted average shares outstanding during the period.

(2)	The per share data for distributions was derived by using the actual shares outstanding at the date of the relevant transactions (refer to Note 9).

(3)

Total return is calculated as the change in NAV per share during the period, plus distributions per share (assuming dividends and distributions are reinvested in accordance with the Company’s distribution reinvestment plan) divided by the beginning NAV per share. Total return does not include upfront transaction fee, if any.

(4)

For the year ended December 31, 2022, amounts are annualized except for organizational costs and management fee and income based incentive fee waivers by the Adviser. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the ratio of total operating expenses to average net assets was 7.47%, 8.41%, and 7.97% on Class I,

 

33

Class S and Class D respectively, on an annualized basis, excluding the effect of expense support/(recoupment) and management fee and income based incentive fee waivers by the Adviser which represented 0.00%, 0.00% and 0.00% on Class I, Class S and Class D, respectively, of average net assets.

(5)	The per share amount rounds to less than $0.01 per share, for Class S and Class D.

 

34

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our Common Shares involves a number of significant risks. The following information is a discussion of the material risk factors associated with an investment in our Common Shares specifically, as well as those factors generally associated with an investment in a company with investment objectives, investment policies, capital structure or traders markets similar to ours. In addition to the other information contained in this prospectus, you should consider carefully the following information before making an investment in our Common Shares. The risks below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or not presently deemed material by us may also impair our operations and performance. If any of the following events occur our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such cases, the NAV of our Common Shares could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Structure

We are a relatively new company and have limited operating history.

The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC with limited operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record and history on which to base their investment decision. We are subject to the business risks and uncertainties associated with recently formed businesses, including the risk that we will not achieve our investment objectives and the value of a shareholder’s investment could decline substantially or become worthless. Further, the Adviser has not previously offered a non-traded business development company. While we believe that the past professional experiences of the Adviser’s investment team, including investment and financial experience of the Adviser’s senior management, will increase the likelihood that the Adviser will be able to manage the Fund successfully, there can be no assurance that this will be the case.

Price declines in the medium- and large-sized corporate debt market may adversely affect the fair value of our portfolio, reducing our NAV through increased net unrealized depreciation.

Conditions in the U.S. corporate debt market may deteriorate, as seen during the recent financial crisis, which may cause pricing levels to similarly decline or be volatile. During the 2008-2009 financial crisis, many institutions were forced to raise cash by selling their interests in performing assets in order to satisfy margin requirements or the equivalent of margin requirements imposed by their lenders and/or, in the case of hedge funds and other investment vehicles, to satisfy widespread redemption requests. This resulted in a forced deleveraging cycle of price declines, compulsory sales, and further price declines, with falling underlying credit values, and other constraints resulting from the credit crisis generating further selling pressure. If similar events occurred in the medium- and large-sized U.S. corporate debt market, our NAV could decline through an increase in unrealized depreciation and incurrence of realized losses in connection with the sale of our investments, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives depends on the ability of the Adviser to manage and support our investment process. If the Adviser or Blackstone Credit were to lose any members of their respective senior management teams, our ability to achieve our investment objectives could be significantly harmed.

Since we have no employees, we depend on the investment expertise, skill and network of business contacts of the broader networks of the Adviser and its affiliates. The Adviser evaluates, negotiates, structures, executes, monitors and services our investments. Our future success depends to a significant extent on the continued service and coordination of Blackstone Credit and its senior management team. The departure of any members of Blackstone Credit’s senior management team could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objectives.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives depends on the Adviser’s ability to identify and analyze, and to invest in, finance and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria. The Adviser’s capabilities in

 

35

structuring the investment process, providing competent, attentive and efficient services to us, and facilitating access to financing on acceptable terms depend on the employment of investment professionals in an adequate number and of adequate sophistication to match the corresponding flow of transactions. To achieve our investment objectives, the Adviser may need to hire, train, supervise and manage new investment professionals to participate in our investment selection and monitoring process. The Adviser may not be able to find investment professionals in a timely manner or at all. Failure to support our investment process could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Investment Advisory Agreement has been approved pursuant to Section 15 of the 1940 Act. In addition, the Investment Advisory Agreement has termination provisions that allow the parties to terminate the agreement. The Investment Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by us upon 60 days’ written notice or by the Adviser upon 120 days’ written notice. If the Investment Advisory Agreement is terminated, it may adversely affect the quality of our investment opportunities. In addition, in the event the Investment Advisory Agreement is terminated, it may be difficult for us to replace the Adviser.

Because our business model depends to a significant extent upon relationships with private equity sponsors, investment banks and commercial banks, the inability of the Adviser to maintain or develop these relationships, or the failure of these relationships to generate investment opportunities, could adversely affect our business.

The Adviser depends on its broader organization’s relationships with private equity sponsors, investment banks and commercial banks, and we rely to a significant extent upon these relationships to provide us with potential investment opportunities. If the Adviser or its broader organization fail to maintain their existing relationships or develop new relationships with other sponsors or sources of investment opportunities, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom the Adviser or its broader organizations have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities, and, therefore, there is no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.

We may face increasing competition for investment opportunities, which could delay deployment of our capital, reduce returns and result in losses.

We compete for investments with other BDCs and investment funds (including private equity funds, mezzanine funds, performing and other credit funds, and funds that invest in CLOs, structured notes, derivatives and other types of collateralized securities and structured products), as well as traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and other sources of funding. These other BDCs and investment funds might be reasonable investment alternatives to us and may be less costly or complex with fewer and/or different risks than we have. Moreover, alternative investment vehicles, such as hedge funds, have begun to invest in areas in which they have not traditionally invested, including making investments in U.S. private companies. As a result of these new competitors entering the financing markets in which we operate, competition for investment opportunities in U.S. private companies may intensify. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments than we have. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than we are able to do. We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms or structure. If we are forced to match our competitors’ pricing, terms or structure, we may not be able to achieve acceptable returns on our investments or may bear substantial risk of capital loss. A significant part of our competitive advantage stems from the fact that the market for investments in U.S. private companies is underserved by traditional commercial banks and other financial sources. A significant increase in the number and/or the size of our competitors in this target market could force us to accept less attractive investment terms. Furthermore, many of our competitors have greater experience operating under, or are not subject to, the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC.

 

36

We may have difficulty sourcing investment opportunities.

We cannot assure investors that we will be able to locate a sufficient number of suitable investment opportunities to allow us to deploy all available capital successfully. In addition, privately-negotiated investments in loans and illiquid securities of private middle market companies require substantial due diligence and structuring, and we cannot assure investors that we will achieve our anticipated investment pace. As a result, investors will be unable to evaluate any future portfolio company investments prior to purchasing our shares. Our shareholders will have no input with respect to investment decisions. These factors increase the uncertainty, and thus the risk, of investing in our shares. To the extent we are unable to deploy all available capital, our investment income and, in turn, our results of operations, will likely be materially adversely affected. There is no assurance that we will be able to consummate investment transactions or that such transactions will be successful. Blackstone Credit, the Fund and their affiliates may also face certain conflicts of interests in connection with any transaction, including any warehousing transaction, involving an affiliate.

We face risks associated with the deployment of our capital.

In light of the nature of our continuous offering as well as ongoing and periodic private offerings in relation to our investment strategy and the need to be able to deploy potentially large amounts of capital quickly to capitalize on potential investment opportunities, if we have difficulty identifying investments on attractive terms, there could be a delay between the time we receive net proceeds from the sale of shares of our Common Shares in any public or private offering and the time we invest the net proceeds. Our proportion of privately-negotiated investments may be lower than expected. We may also from time to time hold cash pending deployment into investments or have less than our targeted leverage, which cash or shortfall in target leverage may at times be significant, particularly at times when we are receiving high amounts of offering proceeds and/or times when there are few attractive investment opportunities. Such cash may be held in an account for the benefit of our shareholders that may be invested in money market accounts or other similar temporary investments, each of which are subject to the management fees.

In the event we are unable to find suitable investments such cash may be maintained for longer periods which would be dilutive to overall investment returns. This could cause a substantial delay in the time it takes for your investment to realize its full potential return and could adversely affect our ability to pay regular distributions of cash flow from operations to you. It is not anticipated that the temporary investment of such cash into money market accounts or other similar temporary investments pending deployment into investments will generate significant interest, and investors should understand that such low interest payments on the temporarily invested cash may adversely affect overall returns. In the event we fail to timely invest the net proceeds of sales of our Common Shares or do not deploy sufficient capital to meet our targeted leverage, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

As required by the 1940 Act, a significant portion of our investment portfolio is and will be recorded at fair value as determined in good faith and, as a result, there is and will be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if there is no readily available market quotation, at fair value as determined pursuant to policies adopted by, and subject to the oversight of, our Board of Trustees. There is not a public market for the securities of the privately-held companies in which we invest. Many of our investments are not publicly-traded or actively traded on a secondary market. As a result, we value these securities quarterly at fair value as determined in good faith as required by the 1940 Act. In connection with striking a NAV as of a date other than quarter end for share issuances and repurchases, the Fund will consider whether there has been a material change to such investments as to affect their fair value, but such analysis will be more limited than the quarter end process.

As part of our valuation process, we will take into account relevant factors in determining the fair value of the Fund’s investments, without market quotations, many of which are loans, including and in combination, as

 

37

relevant: (i) the estimated enterprise value of a portfolio company, (ii) the nature and realizable value of any collateral, (iii) the portfolio company’s ability to make payments based on its earnings and cash flow, (iv) the markets in which the portfolio company does business, (v) a comparison of the portfolio company’s securities to any similar publicly traded securities, and (vi) overall changes in the interest rate environment and the credit markets that may affect the price at which similar investments may be made in the future. Our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these non-traded securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations may cause our NAV on a given date to materially differ from the value that we may ultimately realize upon the sale of one or more of our investments.

Although we have implemented a share repurchase program, we have discretion to not repurchase shares, and our Board of Trustees has the ability to amend or suspend the program.

Our Board of Trustees may amend or suspend the share repurchase program at any time in its discretion (including to offer to purchase fewer shares). Shareholders may not be able to sell their shares on a timely basis in the event our Board of Trustees amends or suspends the share repurchase program, absent a liquidity event, and we currently do not intend to undertake a liquidity event, and we are not obligated by our Declaration or otherwise to effect a liquidity event at any time. We will notify shareholders of such developments in our quarterly reports or other filings. If less than the full amount of Common Shares requested to be repurchased in any given repurchase offer are repurchased, funds will be allocated pro rata based on the total number of Common Shares being repurchased without regard to class. The share repurchase program has many limitations and should not be considered a guaranteed method to sell shares promptly or at a desired price.

The timing of our repurchase offers pursuant to our share repurchase program may be at a time that is disadvantageous to our shareholders.

In the event a shareholder chooses to participate in our share repurchase program, the shareholder will be required to provide us with notice of intent to participate prior to knowing what the NAV per share of the class of shares being repurchased will be on the repurchase date. Although a shareholder will have the ability to withdraw a repurchase request prior to the repurchase date, to the extent a shareholder seeks to sell shares to us as part of our periodic share repurchase program, the shareholder will be required to do so without knowledge of what the repurchase price of our shares will be on the repurchase date.

There is a risk that investors in our shares may not receive distributions or that our distributions may decrease over time.

We may not achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified or stable level of cash distributions and our distributions may decrease over time. In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions.

The amount of any distributions we may make is uncertain. Our distributions may exceed our earnings, particularly during the period before we have substantially invested the net proceeds from any securities offering. Therefore, portions of the distributions that we make may represent a return of capital to a shareholder that will lower such shareholder’s tax basis in its shares and reduce the amount of funds we have for investment in targeted assets.

We may fund our cash distributions to shareholders from any sources of funds available to us, including offering proceeds, borrowings, net investment income from operations, capital gains proceeds from the sale of assets, non-capital gains proceeds from the sale of assets, dividends or other distributions paid to us on account of preferred and common equity investments in portfolio companies and fee and expense reimbursement waivers from the Adviser or the Administrator, if any. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by, among other things, the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this prospectus. In addition, the inability to satisfy the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC may limit our ability to pay distributions. All

 

38

distributions are and will be paid at the discretion of our Board of Trustees and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status, compliance with applicable BDC regulations and such other factors as our Board of Trustees may deem relevant from time to time. We cannot assure shareholders that we will continue to pay distributions to our shareholders in the future. In the event that we encounter delays in locating suitable investment opportunities, we may pay all or a substantial portion of our distributions from borrowings or sources other than cash flow from operations in anticipation of future cash flow, which may constitute a return of shareholders’ capital. A return of capital is a return of a shareholder’s investment, rather than a return of earnings or gains derived from our investment activities.

We have not established any limit on the amount of funds we may use from available sources, such as borrowings, if any, or proceeds from securities offerings, to fund distributions (which may reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in assets).

Any distributions made from sources other than cash flow from operations or relying on fee or expense reimbursement waivers, if any, from the Adviser or the Administrator are not based on our investment performance, and can only be sustained if we achieve positive investment performance in future periods and/or the Adviser or the Administrator continues to make such expense reimbursements, if any. The extent to which we pay distributions from sources other than cash flow from operations will depend on various factors, including the level of participation in our distribution reinvestment plan, how quickly we invest the proceeds from this and any future offering and the performance of our investments. Shareholders should also understand that our future repayments to the Adviser will reduce the distributions that they would otherwise receive. There can be no assurance that we will achieve such performance in order to sustain these distributions, or be able to pay distributions at all. The Adviser and the Administrator have no obligation to waive fees or receipt of expense reimbursements, if any.

As a public reporting company, we are subject to regulations not applicable to private companies, such as provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Efforts to comply with such regulations will involve significant expenditures, and non-compliance with such regulations may adversely affect us.

As a public reporting company, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the related rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC. Our management is required to report on our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We are required to review on an annual basis our internal control over financial reporting, and on a quarterly and annual basis to evaluate and disclose changes in our internal control over financial reporting. As a relatively new company, developing and maintaining an effective system of internal controls may require significant expenditures, which may negatively impact our financial performance and our ability to make distributions. This process also will result in a diversion of our management’s time and attention. We cannot be certain of when our evaluation, testing and remediation actions will be completed or the impact of the same on our operations. In addition, we may be unable to ensure that the process is effective or that our internal controls over financial reporting are or will be effective in a timely manner. In the event that we are unable to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls and maintain or achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules, we may be adversely affected.

Our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until there is a public market for our shares, which is not expected to occur.

Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations may adversely affect our business or cause us to alter our business strategy.

We, our portfolio companies and other counterparties are subject to regulation at the local, state and federal level. New legislation may be enacted or new interpretations, rulings or regulations could be adopted, including those governing the types of investments we are permitted to make, any of which could harm us and our shareholders, potentially with retroactive effect.

 

39

The current U.S. Presidential Administration may support an enhanced regulatory agenda that imposes greater costs on all sectors and on financial services companies in particular. In addition, uncertainty regarding legislation and regulations affecting the financial services industry or taxation could also adversely impact our business or the business of our portfolio companies.

Additionally, any changes to or repeal of the laws and regulations governing our operations relating to permitted investments may cause us to alter our investment strategy to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities. Such changes could result in material differences to our strategies and plans as set forth in this prospectus and may result in our investment focus shifting from the areas of expertise of the Adviser to other types of investments in which the Adviser may have less expertise or little or no experience. Thus, any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and the value of a shareholder’s investment.

Financial regulatory changes in the United States could adversely affect our business.

The financial services industry continues to be the subject of heightened regulatory scrutiny in the United States. There has been active debate over the appropriate extent of regulation and oversight of investment funds and their managers. We may be adversely affected as a result of new or revised regulations imposed by the SEC or other U.S. governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets. We also may be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and regulations by these governmental authorities and self-regulatory organizations. Further, new regulations or interpretations of existing laws may result in enhanced disclosure obligations, including with respect to climate change or environmental, social and governance factors, which could negatively affect us and materially increase our regulatory burden. Increased regulations generally increase our costs, and we could continue to experience higher costs if new laws require us to spend more time or buy new technology to comply effectively.

Extensive regulation of our businesses affects our activities and creates the potential for significant liabilities and penalties. The possibility of increased regulatory focus, particularly given the current administration, could result in additional burdens on our business.

Our business, the businesses of the Adviser, the Intermediary Manager and their affiliates are subject to extensive regulation, including periodic examinations, inquiries and investigations, by governmental agencies and self-regulatory organizations in the jurisdictions in which we and they operate around the world. These authorities have regulatory powers dealing with many aspects of financial services, including the authority to grant, and in specific circumstances to cancel, permissions to carry on particular activities.

We, the Adviser, the Intermediary Manager or their affiliates are subject to requests for information, inquiries and informal or formal investigations by the SEC and other regulatory authorities. SEC actions and initiatives can have an adverse effect on our financial results, including as a result of the imposition of a sanction, a limitation on our, Blackstone’s or our personnel’s activities, or changing our historic practices. Any adverse publicity relating to an investigation, proceeding or imposition of these sanctions could harm our or Blackstone’s reputation and have an adverse effect on our future fundraising or operations. The costs of responding to legal or regulatory information requests, any increased reporting, registration and compliance requirements will be borne by us in the form of legal or other expenses, litigation, regulatory proceedings or penalties, may divert the attention of our management, may cause negative publicity that adversely affects investor sentiment, and may place us at a competitive disadvantage, including to the extent that we, the Adviser, the Intermediary Manager or any of their respective affiliates are required to disclose sensitive business information or alter business practices.

The impact of financial reform legislation on us is uncertain.

In light of past market conditions in the U.S. and global financial markets, the U.S. and global economy, legislators, the presidential administration and regulators have increased their focus on the regulation of the

 

40

financial services industry, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which instituted a wide range of reforms that have impacted all financial institutions to varying degrees. Because these requirements are relatively new and evolving, the full impact such requirements will have on our business, results of operations or financial condition is unclear. While we cannot predict what effect any changes in the laws or regulations or their interpretations would have on us, these changes could be materially adverse to us and our shareholders.

Any changes in the regulatory framework applicable to our business, including the changes described above, may impose additional compliance and other costs, increase regulatory investigations of the investment activities of our funds, require the attention of our senior management, affect the manner in which we conduct our business and adversely affect our profitability. The full extent of the impact on us of any new laws, regulations or initiatives that may be proposed is impossible to determine.

We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results.

We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including our ability or inability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rate payable on the loans or other debt securities we originate or acquire, the level of our expenses (including our borrowing costs), variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any previous period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

Transactions denominated in foreign currencies subject us to foreign currency risks.

We hold assets and have made borrowings denominated in foreign currencies, and may acquire assets or make borrowings denominated in other foreign currencies, which exposes us to foreign currency risk. As a result, a change in foreign currency exchange rates may have an adverse impact on the valuation of our assets or liabilities, as well as our income and cash flows. As a result of foreign currency fluctuations, the value of our liabilities and expenses may increase or the value of our assets and income may decrease due to factors outside of our control, which can have a negative effect on our NAV and cash available for distribution. Any such changes in foreign currency exchange rates may impact the measurement of such assets or liabilities for purposes of maintaining RIC tax treatment or the requirements under the 1940 Act. We may seek to hedge against currency exchange rate fluctuations by using financial instruments such as futures, options, swaps and forward contracts, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act, but there is no guarantee such efforts will be successful and such hedging strategies create additional costs. See “—We may acquire various financial instruments for purposes of “hedging” or reducing our risks, which may be costly and ineffective and could reduce our cash available for distribution to our shareholders.”

General economic conditions could adversely affect the performance of our investments and operations.

We and our portfolio companies are susceptible to the effects of economic slowdowns or recessions. The global growth cycle is in a mature phase and signs of slowdown are evident in certain regions around the world, although most economists continue to expect moderate economic growth in the near term, with limited signals of an imminent recession in the U.S. as consumer and government spending remain healthy. Financial markets have been affected at times by a number of global macroeconomic events, including the following: large sovereign debts and fiscal deficits of several countries in Europe and in emerging markets jurisdictions, levels of non-performing loans on the balance sheets of European banks, the effect of the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”) leaving the European Union (the “E.U.”), and instability in the Chinese capital markets. Although the broader outlook remains constructive, geopolitical instability continues to pose risk In particular, the current U.S. political environment and the resulting uncertainties regarding actual and potential shifts in U.S. foreign investment, trade, taxation, economic, environmental and other policies under the current Administration, as well as the impact of geopolitical tension, such as a deterioration in the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and

 

41

China or the current ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the rapidly evolving measures in response, could lead to disruption, instability and volatility in the global markets. Certain of our portfolio companies may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government, foreign governments, or the United Nations or other international organizations. U.S. debt ceiling and budget deficit concerns have increased the possibility of additional credit-rating downgrades and economic slowdowns or a recession in the United States. Unfavorable economic conditions would be expected to increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events may limit our investment originations, and limit our ability to grow and could have a material negative impact on our operating results, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and the fair values of our debt and equity investments.

Any deterioration of general economic conditions may lead to significant declines in corporate earnings or loan performance, and the ability of corporate borrowers to service their debt, any of which could trigger a period of global economic slowdown, and have an adverse impact on the performance and financial results of the Fund, and the value and the liquidity of the shares. In an economic downturn, we may have non-performing assets or non-performing assets may increase, and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease during these periods. Adverse economic conditions which impacted the value of any collateral securing our senior secured debt in 2022 and may continue to impact such collateral in 2023. A severe recession may further decrease the value of such collateral and result in losses of value in our portfolio and a decrease in our revenues, net income, assets and net worth. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us on favorable terms or at all. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results.

In addition, the failure of certain financial institutions, namely banks, may increase the possibility of a sustained deterioration of financial market liquidity, or illiquidity at clearing, cash management and/or custodial financial institutions. The failure of a bank (or banks) with which we and/or our portfolio companies have a commercial relationship could adversely affect, among other things, our and/or our portfolio companies’ ability to pursue key strategic initiatives, including by affecting our or our portfolio company’s ability to access deposits or borrow from financial institutions on favorable terms. Additionally, if a portfolio company or its sponsor has a commercial relationship with a bank that has failed or is otherwise distressed, the portfolio company may experience issues receiving financial support from a sponsor to support its operations or consummate transactions, to the detriment of their business, financial condition and/or results of operations. In addition, such bank failure(s) could affect, in certain circumstances, the ability of both affiliated and unaffiliated co-lenders, including syndicate banks or other fund vehicles, to undertake and/or execute co-investment transactions with the Fund, which in turn may result in fewer co-investment opportunities being made available to the Fund or impact the Fund’s ability to provide additional follow-on support to portfolio companies. The ability of the Fund, its subsidiaries and portfolio companies to spread banking relationships among multiple institutions may be limited by certain contractual arrangements, including liens placed on their respective assets as a result of a bank agreeing to provide financing.

Inflation and supply chain risks have had and may continue to have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Inflation in the United States has recently accelerated and may continue to do so in the future. It remains uncertain whether substantial inflation in the United States will be sustained over an extended period of time or have a significant effect on the United States or other economies. Certain of our portfolio companies are in industries that have been impacted by inflation and global supply chain issues, including on account of the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent inflationary pressures have increased the costs of labor, energy and raw materials and have adversely affected consumer spending, economic growth and our portfolio companies’ operations, and it is expected that such increases and related volatility may continue during 2023. If such portfolio companies are unable to pass any increases in their costs of operations along to their customers, it could adversely affect their operating results and impact their ability to pay interest and principal on our loans,

 

42

particularly if interest rates rise in response to inflation. In addition, any projected future decreases in our portfolio companies’ operating results due to inflation could adversely impact the fair value of those investments. Any decreases in the fair value of our investments could result in future realized or unrealized losses and therefore reduce our net assets resulting from operations. Additionally, the Federal Reserve has raised, and has indicated its intent to continue raising, certain benchmark interest rates in an effort to combat inflation.

We may be impacted by general European economic conditions.

The success of our investment activities could be affected by general economic and market conditions in Europe and in the rest of the world, as well as by changes in applicable laws and regulations (including laws relating to taxation of our investments), trade barriers, currency exchange controls, rate of inflation, currency depreciation, asset re-investment, resource self-sufficiency and national and international political and socioeconomic circumstances in respect of the European and other non-U.S. countries in which we may invest. These factors will affect the level and volatility of securities prices and the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which could impair our profitability or result in losses. General fluctuations in the market prices of securities and interest rates may affect our investment opportunities and the value of our investments. We may maintain substantial trading positions that can be adversely affected by the level of volatility in the financial markets; the larger the positions, the greater the potential for loss. Declines in the performance of national economies or the credit markets in certain jurisdictions have had a negative impact on general economic and market conditions globally, and as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Adviser’s financial condition may be adversely affected by a significant general economic downturn and it may be subject to legal, regulatory, reputational and other unforeseen risks that could have a material adverse effect on the Adviser’s businesses and operations (including those of the Fund). A recession, slowdown and/or sustained downturn in the global economy (or any particular segment thereof) could have a pronounced impact on the Fund and could adversely affect the Fund’s profitability, impede the ability of the Fund’s portfolio companies to perform under or refinance their existing obligations and impair the Fund’s ability to effectively deploy its capital or realize its investments on favorable terms.

In addition, economic problems in a single country are increasingly affecting other markets and economies. A continuation of this trend could result in problems in one country adversely affecting regional and even global economic conditions and markets. For example, concerns about the fiscal stability and growth prospects of certain European countries in the last economic downturn had a negative impact on most economies of the Eurozone and global markets and the current ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine could have a negative impact on those countries and others in the region. The occurrence of similar crises in the future could cause increased volatility in the economies and financial markets of countries throughout a region, or even globally.

Any of the foregoing events could result in substantial or total losses to the Fund in respect of certain investments, which losses will likely be exacerbated by the presence of leverage in a portfolio company’s capital structure.

It may be difficult to bring suit or foreclosure in non-U.S. countries.

Because the effectiveness of the judicial systems in the countries in which the Fund may invest varies, the Fund (or any portfolio company) may have difficulty in foreclosing or successfully pursuing claims in the courts of such countries, as compared to the United States or other countries. Further, to the extent the Fund or a portfolio company may obtain a judgment but is required to seek its enforcement in the courts of one of these countries in which the Fund invests, there can be no assurance that such courts will enforce such judgment. The laws of other countries often lack the sophistication and consistency found in the United States with respect to foreclosure, bankruptcy, corporate reorganization or creditors’ rights.

 

43

MiFID II obligations could have an adverse effect on the ability of Blackstone Credit and its MiFID-authorized EEA affiliates to obtain and research in connection with the provision of an investment service.

The Recast European Union Directive on Markets in Financial Instruments (“MiFID II”) came into effect on January 3, 2018, and imposes regulatory obligations in respect of providing financial services in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) by EEA banks and EEA investment firms providing regulated services (each an “Investment Firm”). The Adviser is a non-EEA investment company and is, therefore, not subject to MiFID II but can be indirectly affected. The regulatory obligations imposed by MiFID II may impact, and constrain the implementation of, the investment strategy of the Fund. MiFID II restricts Investment Firms’ ability to obtain research in connection with the provision of an investment service. For example, Investment Firms providing portfolio management or independent investment advice may purchase investment research only at their own expense or out of specifically dedicated research payment accounts agreed upon with their clients. Research will also have to be unbundled and paid separately from the trading commission. EEA broker-dealers will unbundle research costs and invoice them to Investment Firms separated from dealing commissions.

Therefore, in light of the above, MiFID II could have an adverse effect on the ability of Blackstone Credit and its MiFID-authorized EEA affiliates to obtain and to provide research. The new requirements regarding the unbundling of research costs under MiFID II are not consistent with market practice in the United States and the regulatory framework concerning the use of commissions to acquire research developed by the SEC, although the SEC has issued temporary no-action letters to facilitate compliance by firms with the research requirements under MiFID II in a manner that is consistent with the U.S. federal securities laws. Blackstone Credit’s access to third-party research may nonetheless be significantly limited. Some EEA jurisdictions extend certain MiFID II obligations also to other market participants (e.g., Alternative Investment Fund Managers) under national law. There is very little guidance, and limited market practice, that has developed in preparation for MiFID II. As such, the precise impact of MiFID II on Blackstone Credit and the Fund cannot be fully predicted at this stage.

Any unrealized losses we experience on our portfolio may be an indication of future realized losses, which could reduce our income available for distribution.

As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at the fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to procedures adopted by, and under oversight of our Board of Trustees. Decreases in the market value or fair value of our investments relative to amortized cost will be recorded as unrealized depreciation. Any unrealized losses in our portfolio could be an indication of a portfolio company’s inability to meet its repayment obligations to us with respect to the affected loans. This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our income available for distribution in future periods. In addition, decreases in the market value or fair value of our investments will reduce our NAV.

Terrorist attacks, acts of war or natural disasters may adversely affect our operations.

Terrorist acts, acts of war or natural disasters may disrupt our operations, as well as the operations of the businesses in which we invest. Such acts, including the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, have created, and continue to create, economic and political uncertainties and have contributed to recent global economic instability. Future terrorist activities, military or security operations, or natural disasters could further weaken the domestic/global economies and create additional uncertainties, which may negatively impact the businesses in which we invest directly or indirectly and, in turn, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. Losses from terrorist attacks and natural disasters are generally uninsurable.

Force Majeure events may adversely affect our operations.

We may be affected by force majeure events (e.g., acts of God, fire, flood, earthquakes, outbreaks of an infectious disease, pandemic or any other serious public health concern, war, terrorism, nationalization of

 

44

industry and labor strikes). Force majeure events could adversely affect the ability of the Fund or a counterparty to perform its obligations. The liability and cost arising out of a failure to perform obligations as a result of a force majeure event could be considerable and could be borne by the Fund. Certain force majeure events, such as war or an outbreak of an infectious disease, could have a broader negative impact on the global or local economy, thereby affecting us. Additionally, a major governmental intervention into industry, including the nationalization of an industry or the assertion of control, could result in a loss to the Fund if an investment is affected, and any compensation provided by the relevant government may not be adequate.

The outbreak of epidemics/pandemics, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely affect the performance of our investments.

Outbreaks of contagious disease, including COVID-19, or other adverse public health developments in the U.S. or worldwide could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. While many of the direct impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have eased, the longer-term macroeconomic effects on global supply chains, inflation, labor shortages and wage increases continue to impact many industries, including industries in which our portfolio companies operate. Moreover, with the potential for new strains of existing viruses to emerge, or other pandemics or epidemics, governments and businesses may re-impose aggressive measures to help slow its spread in the future. For this reason, among others, the potential global impacts are uncertain and difficult to assess.

Long-term macroeconomic effects from a pandemic or epidemic, including from supply and labor shortages, reductions in force in response to challenging economic conditions or shifts in demand for products and services, of a pandemic or epidemic may have an adverse impact on our portfolio companies, particularly those in the hospitality, retail or travel sectors. The impact of such long-term effects may disproportionately affect certain asset classes and geographic areas. While we believe the principal amount of our investments are generally adequately protected by underlying collateral value, there can be no assurance that we will realize the entire principal amount of certain investments. The full extent of the impact and effects of COVID-19, and any future pandemics or epidemics, will depend on future developments, including, among other factors, how rapidly variants develop, availability, acceptance and effectiveness of vaccines along with related travel advisories, quarantines and restrictions, the recovery time of the disrupted supply chains and industries, the impact of labor market interruptions, the impact of government interventions, and uncertainty with respect to the duration of the global economic slowdown. COVID-19, or any future pandemics or epidemics, and resulting impacts on the financial, economic and capital markets environment, and future developments in these and other areas present uncertainty and risk with respect to our performance, results of operations and ability to pay distributions.

We may face a breach of our cyber security, which could result in adverse consequences to our operations and exposure of confidential information.

Cyber security incidents and cyber-attacks have been occurring globally at a more frequent and severe level and will likely continue to increase in frequency in the future. Blackstone, Blackstone Credit and their affiliates and portfolio companies’ and service providers’ information and technology systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from cyber security breaches, computer viruses or other malicious code, network failures, computer and telecommunication failures, infiltration by unauthorized persons and other security breaches, or usage errors by their respective professionals or service providers. If unauthorized parties gain access to such information and technology systems, they may be able to steal, publish, delete or modify private and sensitive information, including non-public personal information related to shareholders (and their beneficial owners) and material non-public information. Although Blackstone has implemented, and portfolio companies and service providers may implement, various measures to manage risks relating to these types of events, such systems could prove to be inadequate and, if compromised, could become inoperable for extended periods of time, cease to function properly or fail to adequately secure private information. Blackstone and Blackstone Credit do not control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by third-party service providers, and such third-party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to Blackstone, Blackstone Credit, their affiliates,

 

45

the Fund, the shareholders and/or a portfolio company, each of which could be negatively impacted as a result. Breaches such as those involving covertly introduced malware, impersonation of authorized users and industrial or other espionage may not be identified even with sophisticated prevention and detection systems, potentially resulting in further harm and preventing them from being addressed appropriately. The failure of these systems and/or of disaster recovery plans for any reason could cause significant interruptions in Blackstone’s, Blackstone Credit’s, their affiliates’, the Fund’s and/or a portfolio company’s operations and result in a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data, including personal information relating to shareholders (and their beneficial owners), material non-public information and the intellectual property and trade secrets and other sensitive information of Blackstone, Blackstone Credit and/or portfolio companies. Blackstone, Blackstone Credit, the Fund and/or a portfolio company could be required to make a significant investment to remedy the effects of any such failures, harm to their reputations, legal claims that they and their respective affiliates may be subjected to, regulatory action or enforcement arising out of applicable privacy and other laws, adverse publicity, and other events that may affect their business and financial performance.

We may not be able to obtain and maintain all required state licenses.

We may be required to obtain various state licenses in order to, among other things, originate commercial loans. Applying for, obtaining and maintaining required licenses can be costly and take several months. There is no assurance that we will obtain, and maintain, all of the licenses that we need on a timely basis. Furthermore, we will be subject to various information and other requirements in order to obtain and maintain these licenses, and there is no assurance that we will satisfy those requirements. Our failure to obtain or maintain licenses might restrict investment options and have other adverse consequences.

Compliance by broker-dealers with the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest may negatively impact our ability to raise capital in our offering, which would harm our ability to achieve our investment objectives.

Broker-dealers must comply with Regulation Best Interest, which, among other requirements, enhances the existing standard of conduct for broker-dealers and natural persons who are associated persons of a broker-dealer when recommending to a retail customer any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities to a retail customer. The impact of Regulation Best Interest on broker-dealers participating in our offering cannot be determined at this time, but it may negatively impact whether broker-dealers and their associated persons recommend the offering to retail customers. Regulation Best Interest imposes a duty of care for broker-dealers to evaluate reasonable alternatives in the best interests of their clients. Reasonable alternatives to the Fund exist and may have lower expenses and/or lower investment risk than the Fund. Under Regulation Best Interest, broker-dealers participating in the offering must consider such alternatives in the best interests of their clients. If compliance by broker-dealers with Regulation Best Interest negatively impacts our ability to raise capital in the offering, it would harm our ability to create a diversified portfolio of investments, particularly while the Fund has only satisfied the minimum offering amount, and achieve our investment objectives and would result in our fixed operating costs representing a larger percentage of our gross income.

Our Board of Trustees may change our operating policies and strategies without prior notice or shareholder approval, the effects of which may be adverse to our results of operations and financial condition.

Our Board of Trustees has the authority to modify or waive our current operating policies, investment criteria and strategies without prior notice and without shareholder approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies, investment criteria and strategies would have on our business, NAV, operating results and value of our shares. However, the effects might be adverse, which could negatively impact our ability to pay shareholders distributions and cause shareholders to lose all or part of their investment. Moreover, we have significant flexibility in investing the net proceeds from our continuous offering and may use the net proceeds from our continuous offering in ways with which investors may not agree or for purposes other than those contemplated in this prospectus.

 

46

Our Board of Trustees may amend our Declaration of Trust without prior shareholder approval.

Our Board of Trustees may, without shareholder vote, subject to certain exceptions, amend or otherwise supplement the Declaration of Trust by making an amendment, a Declaration of Trust supplemental thereto or an amended and restated Declaration of Trust, including without limitation to classify the Board of Trustees, to impose advance notice bylaw provisions for Trustee nominations or for shareholder proposals, to require super-majority approval of transactions with significant shareholders or other provisions that may be characterized as anti-takeover in nature.

Risks Related to Our Investments

Our investments in prospective portfolio companies may be risky, and we could lose all or part of our investment.

Our investments in senior secured loans, senior secured bonds, subordinated debt and equity of U.S. private companies, including middle market companies, and preferred securities may be risky and, subject to compliance with our 80% test, there is no limit on the amount of any such investments in which we may invest.

Senior Secured Loans and Senior Secured Bonds. There is a risk that any collateral pledged by portfolio companies in which we have taken a security interest may decrease in value over time or lose its entire value, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise and may fluctuate in value based upon the success of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of the portfolio company to raise additional capital. Such risks have become more pronounced due to rising interest rates and market volatility. To the extent our debt investment is collateralized by the securities of a portfolio company’s subsidiaries, such securities may lose some or all of their value in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the portfolio company. Also, in some circumstances, our security interest may be contractually or structurally subordinated to claims of other creditors. In addition, deterioration in a portfolio company’s financial condition and prospects, including its inability to raise additional capital, may be accompanied by deterioration in the value of the collateral for the debt. Secured debt that is under-collateralized involves a greater risk of loss. In addition, second lien debt is granted a second priority security interest in collateral, which means that any realization of collateral will generally be applied to pay senior secured debt in full before second lien debt is paid. Similarly, investments in “last out” pieces of unitranche loans will be similar to second lien loans in that such investments will be junior in priority to the “first out” piece of the same unitranche loan with respect to payment of principal, interest and other amounts. Consequently, the fact that debt is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the debt’s terms, or at all, or that we will be able to collect on the debt should we be forced to enforce our remedies.

Subordinated Debt. Our subordinated debt investments will generally rank junior in priority of payment to senior debt and will generally be unsecured. This may result in a heightened level of risk and volatility or a loss of principal, which could lead to the loss of the entire investment. These investments may involve additional risks that could adversely affect our investment returns. To the extent interest payments associated with such debt are deferred, such debt may be subject to greater fluctuations in valuations, and such debt could subject us and our shareholders to non-cash income. Because we will not receive any principal repayments prior to the maturity of some of our subordinated debt investments, such investments will be of greater risk than amortizing loans.

Equity Investments. We may make select equity investments. In addition, in connection with our debt investments, we on occasion may receive equity interests such as warrants or options as additional consideration. The equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.

Preferred Securities. Investments in preferred securities involve certain risks. Certain preferred securities contain provisions that allow an issuer under certain conditions to skip or defer distributions. If the Fund owns a

 

47

preferred security that is deferring its distribution, the Fund may be required to include the amount of the deferred distribution in its taxable income for tax purposes although it does not currently receive such amount in cash. In order to receive the special treatment accorded to RICs and their shareholders under the Code and to avoid U.S. federal income and/or excise taxes at the Fund level, the Fund may be required to distribute this income to shareholders in the tax year in which the income is recognized (without a corresponding receipt of cash). Therefore, the Fund may be required to pay out as an income distribution in any such tax year an amount greater than the total amount of cash income the Fund actually received, and to sell portfolio securities, including at potentially disadvantageous times or prices, to obtain cash needed for these income distributions. Preferred securities often are subject to legal provisions that allow for redemption in the event of certain tax or legal changes or at the issuer’s call. In the event of redemption, the Fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds at comparable rates of return. Preferred securities are subordinated to bonds and other debt securities in an issuer’s capital structure in terms of priority for corporate income and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt securities. Preferred securities may trade less frequently and in a more limited volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than many other securities, such as common stocks, corporate debt securities and U.S. government securities.

Loans Risk. The loans that the Fund may invest in include loans that are first lien, second lien, third lien or that are unsecured. In addition, the Loans the Fund will invest in will usually be rated below investment grade or may also be unrated. Loans are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this prospectus, including credit risk, liquidity risk, below investment grade instruments risk and management risk.

Although certain Loans in which the Fund may invest will be secured by collateral, there can be no assurance that such collateral could be readily liquidated or that the liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of a borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a Loan. In the event of a decline in the value of the already pledged collateral, if the terms of a Loan do not require the borrower to pledge additional collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the value of the collateral will not at all times equal or exceed the amount of the borrower’s obligations under the Loans. To the extent that a Loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose some or all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the borrower. Those Loans that are under-collateralized involve a greater risk of loss.

Further, there is a risk that any collateral pledged by portfolio companies in which the Fund has taken a security interest may decrease in value over time or lose its entire value, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise and may fluctuate in value based upon the success of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of the portfolio company to raise additional capital. To the extent the Fund’s debt investment is collateralized by the securities of a portfolio company’s subsidiaries, such securities may lose some or all of their value in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the portfolio company. Also, in some circumstances, the Fund’s security interest may be contractually or structurally subordinated to claims of other creditors. In addition, deterioration in a portfolio company’s financial condition and prospects, including its inability to raise additional capital, may be accompanied by deterioration in the value of the collateral for the debt. Secured debt that is under-collateralized involves a greater risk of loss. In addition, second lien debt is granted a second priority security interest in collateral, which means that any realization of collateral will generally be applied to pay senior secured debt in full before second lien debt is paid. Consequently, the fact that debt is secured does not guarantee that the Fund will receive principal and interest payments according to the debt’s terms, or at all, or that the Fund will be able to collect on the debt should it be forced to enforce remedies.

Loans are not registered with the SEC, or any state securities commission, and are not listed on any national securities exchange. There is less readily available or reliable information about most Loans than is the case for many other types of securities, including securities issued in transactions registered under the Securities Act or registered under the Exchange Act. No active trading market may exist for some Loans, and some loans may be

 

48

subject to restrictions on resale. A secondary market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may impair the ability to realize full value and thus cause a material decline in the Fund’s NAV. In addition, the Fund may not be able to readily dispose of its Loans at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such loans if they were more widely-traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. During periods of limited supply and liquidity of Loans, the Fund’s yield may be lower.

Some Loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the Loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower or take other action detrimental to lenders, including the Fund. Such court action could under certain circumstances include invalidation of Loans.

If legislation of state or federal regulations impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of financial institutions to make loans, the availability of Loans for investment by the Fund may be adversely affected. In addition, such requirements or restrictions could reduce or eliminate sources of financing for certain borrowers. This would increase the risk of default.

If legislation or federal or state regulations require financial institutions to increase their capital requirements this may cause financial institutions to dispose of Loans that are considered highly levered transactions. Such sales could result in prices that, in the opinion of the Adviser, do not represent fair value. If the Fund attempts to sell a Loan at a time when a financial institution is engaging in such a sale, the price the Fund could get for the Loan may be adversely affected.

The Fund may acquire Loans through assignments or participations. The Fund will typically acquire Loans through assignment. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchaser’s rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution, and the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral.

A participation typically results in a contractual relationship only with the institution selling the participation interest, not with the borrower. Sellers of participations typically include banks, broker-dealers, other financial institutions and lending institutions. Certain participation agreements also include the option to convert the participation to a full assignment under agreed upon circumstances. The Adviser has adopted best execution procedures and guidelines to mitigate credit and counterparty risk in the atypical situation when the Fund must acquire a Loan through a participation.

In purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. Further, in purchasing participations in lending syndicates, the Fund will not be able to conduct the due diligence on the borrower or the quality of the Loan with respect to which it is buying a participation that the Fund would otherwise conduct if it were investing directly in the Loan, which may result in the Fund being exposed to greater credit or fraud risk with respect to the borrower or the Loan than the Fund expected when initially purchasing the participation.

The Fund also may originate Loans or acquire Loans by participating in the initial issuance of the Loan as part of a syndicate of banks and financial institutions, or receive its interest in a Loan directly from the borrower.

The Adviser has established a counterparty and liquidity sub-committee that regularly reviews each broker-dealer counterparty for, among other things, its quality and the quality of its execution. The established

 

49

procedures and guidelines require trades to be placed for execution only with broker counterparties approved by the counterparty and liquidity sub-committee of the Adviser. The factors considered by the sub-committee when selecting and approving brokers and dealers include, but are not limited to: (i) quality, accuracy, and timeliness of execution, (ii) review of the reputation, financial strength and stability of the financial institution, (iii) willingness and ability of the counterparty to commit capital, (iv) ongoing reliability and (v) access to underwritten offerings and secondary markets.

Non-U.S. Securities. We may invest in non-U.S. securities, which may include securities denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. currencies, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Because evidence of ownership of such securities usually is held outside the United States, we would be subject to additional risks if we invested in non-U.S. securities, which include possible adverse political and economic developments, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits and adoption of governmental restrictions, which might adversely affect or restrict the payment of principal and interest on the non-U.S. securities to shareholders located outside the country of the issuer, whether from currency blockage or otherwise. Because non-U.S. securities may be purchased with and payable in foreign currencies, the value of these assets as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected unfavorably by changes in currency rates and exchange control regulations.

Junior, Unsecured Securities. Our strategy may entail acquiring securities that are junior or unsecured instruments. While this approach can facilitate obtaining control and then adding value through active management, it also means that certain of the Fund’s investments may be unsecured. If a portfolio company becomes financially distressed or insolvent and does not successfully reorganize, we will have no assurance (compared to those distressed securities investors that acquire only fully collateralized positions) that we will recover any of the principal that we have invested. Similarly, investments in “last out” pieces of unitranche loans will be similar to second lien loans in that such investments will be junior in priority to the “first out” piece of the same unitranche loan with respect to payment of principal, interest and other amounts. Consequently, the fact that debt is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the debt’s terms, or at all, or that we will be able to collect on the debt should it be forced to enforce its remedies.

While such junior or unsecured investments may benefit from the same or similar financial and other covenants as those enjoyed by the indebtedness ranking more senior to such investments and may benefit from cross-default provisions and security over the issuer’s assets, some or all of such terms may not be part of particular investments. Moreover, our ability to influence an issuer’s affairs, especially during periods of financial distress or following insolvency, is likely to be substantially less than that of senior creditors. For example, under typical subordination terms, senior creditors are able to block the acceleration of the junior debt or the exercise by junior debt holders of other rights they may have as creditors. Accordingly, we may not be able to take steps to protect investments in a timely manner or at all, and there can be no assurance that our rate of return objectives or any particular investment will be achieved. In addition, the debt securities in which we will invest may not be protected by financial covenants or limitations upon additional indebtedness, may have limited liquidity and are not expected to be rated by a credit rating agency.

Early repayments of our investments may have a material adverse effect on our investment objectives. In addition, depending on fluctuations of the equity markets and other factors, warrants and other equity investments may become worthless.

There can be no assurance that attempts to provide downside protection through contractual or structural terms with respect to our investments will achieve their desired effect and potential investors should regard an investment in us as being speculative and having a high degree of risk. Furthermore, we have limited flexibility to negotiate terms when purchasing newly issued investments in connection with a syndication of mezzanine or certain other junior or subordinated investments or in the secondary market.

Below Investment Grade Risk. In addition, we invest in securities that are rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. Below investment grade

 

50

securities, which are often referred to as “junk,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be difficult to value and illiquid. The major risks of below investment grade securities include:

 

•

Below investment grade securities may be issued by less creditworthy issuers. Issuers of below investment grade securities may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade securities. In the event of an issuer’s bankruptcy, claims of other creditors may have priority over the claims of holders of below investment grade securities, leaving few or no assets available to repay holders of below investment grade securities.

 

•

Prices of below investment grade securities are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Adverse changes in an issuer’s industry and general economic conditions may have a greater impact on the prices of below investment grade securities than on other higher-rated fixed-income securities.

 

•

Issuers of below investment grade securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments or the unavailability of additional financing.

 

•

Below investment grade securities frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from us before it matures. If the issuer redeems below investment grade securities, we may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields and may lose income.

 

•

Below investment grade securities may be less liquid than higher-rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the below investment grade securities market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted by the dealers. Judgment may play a greater role in valuing these securities and we may be unable to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price.

 

•

We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer.

The credit rating of a high-yield security does not necessarily address its market value risk. Ratings and market value may change from time to time, positively or negatively, to reflect new developments regarding the issuer.

Mezzanine Loans. Our mezzanine debt securities generally will have ratings or implied or imputed ratings below investment grade. They will be obligations of corporations, partnerships or other entities that are generally unsecured, typically are subordinated to other obligations of the obligor and generally have greater credit and liquidity risk than is typically associated with investment grade corporate obligations. Accordingly, the risks associated with mezzanine debt securities include a greater possibility that adverse changes in the financial condition of the obligor or in general economic conditions (including a sustained period of rising interest rates or an economic downturn) may adversely affect the obligor’s ability to pay principal and interest on its debt. Many obligors on mezzanine debt securities are highly leveraged, and specific developments affecting such obligors, including reduced cash flow from operations or the inability to refinance debt at maturity, may also adversely affect such obligors’ ability to meet debt service obligations. Mezzanine debt securities are often issued in connection with leveraged acquisitions or recapitalizations, in which the issuers incur a substantially higher amount of indebtedness than the level at which they had previously operated. Default rates for mezzanine debt securities have historically been higher than has been the case for investment grade securities.

Risk Retention Vehicles. We may invest in CLO debt and equity tranches and warehouse investments directly or indirectly through an investment in U.S. and/or European vehicles (“Risk Retention Vehicles”) established for the purpose of satisfying U.S. and/or E.U. regulations that require eligible risk retainers to purchase and retain specified amounts of the credit risk associated with certain CLOs, which vehicles themselves are invested in CLO securities, warehouse investments and/or senior secured obligations. Risk Retention Vehicles will be structured to satisfy the retention requirements by purchasing and retaining the percentage of

 

51

CLO notes prescribed under the applicable retention requirements (the “Retention Notes”) and will include Risk Retention Vehicles with respect to CLOs managed by other collateral managers, but will not include Risk Retention Vehicles with respect to CLOs for which the Adviser or its affiliates acts as collateral manager.

Indirect investments in CLO equity securities (and in some instances more senior CLO securities) and warehouse investments through entities that have been established to satisfy the U.S. retention requirements and/or the European retention requirements may allow for better economics for us (including through fee rebate arrangements) by creating stronger negotiating positions with CLO managers and underwriting banks who are incentivized to issue CLOs and who require the participation of a Risk Retention Vehicle to enable the CLO securities to be issued. However, Retention Notes differ from other securities of the same ranking since the retention requirements prescribe that such Retention Notes must be held by the relevant risk retainer for a specified period. In the case of European Risk Retention Vehicles, the prescribed holding period is the lifetime of the CLO, and in the case of U.S. Risk Retention Vehicles it is the longer of (x) the period until the CLO has paid down its securities to 33% of their original principal amount, (y) the period until the CLO has sold down its assets to 33% of their original principal amount and (z) two years after the closing of the CLO. In addition, Retention Notes are subject to other restrictions not imposed on other securities of the same ranking; for example, Retention Notes may not be subject to credit risk mitigation, and breach of the retention requirements may result in the imposition of regulatory sanctions or, in the case of the European retention requirements, in claims being brought against the retaining party.

“Covenant-lite” Obligations. We may invest in, or obtain exposure to, obligations that may be “covenant-lite,” which means such obligations lack certain financial maintenance covenants. While these loans may still contain other collateral protections, a covenant-lite loan may carry more risk than a covenant-heavy loan made by the same borrower, as it does not require the borrower to provide affirmation that certain specific financial tests have been satisfied on a routine basis as is required under a covenant-heavy loan agreement. Should a loan we hold begin to deteriorate in quality, our ability to negotiate with the borrower may be delayed under a covenant-lite loan compared to a loan with full maintenance covenants. This may in turn delay our ability to seek to recover its investment.

Consumer Loans. We may invest in, or obtain exposure to, consumer lending, which involves risk elements in addition to normal credit risk. Consumer loan terms vary according to the type and value of collateral and creditworthiness of the borrower. In underwriting consumer loans, a thorough analysis of the borrower’s financial ability to repay the loan as agreed is typically performed. The ability to repay shall be determined by, among others, the borrower’s employment history, current financial conditions, and credit background. While these loans typically have higher yields than many other loans, such loans involve risk elements in addition to normal credit risk. Consumer loans may entail greater credit risk than other loans particularly in the case of unsecured consumer loans or consumer loans secured by rapidly depreciable assets, such as automobiles. In such cases, any repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment of the outstanding loan balance as a result of the greater likelihood of damage, loss or depreciation. In addition, consumer loan collections are dependent on the borrower’s continuing financial stability, and thus are more likely to be affected by adverse personal circumstances. During periods of deteriorating economic conditions, such as recessions or periods of rising unemployment, delinquencies and losses generally increase, sometimes dramatically, with respect to consumer loans. Furthermore, the application of various federal and state laws, including bankruptcy and insolvency laws, and/or state consumer protection laws may limit the amount which can be recovered on such loans.

Bridge Financings. From time to time, we may lend to portfolio companies on a short-term, unsecured basis or otherwise invest on an interim basis in portfolio companies in anticipation of a future issuance of equity or long-term debt securities or other refinancing or syndication. Such bridge loans would typically be convertible into a more permanent, long-term security; however, for reasons not always in the Fund’s control, such long-term securities issuance or other refinancing or syndication may not occur and such bridge loans and interim investments may remain outstanding. In such event, the interest rate on such loans or the terms of such interim investments may not adequately reflect the risk associated with the position taken by the Fund.

 

52

Restructurings. Investments in companies operating in workout or bankruptcy modes present additional legal risks, including fraudulent conveyance, voidable preference and equitable subordination risks. The level of analytical sophistication, both financial and legal, necessary for successful investment in companies experiencing significant business and financial difficulties is unusually high. There is no assurance that we will correctly evaluate the value of the assets collateralizing our loans or the prospects for a successful reorganization or similar action.

We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates.

We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments and investment opportunities and, accordingly, have a material adverse effect on our investment objectives and our rate of return on invested capital. In addition, an increase in interest rates would make it more expensive to use debt for our financing needs.

During periods of falling interest rates, payments under the floating rate debt instruments that we hold would generally decrease, resulting in less revenue to us. Interest rates have recently been at or near historic lows. In the event of a sharply rising interest rate environment, such as during 2022 and currently, payments under floating rate debt instruments generally would rise and there may be a significant number of issuers of such floating rate debt instruments that would be unable or unwilling to pay such increased interest costs and may otherwise be unable to repay their loans. Investments in floating rate debt instruments may also decline in value in response to rising interest rates if the interest rates of such investments do not rise as much, or as quickly, as market interest rates in general. Similarly, during periods of rising interest rates, fixed-rate debt instruments may decline in value because the fixed rates of interest paid thereunder may be below market interest rates.

A rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments. Accordingly, an increase in interest rates would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the incentive fee hurdle rate and may result in a substantial increase in the amount of incentive fees payable to the Adviser with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income.

Our portfolio companies may incur debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies.

Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may entitle the holders to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments with respect to the debt instruments in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any proceeds. After repaying such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt instruments in which we invest, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

There may be circumstances where our debt investments could be subordinated to claims of other creditors or we could be subject to lender liability claims.

If one of our portfolio companies were to file for bankruptcy, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors. We may also be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by us with respect to a borrower’s business or instances where we exercise control over the borrower.

 

53

We generally do not control our portfolio companies.

We do not expect to control most of our portfolio companies, even though we may have board representation or board observation rights, and our debt agreements with such portfolio companies may contain certain restrictive covenants. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company in which we invest may make business decisions with which we disagree and the management of such portfolio company, as representatives of the holders of the portfolio company’s common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors. Due to the lack of liquidity for our investments in non-traded companies, we may not be able to dispose of our interests in our portfolio companies as readily as we would like or at an appropriate valuation. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

We are subject to risks related to ESG investments.

Although Blackstone Credit’s consideration of ESG factors is intended to aid Blackstone Credit in evaluating the financial risks and rewards of a given investment and is not expected to by itself determine an investment decision for us, Blackstone Credit’s consideration of ESG factors could, to the extent material economic risks associated with an investment are identified, cause us not to make an investment that it may have made or to take action with respect to a company differently than it may have taken in the absence of such consideration, which could cause us to perform differently compared to funds that do not have such considerations. There are significant differences in interpretations of what it means for a company to have positive ESG factors. While Blackstone Credit believes its interpretations of ESG factors are reasonable, the ESG-related portfolio decisions it makes may differ from other investors’ or advisers’ views on ESG. Further, Blackstone Credit cannot guarantee that any consideration of ESG factors or engagement with portfolio companies on ESG, which depends in part on skill and qualitative judgments, will positively impact the financial or ESG performance of any individual portfolio company or us.

We and our investment adviser could be the target of litigation or regulatory investigations.

We as well as our investment adviser and its affiliates participate in a highly regulated industry and are each subject to regulatory examinations in the ordinary course of business. There can be no assurance that we and our investment adviser and/or any of its affiliates will avoid regulatory investigation and possible enforcement actions stemming therefrom. Our investment adviser is a registered investment adviser and, as such, is subject to the provisions of the Advisers Act. We and our investment adviser are each, from time to time, subject to formal and informal examinations, investigations, inquiries, audits and reviews from numerous regulatory authorities both in response to issues and questions raised in such examinations or investigations and in connection with the changing priorities of the applicable regulatory authorities across the market in general.

Our investment adviser, its affiliates and/or any of their respective principals and employees could also be named as defendants in, or otherwise become involved in, litigation. Litigation and regulatory actions can be time-consuming and expensive and can lead to unexpected losses, which expenses and losses are often subject to indemnification by us. Legal proceedings could continue without resolution for long periods of time and their outcomes, which could materially and adversely affect the value of us or the ability of our investment adviser to manage us, are often impossible to anticipate. Our investment adviser would likely be required to expend significant resources responding to any litigation or regulatory action related to it, and these actions could be a distraction to the activities of our investment adviser.

Our investment activities are subject to the normal risks of becoming involved in litigation by third parties. This risk would be somewhat greater if we were to exercise control or significant influence over a portfolio company’s direction. The expense of defending against claims by third parties and paying any amounts pursuant to settlements or judgments would, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved by our investment adviser, our administrator, or any of our officers, be borne by us and

 

54

would reduce our net assets. Our investment adviser and others are indemnified by us in connection with such litigation, subject to certain conditions.

The replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate may adversely affect our credit arrangements and our collateralized loan obligation transactions. Changes in the method of determining LIBOR or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate may adversely affect our credit arrangements and our CLO transactions.

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a phase out of the LIBOR. Although many LIBOR rates ceased to be published or no longer are representative of the underlying market they seek to measure since December 31, 2021, a selection of widely used USD LIBOR rates will continue to be published through June 2023 in order to assist with the transition. On July 29, 2021, the U.S. Federal Reserve System (“FRS”), in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”), a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, formally recommended replacing U.S.-dollar LIBOR with the SOFR, a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities. Given the inherent differences between LIBOR and SOFR, or any other alternative benchmark rate that may be established, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate. In many cases, the nominated replacements, as well as other potential replacements, are not complete or ready to implement and require margin adjustments. There is currently no final consensus as to which benchmark rate(s) (along with any adjustment and/or permutation thereof) will replace all or any LIBOR tenors after the discontinuation thereof and there can be no assurance that any such replacement benchmark rate(s) will attain market acceptance. Before LIBOR ceases to exist, we and our portfolio companies may need to amend or restructure our existing LIBOR- based debt instruments and any related hedging arrangements that extend beyond June 30, 2023, depending on the applicable LIBOR tenor. Such amendments and restructurings may be difficult, costly and time consuming. In addition, from time to time we invest in floating rate loans and investment securities whose interest rates are indexed to LIBOR. Uncertainty as to the nature of alternative reference rates and as to potential changes or other reforms to LIBOR, or any changes announced with respect to such reforms, may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in the reported LIBOR rates and the value of LIBOR-based loans and securities, including those of other issuers we or our funds currently own or may in the future own. It remains uncertain how such changes would be implemented and the effects such changes would have on us, issuers of instruments in which we invest and financial markets generally.

The expected discontinuation of LIBOR could have a significant impact on our business. There could be significant operational challenges for the transition away from LIBOR including, but not limited to, amending loan agreements with borrowers on investments that may have not been modified with fallback language and adding effective fallback language to new agreements in the event that LIBOR is discontinued before maturity. Beyond these challenges, we anticipate there may be additional risks to our current processes and information systems that will need to be identified and evaluated by us. Due to the uncertainty of the replacement for LIBOR, the potential effect of any such event on our cost of capital and net investment income cannot yet be determined. In addition, the cessation of LIBOR could:

 

•

Adversely impact the pricing, liquidity, value of, return on and trading for a broad array of financial products, including any LIBOR-linked securities, loans and derivatives that may be included in our assets and liabilities;

 

•

Require extensive changes to documentation that governs or references LIBOR or LIBOR-based products, including, for example, pursuant to time-consuming renegotiations of documentation to modify the terms of investments;

 

•

Result in inquiries or other actions from regulators in respect of our preparation and readiness for the replacement of LIBOR with one or more alternative reference rates;

 

•

Result in disputes, litigation or other actions with portfolio companies, or other counterparties, regarding the interpretation and enforceability of provisions in our LIBOR-based investments, such as

 

55

fallback language or other related provisions, including, in the case of fallbacks to the alternative reference rates, any economic, legal, operational or other impact resulting from the fundamental differences between LIBOR and the various alternative reference rates;

 

•

Require the transition and/or development of appropriate systems and analytics to effectively transition our risk management processes from LIBOR-based products to those based on one or more alternative reference rates, which may prove challenging given the limited history of the proposed alternative reference rates; and

 

•

Cause us to incur additional costs in relation to any of the above factors.

There is no guarantee that a transition from LIBOR to an alternative will not result in financial market disruptions, significant increases in benchmark rates, or borrowing costs to borrowers, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, result of operations, financial condition, and unit price. In addition, the transition to a successor rate could potentially cause (i) increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, (ii) a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund, or (iii) reduced effectiveness of related Fund transactions, such as hedging. It remains uncertain how such changes would be implemented and the effects such changes would have on the Fund, issuers of instruments in which the Fund invests and financial markets generally.

Second priority liens on collateral securing debt investments that we make to our portfolio companies may be subject to control by senior creditors with first priority liens. If there is a default, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay in full both the first priority creditors and us.

Certain debt investments that we make to portfolio companies may be secured on a second priority basis by the same collateral securing first priority debt of such companies. The first priority liens on the collateral will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under any outstanding senior debt and may secure certain other future debt that may be permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under the agreements governing the loans. The holders of obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral will generally control the liquidation of and be entitled to receive proceeds from any realization of the collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of the collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from the sale or sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the debt obligations secured by the second priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral. If such proceeds are not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the debt obligations secured by the second priority liens, then we, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, will only have an unsecured claim against the portfolio company remaining assets, if any.

We may also make unsecured debt investments in portfolio companies, meaning that such investments will not benefit from any interest in collateral of such companies. Liens on such portfolio companies’ collateral, if any, will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under its outstanding secured debt and may secure certain future debt that is permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under its secured debt agreements. The holders of obligations secured by such liens will generally control the liquidation of, and be entitled to receive proceeds from, any realization of such collateral to repay their obligations in full before we are so entitled. In addition, the value of such collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from sales of such collateral would be sufficient to satisfy its unsecured debt obligations after payment in full of all secured debt obligations. If such proceeds were not sufficient to repay the outstanding secured debt obligations, then its unsecured claims would rank equally with the unpaid portion of such secured creditors’ claims against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.

The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing the debt investments we make to our portfolio companies with senior debt outstanding may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor

 

56

agreements that we enter into with the holders of senior debt. Under such an intercreditor agreement, at any time that obligations that have the benefit of the first priority liens are outstanding, any of the following actions that may be taken in respect of the collateral will be at the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first priority liens: the ability to cause the commencement of enforcement proceedings against the collateral; the ability to control the conduct of such proceedings; the approval of amendments to collateral documents; releases of liens on the collateral; and waivers of past defaults under collateral documents. We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights are adversely affected.

Economic recessions or downturns or restrictions on trade could impair our portfolio companies and adversely affect our operating results.

The current macroeconomic environment is characterized by record-high inflation, supply chain challenges, labor shortages, high interest rates, foreign currency exchange volatility, volatility in global capital markets and growing recession risk. The risks associated with our and our portfolio companies’ businesses are more severe during periods of economic slowdown or recession.

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic recessions or downturns and may be unable to repay our debt investments during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets are likely to increase, and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease during these periods. Adverse economic conditions may also decrease the value of any collateral securing our senior secured debt. A prolonged recession may further decrease the value of such collateral and result in losses of value in our portfolio and a decrease in our revenues, net income and NAV. Certain of our portfolio companies may also be impacted by tariffs or other matters affecting international trade. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us on terms we deem acceptable. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and adversely affect our operating results.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the time when the loans are due and foreclosure on its assets representing collateral for its obligations, which could trigger cross defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt investments that we hold and the value of any equity securities we own. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company.

Our investments in CLOs may be riskier than a direct investment in the debt or other securities of the underlying companies.

When investing in CLOs, we may invest in any level of a CLO’s subordination chain, including subordinated (lower-rated) tranches and residual interests (the lowest tranche). CLOs are typically highly levered and therefore, the junior debt and equity tranches that we may invest in are subject to a higher risk of total loss and deferral or nonpayment of interest than the more senior tranches to which they are subordinated. In addition, we will generally have the right to receive payments only from the CLOs, and will generally not have direct rights against the underlying borrowers or entities that sponsored the CLOs. Furthermore, the investments we make in CLOs are at times thinly traded or have only a limited trading market. As a result, investments in such CLOs may be characterized as illiquid securities.

A covenant breach or other default by our portfolio companies may adversely affect our operating results.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize a portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery

 

57

upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company. In addition, lenders in certain cases can be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by them when they become too involved in the borrower’s business or exercise control over a borrower. It is possible that we could become subject to a lender’s liability claim, including as a result of actions taken if we render significant managerial assistance to the borrower. Furthermore, if one of our portfolio companies were to file for bankruptcy protection, a bankruptcy court might re-characterize our debt holding and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to claims of other creditors, even though we may have structured our investment as senior secured debt. The likelihood of such a re-characterization would depend on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company.

Our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged.

Some of our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged, which may have adverse consequences to these companies and to us as an investor. These companies may be subject to restrictive financial and operating covenants and the leverage may impair these companies’ ability to finance their future operations and capital needs. As a result, these companies’ flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions and to take advantage of business opportunities may be limited. Further, a leveraged company’s income and net assets will tend to increase or decrease at a greater rate than if borrowed money were not used.

Our portfolio may be concentrated in a limited number of industries, which may subject us to a risk of significant loss if there is a downturn in a particular industry in which a number of our investments are concentrated.

Our portfolio may be concentrated in a limited number of industries. Our portfolio will be considered to be concentrated in a particular industry when 25% or greater of its total assets are invested in issuers that are a part of that industry. A downturn in any industry in which we are invested could significantly impact the aggregate returns we realize. Our investments in issuers that are part of the software industry currently exceed 25% of our total assets as a result of additional investments in the software industry and/or fluctuations in the fair value of our investments.

If an industry in which we have significant investments suffers from adverse business or economic conditions, as individual industries have historically experienced to varying degrees, a material portion of our investment portfolio could be affected adversely, which, in turn, could adversely affect our financial position and results of operations. Specifically, the market landscape within the software industry is evolving, and new entrants and technologies can impact competitive dynamics over time. As a result, there is a risk of revenue and market share loss, which could negatively impact the value of our securities.

We may be subject to risks associated with our investments in the software industry.

Portfolio companies in the software industry are subject to a number of risks. While we currently tend to focus on software companies that demonstrate stable cash flows, the revenue, income (or losses) and valuations of software and other technology-related companies can fluctuate through market cycles. As a result, changing market landscapes could adversely affect our portfolio companies’ operating results and, correspondingly, the value of any securities that we may hold. Additionally, companies operating in the software industry are subject to wage inflation, changing technology, evolving client and end-consumer needs, industry standards and frequent introductions of new products and services. Our portfolio companies in the software industry could compete with companies that are larger and engaged in a greater range of businesses or have greater financial, technical, sales or other resources than our portfolio companies do. Our portfolio companies could lose market share if their competitors introduce or acquire new products that compete with their software and related services or add new features to existing products. Any deterioration in the results of our portfolio companies due to competition or otherwise could, in turn, materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

58

We may be subject to risks associated with our investments in the professional services industry.

Portfolio companies in the professional services sector are subject to many risks, including the negative impact of regulation, changing technology, a competitive marketplace and difficulty in obtaining financing. Portfolio companies in the professional services industry must respond quickly to technological changes and understand the impact of these changes on customers’ preferences. Adverse economic, business, or regulatory developments affecting the professional services sector could have a negative impact on the value of our investments in portfolio companies operating in this industry, and therefore could negatively impact our business and results of operations.

Our investments in the healthcare providers and services industry face considerable uncertainties.

The laws and rules governing the business of healthcare companies and interpretations of those laws and rules are subject to frequent change. Broad latitude is given to the agencies administering those regulations. Existing or future laws and rules could force our portfolio companies engaged in healthcare to change how they do business, restrict revenue, increase costs, change reserve levels and change business practices.

Healthcare companies often must obtain and maintain regulatory approvals to market many of their products, change prices for certain regulated products and consummate some of their acquisitions and divestitures. Delays in obtaining or failing to obtain or maintain these approvals could reduce revenue or increase costs. Policy changes on the local, state and federal level, such as the expansion of the government’s role in the healthcare arena and alternative assessments and tax increases specific to the healthcare industry or healthcare products as part of federal health care reform initiatives, could fundamentally change the dynamics of the healthcare industry.

Investing in large U.S. private borrowers may limit the Fund’s ability to achieve high growth rates during times of economic expansion.

Investing in originated assets made to large U.S. private borrowers may result in our underperforming other segments of the market, particularly during times of economic expansion, because large U.S. private borrowers may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities in the financial markets. As a result, our value may not rise at the same rate, if at all, as other funds that invest in smaller market capitalization companies that are more capable of responding to economic and industrial changes.

Investing in private companies involves a number of significant risks, any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

These risks include that:

 

•

these companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of us realizing on any guarantees we may have obtained in connection with our investment;

 

•

these companies frequently have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tends to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and changing market conditions, as well as general economic downturns;

 

•

these companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on our portfolio company and, in turn, on us;

 

•

these companies generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of

 

59

obsolescence and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. In addition, our executive officers, Trustees and members of the Adviser may, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our investments in the portfolio companies; and

 

•

these companies may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs, which may limit their ability to grow or to repay their outstanding indebtedness upon maturity.

We may not realize gains from our equity investments.

Certain investments that we may make could include warrants or other equity securities. In addition, we may make direct equity investments in portfolio companies. Our goal is ultimately to realize gains upon our disposition of such equity interests. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. We also may be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We intend to seek puts or similar rights to give us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company issuer. We may be unable to exercise these put rights for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

An investment strategy focused primarily on privately-held companies presents certain challenges, including, but not limited to, the lack of available information about these companies.

We invest primarily in privately-held companies. Investments in private companies pose significantly greater risks than investments in public companies. First, private companies have reduced access to the capital markets, resulting in diminished capital resources and the ability to withstand financial distress. Second, the depth and breadth of experience of management in private companies tends to be less than that at public companies, which makes such companies more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a smaller group of persons and/or persons with less depth and breadth of experience. Therefore, the decisions made by such management teams and/or the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on our investments and, in turn, on us. Third, the investments themselves tend to be less liquid. As such, we may have difficulty exiting an investment promptly or at a desired price prior to maturity or outside of a normal amortization schedule. As a result, the relative lack of liquidity and the potential diminished capital resources of our target portfolio companies may affect our investment returns. Fourth, limited public information generally exists about private companies. Fifth, these companies may not have third-party debt ratings or audited financial statements. We must therefore rely on the ability of the Adviser to obtain adequate information through due diligence to evaluate the creditworthiness and potential returns from investing in these companies. The Adviser typically assesses an investment in a portfolio company based on the Adviser’s estimate of the portfolio company’s earnings and enterprise value, among other things, and these estimates may be based on limited information and may otherwise be inaccurate, causing the Adviser to make different investment decisions than it may have made with more complete information. These private companies and their financial information are not subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other rules that govern public companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments.

Our investments in securities or assets of publicly-traded companies are subject to the risks inherent in investing in public securities.

We may invest a portion of our portfolio in publicly-traded assets. For example, it is not expected that we will be able to negotiate additional financial covenants or other contractual rights, which we might otherwise be able to obtain in making privately negotiated investments. In addition, by investing in publicly-traded securities

 

60

or assets, we will be subject to U.S. federal and state securities laws, as well as non-U.S. securities laws, that may, among other things, restrict or prohibit our ability to make or sell an investment. Moreover, we may not have the same access to information in connection with investments in public securities, either when investigating a potential investment or after making an investment, as compared to privately negotiated investments. Furthermore, we may be limited in its ability to make investments and to sell existing investments in public securities because the Firm may be deemed to have material, non-public information regarding the issuers of those securities or as a result of other internal policies. The inability to sell public securities in these circumstances could materially adversely affect our investment results. In addition, an investment may be sold by us to a public company where the consideration received is a combination of cash and stock of the public company, which may, depending on the securities laws of the relevant jurisdiction, be subject to lock-up periods.

A lack of liquidity in certain of our investments may adversely affect our business.

We generally invest in companies whose securities are not publicly-traded or actively traded on the secondary market, and whose securities are subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly-traded securities. The illiquidity of certain of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell these investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments. The reduced liquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to dispose of them at a favorable price, and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies or to fund our unfunded debt commitments.

After our initial investment in a portfolio company, we may be called upon from time to time to provide additional funds to such company or have the opportunity to increase our investment through the exercise of a warrant to purchase shares. There is no assurance that we will make, or will have sufficient funds to make, follow-on investments. Any decisions not to make a follow-on investment or any inability on our part to make such an investment may have a negative impact on a portfolio company in need of such an investment, may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation or may reduce the expected return on the investment.

Our investments may include original issue discount and payment-in-kind instruments.

To the extent that we invest in original issue discount or payment-in-kind (“PIK”) instruments and the accretion of original issue discount or PIK interest income constitutes a portion of our income, we will be exposed to risks associated with the requirement to include such non-cash income in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash, including the following:

 

•

the higher interest rates on PIK instruments reflect the payment deferral and increased credit risk associated with these instruments, and PIK instruments generally represent a significantly higher credit risk than coupon loans;

 

•

original issue discount and PIK instruments may have unreliable valuations because the accruals require judgments about collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral;

 

•

an election to defer PIK interest payments by adding them to the principal on such instruments increases our future investment income which increases our net assets and, as such, increases the Adviser’s future base management fees which, thus, increases the Adviser’s future income incentive fees at a compounding rate;

 

•

market prices of PIK instruments and other zero-coupon instruments are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and may be more volatile than instruments that pay interest periodically in cash.

 

61

While PIK instruments are usually less volatile than zero-coupon debt instruments, PIK instruments are generally more volatile than cash pay securities;

 

•

the deferral of PIK interest on an instrument increases the loan-to-value ratio, which is a measure of the riskiness of a loan, with respect to such instrument;

 

•

even if the conditions for income accrual under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) are satisfied, a borrower could still default when actual payment is due upon the maturity of such loan;

 

•

for accounting purposes, cash distributions to investors representing original issue discount income do not come from paid-in capital, although they may be paid from the offering proceeds. Thus, although a distribution of original issue discount income may come from the cash invested by investors, the 1940 Act does not require that investors be given notice of this fact;

 

•

the required recognition of original issue discount or PIK interest for U.S. federal income tax purposes may have a negative impact on liquidity, as it represents a non-cash component of our investment company taxable income that may require cash distributions to shareholders in order to maintain our ability to be subject to tax as a RIC; and

 

•

original issue discount may create a risk of non-refundable cash payments to the Adviser based on non-cash accruals that may never be realized.

We may enter into a TRS agreement that exposes us to certain risks, including market risk, liquidity risk and other risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage.

A total return swap (“TRS”) is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying the TRS, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during a specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate. A TRS effectively adds leverage to a portfolio by providing investment exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Because of the unique structure of a TRS, a TRS often offers lower financing costs than are offered through more traditional borrowing arrangements. The Fund would typically have to post collateral to cover this potential obligation. To the extent the Fund complies with the applicable requirements of Rule 18f-4, the leverage incurred through TRS will not be considered a borrowing for purposes of the Fund’s overall leverage limitation.

A TRS is subject to market risk, liquidity risk and risk of imperfect correlation between the value of the TRS and the loans underlying the TRS. In addition, we may incur certain costs in connection with the TRS that could in the aggregate be significant. A TRS is also subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations thereunder or that we will not be able to meet our obligations to the counterparty.

We may enter into repurchase agreements or reverse repurchase agreements.

Subject to our investment objectives and policies, we may invest in repurchase agreements as a buyer for investment and/or cash management purposes. Repurchase agreements typically involve the acquisition by us of debt securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or broker-dealer. The agreement provides that we will sell the securities back to the institution at a fixed time in the future for the purchase price plus premium (which often reflects the interests). We do not bear the risk of a decline in the value of the underlying security unless the seller defaults under its repurchase obligation. In the event of the bankruptcy or other default of a seller of a repurchase agreement, we could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying securities and losses, including (1) possible decline in the value of the underlying security during the period in which we seek to enforce its rights thereto; (2) possible lack of access to income on the underlying security during this period; and (3) expenses of enforcing its rights. In addition, as described above, the value of

 

62

the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase agreement. In the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, we generally will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercise of our right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, we could suffer a loss.

Subject to our investment objectives and policies, we invest in repurchase agreements as a seller, also known as a “reverse repurchase agreement.” Our use of reverse repurchase agreements involves many of the same risks involved in our use of leverage, as the proceeds from reverse repurchase agreements generally will be invested in additional portfolio investments. There is a risk that the market value of the securities acquired in the reverse repurchase agreement may decline below the price of the securities that we have sold but remains obligated to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement were to file for bankruptcy or experiences insolvency, we may be adversely affected. Also, in entering into reverse repurchase agreements, we would bear the risk of loss to the extent that the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement are less than the value of the underlying securities. In addition, due to the interest costs associated with reverse repurchase agreements transactions, our NAV will decline, and, in some cases, we may be worse off than if we had not used such instruments.

We may enter into securities lending agreements.

We may from time to time make secured loans of our marginable securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions if our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at or above 150% immediately after each such loan. The risks in lending portfolio securities, as with other extensions of credit, consist of possible delay in recovery of the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. However, such loans will be made only to brokers and other financial institutions that are believed by the Adviser to be of high credit standing. Securities loans are made to broker-dealers pursuant to agreements requiring that loans be continuously secured by collateral consisting of U.S. government securities, cash or cash equivalents (e.g., negotiable certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances or letters of credit) maintained on a daily mark-to-market basis in an amount at least equal at all times to the market value of the securities lent. If the Fund enters into a securities lending arrangement, the Adviser, as part of its responsibilities under the Investment Advisory Agreement, will invest the Fund’s cash collateral in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies. The Fund will pay the borrower of the securities a fee based on the amount of the cash collateral posted in connection with the securities lending program. The borrower will pay to the Fund, as the lender, an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on the securities lent.

The Fund may invest the cash collateral received only in accordance with its investment objectives, subject to the Fund’s agreement with the borrower of the securities. In the case of cash collateral, the Fund expects to pay a rebate to the borrower. The reinvestment of cash collateral will result in a form of effective leverage for the Fund.

Although voting rights or rights to consent with respect to the loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Fund, as the lender, will retain the right to call the loans and obtain the return of the securities loaned at any time on reasonable notice, and it will do so in order that the securities may be voted by the Fund if the holders of such securities are asked to vote upon or consent to matters materially affecting the investment. The Fund may also call such loans in order to sell the securities involved. When engaged in securities lending, the Fund’s performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned and will also reflect the receipt of interest through investment of cash collateral by the Fund in permissible investments.

 

63

We may from time to time enter into credit default swaps or other derivative transactions which expose us to certain risks, including credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk and other risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage.

We may from time to time enter into credit default swaps or other derivative transactions that seek to modify or replace the investment performance of a particular reference security or other asset. These transactions are typically individually negotiated, non-standardized agreements between two parties to exchange payments, with payments generally calculated by reference to a notional amount or quantity. Swap contracts and similar derivative contracts are not traded on exchanges; rather, banks and dealers act as principals in these markets. These investments may present risks in excess of those resulting from the referenced security or other asset. Because these transactions are not an acquisition of the referenced security or other asset itself, the investor has no right directly to enforce compliance with the terms of the referenced security or other asset and has no voting or other consensual rights of ownership with respect to the referenced security or other asset. In the event of insolvency of a counterparty, we will be treated as a general creditor of the counterparty and will have no claim of title with respect to the referenced security or other asset.

A credit default swap is a contract in which one party buys or sells protection against a credit event with respect to an issuer, such as an issuer’s failure to make timely payments of interest or principal on its debt obligations, bankruptcy or restructuring during a specified period. Generally, if we sell credit protection using a credit default swap, we will receive fixed payments from the swap counterparty and if a credit event occurs with respect to the applicable issuer, we will pay the swap counterparty par for the issuer’s defaulted debt securities and the swap counterparty will deliver the defaulted debt securities to us. Generally, if we buy credit protection using a credit default swap, we will make fixed payments to the counterparty and if a credit event occurs with respect to the applicable issuer, we will deliver the issuer’s defaulted securities underlying the swap to the swap counterparty and the counterparty will pay us par for the defaulted securities. Alternatively, a credit default swap may be cash settled and the buyer of protection would receive the difference between the par value and the market value of the issuer’s defaulted debt securities from the seller of protection.

Credit default swaps are subject to the credit risk of the underlying issuer. If we are selling credit protection, there is a risk that we will not properly assess the risk of the underlying issuer, a credit event will occur and we will have to pay the counterparty. If we are buying credit protection, there is a risk that we will not properly assess the risk of the underlying issuer, no credit event will occur and we will receive no benefit for the premium paid.

A derivative transaction is also subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations thereunder or that we will not be able to meet our obligations to the counterparty. In some cases, we may post collateral to secure our obligations to the counterparty, and we may be required to post additional collateral upon the occurrence of certain events such as a decrease in the value of the reference security or other asset. In some cases, the counterparty may not collateralize any of its obligations to us. Derivative investments effectively add leverage to a portfolio by providing investment exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. In addition to the risks described above, such arrangements are subject to risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage.

Certain categories of credit default swaps are subject to mandatory clearing, and more categories may be subject to mandatory clearing in the future. The counterparty risk for cleared derivatives is generally lower than for uncleared over-the-counter derivative transactions because generally a clearing organization becomes substituted for each counterparty to a cleared derivative contract and, in effect, guarantees the parties’ performance under the contract as each party to a trade looks only to the clearing house for performance of financial obligations. However, there can be no assurance that a clearing house, or its members, will satisfy the clearing house’s obligations (including, but not limited to, financial obligations and legal obligations to segregate margins collected by the clearing house) to the Fund. Counterparty risk with respect to certain exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives are considered as part of the value at risk provisions of Rule 18f-4. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Debt Financing.”

 

64

We may acquire various financial instruments for purposes of “hedging” or reducing our risks, which may be costly and ineffective and could reduce our cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

We may seek to hedge against interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations and credit risk by using financial instruments such as futures, options, swaps and forward contracts, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. These financial instruments may be purchased on exchanges or may be individually negotiated and traded in over-the-counter markets. Use of such financial instruments for hedging purposes may present significant risks, including the risk of loss of the amounts invested. Defaults by the other party to a hedging transaction can result in losses in the hedging transaction. Hedging activities also involve the risk of an imperfect correlation between the hedging instrument and the asset being hedged, which could result in losses both on the hedging transaction and on the instrument being hedged. Use of hedging activities may not prevent significant losses and could increase our losses. Further, hedging transactions may reduce cash available to pay distributions to our shareholders.

Prepayments of our debt investments by our portfolio companies could adversely impact our results of operations and reduce our return on equity.

We are subject to the risk that the investments we make in our portfolio companies may be repaid prior to maturity. When this occurs, we will generally reinvest these proceeds in temporary investments, pending their future investment in new portfolio companies. These temporary investments will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt being prepaid and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. Any future investment in a new portfolio company may also be at lower yields than the debt that was repaid. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us. Additionally, prepayments, net of prepayment fees, could negatively impact our return on equity.

Technological innovations and industry disruptions may negatively impact us.

Current trends in the market generally have been toward disrupting a traditional approach to an industry with technological innovation, and multiple young companies have been successful where this trend toward disruption in markets and market practices has been critical to their success. In this period of rapid technological and commercial innovation, new businesses and approaches may be created that will compete with the Fund and/or its portfolio companies or alter the market practices the Fund’s strategy has been designed to function within and depend on for investment return. Any of these new approaches could damage the Fund’s investments, significantly disrupt the market in which it operates and subject it to increased competition, which could materially and adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of investments.

We may invest through various joint ventures.

From time to time, we may hold a portion of our investments through partnerships, joint ventures, securitization vehicles or other entities with third-party investors (collectively, “joint ventures”). Joint venture investments involve various risks, including risks similar to those associated with a direct investment in a portfolio company, the risk that we will not be able to implement investment decisions or exit strategies because of limitations on our control under applicable agreements with joint venture partners, the risk that a joint venture partner may become bankrupt or may at any time have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours, the risk that a joint venture partner may be in a position to take action contrary to our objectives, the risk of liability based upon the actions of a joint venture partner and the risk of disputes or litigation with such partner and the inability to enforce fully all rights (or the incurrence of additional risk in connection with enforcement of rights) one partner may have against the other, including in connection with foreclosure on partner loans, because of risks arising under state law. Our ability to exercise control or significant influence over management in these cooperative efforts will depend upon the nature of the joint venture arrangement, and certain joint venture arrangements may pose risks of impasse if no single party controls the

 

65

joint venture, including the risk that we will not be able to implement investment decisions or exit strategies because of limitations on our control under applicable agreements with joint venture partners. In addition, we may, in certain cases, be liable for actions of our joint venture partners. The joint ventures in which we participate may sometimes be allocated investment opportunities that might have otherwise gone entirely to us, which may reduce our return on equity. Additionally, our joint venture investments may be held on an unconsolidated basis and at times may be highly leveraged. Such leverage would not count toward the investment limits imposed on us by the 1940 Act. If an investment in an unconsolidated joint venture were to be consolidated for any reason, the leverage of such joint venture could impact our ability to maintain the minimum coverage ratio of total assets to total borrowings and other senior securities required under the 1940 Act, which have an effect on our operations and investment activities. See “—We borrow money, which magnifies the potential for loss on amounts invested in us and may increase the risk of investing in us. Leverage may also adversely affect the return on our assets, reduce cash available for distribution to our shareholders and result in losses.”

We are subject to risks associated with investing alongside other third parties.

We may invest in joint ventures alongside third parties through joint ventures, partnerships or other entities in the future. Such investments may involve risks not present in investments where a third party is not involved, including the possibility that such third party may at any time have economic or business interests or goals which are inconsistent with ours, or may be in a position to take action contrary to our investment objectives. In addition, we may in certain circumstances be liable for actions of such third party.

More specifically, joint ventures involve a third party that has approval rights over activity of the joint venture. The third party may take actions that are inconsistent with our interests. For example, the third party may decline to approve an investment for the joint venture that we otherwise want the joint venture to make. A joint venture may also use investment leverage which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested. Generally, the amount of borrowing by the joint venture is not included when calculating our total borrowing and related leverage ratios and is not subject to asset coverage requirements imposed by the 1940 Act. If the activities of the joint venture were required to be consolidated with our activities because of a change in U.S. GAAP rules or SEC staff interpretations, it is likely that we would have to reorganize any such joint venture.

We may syndicate co-investment opportunities, which may be costly.

From time to time, we may make an investment with the expectation of offering a portion of its interests therein as a co-investment opportunity to third-party investors. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in syndicating any such co-investment, in whole or in part, that the closing of such co-investment will be consummated in a timely manner, that any syndication will take place on terms and conditions that will be preferable for the Fund or that expenses incurred by us with respect to any such syndication will not be substantial. In the event that we are not successful in syndicating any such co-investment, in whole or in part, we may consequently hold a greater concentration and have more exposure in the related investment than initially was intended, which could make the Fund more susceptible to fluctuations in value resulting from adverse economic and/or business conditions with respect thereto. Moreover, an investment by the Fund that is not syndicated to co-investors as originally anticipated could significantly reduce our overall investment returns.

We may use a wide range of investment techniques that could expose us to a diverse range of risks.

The Adviser may employ investment techniques or invest in instruments that it believes will help achieve our investment objectives, whether or not such investment techniques or instruments are specifically defined herein, so long as such investments are consistent with our investment strategies and objectives and subject to applicable law. Such investment techniques or instruments may not be thoroughly tested in the market before being employed and may have operational or theoretical shortcomings which could result in unsuccessful

 

66

investments and, ultimately, losses to us. In addition, any such investment technique or instrument may be more speculative than other investment techniques or instruments specifically described herein and may involve material and unanticipated risks. There can be no assurance that the Adviser will be successful in implementing any such investment technique. Furthermore, the diversification and type of investments may differ substantially from our prior investments.

Risks Related to the Adviser and Its Affiliates

The Adviser and its affiliates, including our officers and some of our Trustees, face conflicts of interest caused by compensation arrangements with us and our affiliates, which could result in actions that are not in the best interests of our shareholders.

The Adviser and its affiliates receive substantial fees from us in return for their services, and these fees could influence the advice provided to us. We pay to the Adviser an incentive fee that is based on the performance of our portfolio and an annual base management fee that is based on the value of our net assets as of the beginning of the first business day of the month. Because the incentive fee is based on the performance of our portfolio, the Adviser may be incentivized to make investments on our behalf that are riskier or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee is determined may also encourage the Adviser to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. Our compensation arrangements could therefore result in our making riskier or more speculative investments than would otherwise be the case. This could result in higher investment losses, particularly during cyclical economic downturns. See “—Various potential and actual conflicts of interest will arise, and there are conflicts that may not be identified or resolved in a manner favorable to us.”

We may be obligated to pay the Adviser incentive compensation even if we incur a net loss due to a decline in the value of our portfolio.

The Investment Advisory Agreement entitles the Adviser to receive Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income Returns regardless of any capital losses. In such case, we may be required to pay the Adviser incentive compensation for a fiscal quarter even if there is a decline in the value of our portfolio or if we incur a net loss for that quarter.

In addition, any Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income Returns may be computed and paid on income that may include interest that has been accrued but not yet received. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan that is structured to provide accrued interest, it is possible that accrued interest previously included in the calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible. The Adviser is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the incentive fee it received that was based on accrued income that we never received as a result of a default by an entity on the obligation that resulted in the accrual of such income, and such circumstances would result in our paying an incentive fee on income we never received.

There may be conflicts of interest related to obligations that the Adviser’s senior management and investment team have to Other Clients.

The members of the senior management and investment team of the Adviser serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment funds managed by the same personnel. In serving in these multiple capacities, they may have obligations to Other Clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in our best interests or in the best interest of our shareholders. Our investment objectives may overlap with the investment objectives of such investment funds, accounts or other investment vehicles. In particular, we will rely on the Adviser to manage our day-to-day activities and to implement our investment strategy. The Adviser and certain of its affiliates are presently, and plan in the future to continue to be, involved with activities that are unrelated to us. As a result of these activities, the Adviser, its officers and employees and certain of its affiliates will have conflicts of interest

 

67

in allocating their time between us and other activities in which they are or may become involved, including the management of its affiliated equipment funds. The Adviser and its officers and employees will devote only as much of its or their time to our business as the Adviser and its officers and employees, in their judgment, determine is reasonably required, which may be substantially less than their full time.

We rely, in part, on the Adviser to assist with identifying investment opportunities and making investment recommendations to the Adviser. The Adviser and its affiliates are not restricted from forming additional investment funds, entering into other investment advisory relationships or engaging in other business activities. These activities could be viewed as creating a conflict of interest in that the time and effort of the members of the Adviser, its affiliates and their officers and employees will not be devoted exclusively to our business, but will be allocated between us and such other business activities of the Adviser and its affiliates in a manner that the Adviser deems necessary and appropriate. See “—Various potential and actual conflicts of interest will arise, and there are conflicts that may not be identified or resolved in a manner favorable to us.”

The time and resources that individuals employed by the Adviser devote to us may be diverted and we may face additional competition due to the fact that individuals employed by the Adviser are not prohibited from raising money for or managing other entities that make the same types of investments that we target.

The Adviser and individuals employed by the Adviser are generally not prohibited from raising capital for and managing other investment entities that make the same types of investments as those we target. As a result, the time and resources that these individuals may devote to us may be diverted. In addition, we may compete with any such investment entity for the same investors and investment opportunities. We may participate in certain transactions originated by the Adviser or its affiliates under our exemptive relief from the SEC that allows us to engage in co-investment transactions with the Adviser and its affiliates, subject to certain terms and conditions. However, while the terms of the exemptive relief require that the Adviser will be given the opportunity to cause us to participate in certain transactions originated by affiliates of the Adviser, the Adviser may determine that we not participate in those transactions and for certain other transactions (as set forth in guidelines approved by the Board of Trustees) the Adviser may not have the opportunity to cause us to participate. Affiliates of the Adviser, whose primary business includes the origination of investments or investing in non-originated assets, engage in investment advisory business with accounts that compete with us. See “—Various potential and actual conflicts of interest will arise, and there are conflicts that may not be identified or resolved in a manner favorable to us.”

Our equity or debt securities may be purchased by the Adviser or its affiliates.

Affiliates of the Adviser have purchased and in the future expect to purchase our equity or debt securities. The Adviser and its affiliates will not acquire our equity securities with the intention to resell or re-distribute such shares but may do so with respect to our debt securities. The purchase of such securities by the Adviser and its affiliates could create certain risks, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

•

the Adviser and its affiliates may have an interest in disposing of our securities at an earlier date so as to recover their investment in our securities;

 

•

substantial purchases of our securities by the Adviser and its affiliates may limit the Adviser’s ability to fulfill any financial obligations that it may have to us or incurred on our behalf; and

 

•

potential conflicts of interest, including related to the exercise of voting, consent or similar rights under our equity or debt securities

The Adviser relies on key personnel, the loss of any of whom could impair its ability to successfully manage us.

Our future success depends, to a significant extent, on the continued services of the officers and employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. The loss of services of one or more members of the Adviser’s management team,

 

68

including members of its investment committee (the “Investment Committee”), could adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations. The Adviser does not have an employment agreement with any of these key personnel and we cannot guarantee that all, or any particular one, will remain affiliated with us and/or the Adviser. Further, we do not intend to separately maintain key person life insurance on any of these individuals.

The compensation we pay to the Adviser will be determined without independent assessment on our behalf, and these terms may be less advantageous to us than if such terms had been the subject of arm’s-length negotiations.

The Investment Advisory Agreement will not be entered into on an arm’s-length basis with an unaffiliated third party. As a result, the form and amount of compensation we pay the Adviser may be less favorable to us than they might have been had an investment advisory agreement been entered into through arm’s-length transactions with an unaffiliated third party.

The Intermediary Manager’s influence on the offering of our shares gives it the ability to increase the fees payable to the Adviser.

The Adviser is paid a base management fee calculated as a percentage of our net assets and unrelated to net income or any other performance base or measure. The Intermediary Manager, an affiliate of the Adviser will be incentivized to raise more proceeds in our offering to increase our net assets, even if it would be difficult for us to efficiently deploy additional capital, which in turn would increase the base management fee payable to the Adviser.

There may be trademark risk, as we do not own the Blackstone name.

We do not own the Blackstone name, but we are permitted to use it as part of our corporate name pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement. Use of the name by other parties or the termination of the Investment Advisory Agreement may harm our business.

Risks Related to Business Development Companies

The requirement that we invest a sufficient portion of our assets in Qualifying Assets could preclude us from investing in accordance with our current business strategy; conversely, the failure to invest a sufficient portion of our assets in Qualifying Assets could result in our failure to maintain our status as a BDC.

Under the 1940 Act, a BDC may not acquire any asset other than assets of the type listed in section 55(a) of the 1940 Act described as “qualifying” assets, (“Qualifying Assets”) unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are Qualifying Assets. Therefore, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if such investments are not Qualifying Assets. Conversely, if we fail to invest a sufficient portion of our assets in Qualifying Assets, we could lose our status as a BDC, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making additional investments in existing portfolio companies, which could result in the dilution of our position, or could require us to dispose of investments at an inopportune time to comply with the 1940 Act. If we were forced to sell non-qualifying investments in the portfolio for compliance purposes, the proceeds from such sale could be significantly less than the current value of such investments.

Failure to maintain our status as a BDC would reduce our operating flexibility.

If we do not remain a BDC, we might be regulated as a registered closed-end management investment company under the 1940 Act, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions under the 1940 Act and correspondingly decrease our operating flexibility.

 

69

Regulations governing our operation as a BDC and RIC will affect our ability to raise, and the way in which we raise, additional capital or borrow for investment purposes, which may have a negative effect on our growth.

As a result of meeting the annual distribution requirement to qualify for taxation as a RIC under the Code, we may need to periodically access the capital markets to raise cash in order to fund new investments. We may issue “senior securities,” as defined under the 1940 Act, including borrowing money from banks or other financial institutions only in amounts such that our asset coverage meets the threshold set forth in the 1940 Act immediately after each such issuance. The 1940 Act currently requires an asset coverage of at least 150% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed two-thirds of the value of our assets). Our ability to issue different types of securities is also limited. Compliance with these requirements may unfavorably limit our investment opportunities and reduce our ability in comparison to other companies to profit from favorable spreads between the rates at which we can borrow and the rates at which we can lend. As a BDC, therefore, we intend to continuously issue equity at a rate more frequent than our privately-owned competitors, which may lead to greater shareholder dilution.

We borrow for investment purposes. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy the asset coverage test, which would prohibit us from paying distributions and could result in a corporate income tax to the Fund. If we cannot satisfy the asset coverage test, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our debt financing, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous.

Under the 1940 Act, we generally are prohibited from issuing or selling our shares at a price per share, after deducting selling commissions and dealer manager fees, that is below our NAV per share, which may be a disadvantage as compared with other public companies. We may, however, sell our shares, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our shares, at a price below the current NAV of our shares if our Board of Trustees, including our independent trustees, determine that such sale is in our best interests and the best interests of our shareholders, and our shareholders, as well as those shareholders that are not affiliated with us, approve such sale. In any such case, the price at which our securities are to be issued and sold may not be less than a price that, in the determination of our Board of Trustees, closely approximates the fair value of such securities.

Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted.

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates (including portfolio companies of Other Clients) without the prior approval of a majority of the independent members of our Board of Trustees and, in some cases, the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act and generally we will be prohibited from buying or selling any securities from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our Board of Trustees. However, we may under certain circumstances purchase any such affiliate’s loans or securities in the secondary market, which could create a conflict for the Adviser between our interests and the interests of such affiliate, in that the ability of the Adviser to recommend actions in our best interest may be limited. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or closely related times), without prior approval of our Board of Trustees and, in some cases, the SEC. If a person acquires more than 25% of our voting securities, we will be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to such person or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions (including certain co-investments) with such persons, absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers, Trustees, investment advisers, sub-advisers or their affiliates. As a result of these restrictions, we may be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any fund or any portfolio company of a fund managed by the Adviser, or entering into joint arrangements such as certain co-investments with these companies or funds without the prior approval of the SEC, which may limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us.

 

70

We have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC that allows us to engage in co-investment transactions with the Adviser and its affiliates, subject to certain terms and conditions. However, while the terms of the exemptive relief require that the Adviser will be given the opportunity to cause us to participate in certain transactions originated by affiliates of the Adviser, the Adviser may determine that we not participate in those transactions and for certain other transactions (as set forth in guidelines approved by the Board of Trustees) the Adviser may not have the opportunity to cause us to participate.

We are uncertain of our sources for funding our future capital needs; if we cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms, our ability to acquire investments and to expand our operations will be adversely affected.

The net proceeds from the sale of shares will be used for our investment opportunities, operating expenses and for payment of various fees and expenses such as base management fees, incentive fees and other expenses. Any working capital reserves we maintain may not be sufficient for investment purposes, and we may require debt or equity financing to operate. Accordingly, in the event that we develop a need for additional capital in the future for investments or for any other reason, these sources of funding may not be available to us. Consequently, if we cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms, our ability to acquire investments and to expand our operations will be adversely affected. As a result, we would be less able to create and maintain a broad portfolio of investments and achieve our investment objectives, which may negatively impact our results of operations and reduce our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We are a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and therefore we are not limited with respect to the proportion of our assets that may be invested in securities of a single issuer.

We are classified as a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, which means that we are not limited by the 1940 Act with respect to the proportion of our assets that we may invest in securities of a single issuer. Under the 1940 Act, a “diversified” investment company is required to invest at least 75% of the value of its total assets in cash and cash items, government securities, securities of other investment companies and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the total assets of such company and no more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer. As a non-diversified investment company, we are not subject to this requirement. To the extent that we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, or within a particular industry, our NAV may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified investment company as a result of changes in the financial condition or the market’s assessment of the issuer. We may also be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company or to a general downturn in the economy. However, we will be subject to the diversification requirements applicable to RICs under Subchapter M of the Code.

Risks Related to Debt Financing

We borrow money, which magnifies the potential for loss on amounts invested in us and may increase the risk of investing in us. Leverage may also adversely affect the return on our assets, reduce cash available for distribution to our shareholders and result in losses.

The use of borrowings, also known as leverage, increases the volatility of investments by magnifying the potential for loss on invested equity capital. Furthermore, the Fund may add leverage to its portfolio through the issuance of preferred shares. Currently, the Fund has no intention to issue preferred shares. The use of leverage involves increased risk, including increased variability of the Fund’s net income, distributions and NAV in relation to market changes. If the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause NAV to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged. Similarly, any decrease in our income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not used leverage. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to our shareholders. In addition, our shareholders bear the burden of any increase in our expenses as a result of our use of leverage, including interest expenses and any increase in the management or incentive fees payable to the Adviser. The Fund’s leverage strategy may not work as planned or achieve its goal.

 

71

We use and expect to continue to use leverage to finance our investments. The amount of leverage that we employ will depend on the Adviser’s and our Board of Trustees’ assessment of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. There can be no assurance that leveraged financing will be available to us on favorable terms or at all. However, to the extent that we use leverage to finance our assets, our financing costs will reduce cash available for distributions to shareholders. Moreover, we may not be able to meet our financing obligations and, to the extent that we cannot, we risk the loss of some or all of our assets to liquidation or sale to satisfy the obligations. In such an event, we may be forced to sell assets at significantly depressed prices due to market conditions or otherwise, which may result in losses.

As a BDC, we generally are required to meet a coverage ratio of total assets to total borrowings and other senior securities, which include all of our borrowings and any preferred shares that we may issue in the future, of at least 150%. If this ratio were to fall below 150%, we could not incur additional debt and could be required to sell a portion of our investments to repay some debt when it is disadvantageous to do so. This could have a material adverse effect on our operations and investment activities. Moreover, our ability to make distributions to shareholders may be significantly restricted or we may not be able to make any such distributions whatsoever. The amount of leverage that we will employ will be subject to oversight by our Board of Trustees, a majority of whom are independent Trustees with no material interests in such transactions.

The Fund may also enter into reverse repurchase agreements. Transactions under such agreements constitute leverage. When the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, any fluctuations in the market value of either the securities transferred to another party or the securities in which the proceeds may be invested would affect the market value of the Fund’s assets. As a result, the use of such leverage transactions may increase fluctuations in the market value of the Fund’s assets compared to what would occur without the use of such transactions. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, transacting under such agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.

Although leverage has the potential to enhance overall returns that exceed the Fund’s cost of funds, they will further diminish returns (or increase losses on capital) to the extent overall returns are less than the Fund’s cost of funds. In addition, borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements or similar arrangements in which the Fund may engage may be secured by the shareholders’ investments as well as by the Fund’s assets and the documentation relating to such transactions may provide that during the continuance of a default under such arrangement, the interests of the holders of Common Shares may be subordinated to the interests of the Fund’s lenders or debt holders.

Our credit facilities and unsecured notes impose financial and operating covenants that restrict our business activities, including limitations that could hinder our ability to finance additional loans and investments or to make the distributions required to maintain our status as a regulated investment company under the 1940 Act. A failure to renew our facilities or to add new or replacement debt facilities or issue additional debt securities or other evidences of indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.

See “Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources.” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 for more information regarding our borrowings.

We may default under our credit facilities.

In the event we default under our credit facilities or other borrowings, our business could be adversely affected as we may be forced to sell a portion of our investments quickly and prematurely at what may be disadvantageous prices to us in order to meet our outstanding payment obligations and/or support working capital requirements under such borrowing facility, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business,

 

72

financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, following any such default, the agent for the lenders under such borrowing facility could assume control of the disposition of any or all of our assets, including the selection of such assets to be disposed and the timing of such disposition, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our credit ratings may not reflect all risks of an investment in our debt securities.

Our credit ratings are an assessment by third parties of our ability to pay our obligations. Consequently, real or anticipated changes in our credit ratings will generally affect the market value of our debt securities. Our credit ratings, however, may not reflect the potential impact of risks related to market conditions generally or other factors discussed above on the market value of or trading market for the publicly issued debt securities.

The Notes present other risks to common shareholders, including the possibility that such notes could discourage an acquisition of us by a third party.

Certain provisions of the Fund’s outstanding notes (the “Notes”) issued by us could make it more difficult or more expensive for a third party to acquire us. Upon the occurrence of certain transactions constituting a fundamental change, holders of the Notes may have the right, at their option, to require us to repurchase all of their notes or any portion of the principal amount of such Notes. These provisions could discourage an acquisition of us by a third party.

Failure to refinance our existing Notes could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

The Notes issued by us will mature at various dates in the future. If we are unable to refinance the Notes or find a new source of borrowing on acceptable terms, we will be required to pay down the amounts outstanding at maturity through one or more of the following: (1) borrowing additional funds under our then current credit facility, (2) issuance of additional Common Shares or (3) possible liquidation of some or all of our loans and other assets, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

Provisions in a credit facility may limit our investment discretion.

A credit facility may be backed by all or a portion of our loans and securities on which the lenders will have a security interest. We may pledge up to 100% of our assets and may grant a security interest in all of our assets under the terms of any debt instrument we enter into with lenders. We expect that any security interests we grant will be set forth in a pledge and security agreement and evidenced by the filing of financing statements by the agent for the lenders. In addition, we expect that the custodian for our securities serving as collateral for such loan would include in its electronic systems notices indicating the existence of such security interests and, following notice of occurrence of an event of default, if any, and during its continuance, will only accept transfer instructions with respect to any such securities from the lender or its designee. If we were to default under the terms of any debt instrument, the agent for the applicable lenders would be able to assume control of the timing of disposition of any or all of our assets securing such debt, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In connection with one or more credit facilities entered into by the Fund, distributions to shareholders may be subordinated to payments required in connection with any indebtedness contemplated thereby.

In addition, any security interests and/or negative covenants required by a credit facility may limit our ability to create liens on assets to secure additional debt and may make it difficult for us to restructure or refinance indebtedness at or prior to maturity or obtain additional debt or equity financing. In addition, if our borrowing base under a credit facility were to decrease, we may be required to secure additional assets in an amount sufficient to cure any borrowing base deficiency. In the event that all of our assets are secured at the time of such a borrowing base deficiency, we could be required to repay advances under a credit facility or make deposits to a collection account, either of which could have a material adverse impact on our ability to fund future investments and to make distributions.

 

73

In addition, we may be subject to limitations as to how borrowed funds may be used, which may include restrictions on geographic and industry concentrations, loan size, payment frequency and status, average life, collateral interests and investment ratings, as well as regulatory restrictions on leverage which may affect the amount of funding that may be obtained. There may also be certain requirements relating to portfolio performance, including required minimum portfolio yield and limitations on delinquencies and charge-offs, a violation of which could limit further advances and, in some cases, result in an event of default. An event of default under a credit facility could result in an accelerated maturity date for all amounts outstanding thereunder, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. This could reduce our liquidity and cash flow and impair our ability to grow our business.

The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our shares assuming various annual returns on our portfolio, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical, and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing in the table below.

 

		Assumed Return on Portfolio (Net of Expenses)
		-10%				-5%				0%				5%				10%
Corresponding Return to Common Shareholders(1)			(29.78	)%			(18.17	)%			(6.55	)%			5.06	%			16.67	%

 

(1)

Based on (i) $52.7 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2022, (ii) $26.8 billion in outstanding indebtedness at par, as of December 31, 2022, (iii) $22.7 billion in net assets as of December 31, 2022 and (iv) an annualized average interest rate, including fees (such as fees on undrawn amounts and amortization of financing costs), on our indebtedness, as of December 31, 2022, of 5.52%.

Based on an outstanding indebtedness, at par, of $26.8 billion as of December 31, 2022 and the weighted average effective annual interest rate, including fees (such as fees on undrawn amounts and amortization of financing costs), of 5.52% as of that date, our investment portfolio at fair value would have had to produce an annual return of approximately 2.82% to cover annual interest payments on the outstanding debt.

Changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital and net investment income.

Since we use debt to finance a portion of our investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest those funds. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. In periods of rising interest rates when we have debt outstanding, our cost of funds will increase, which could reduce our net investment income. We expect that our long-term fixed-rate investments will be financed primarily with equity and long-term debt. We may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to limit our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. These techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. These activities may limit our ability to participate in the benefits of lower interest rates with respect to the hedged portfolio. Adverse developments resulting from changes in interest rates or hedging transactions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, we have limited experience in entering into hedging transactions, and we will initially have to purchase or develop such expertise.

A rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments. Accordingly, an increase in interest rates would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the incentive fee hurdle rate and may result in a substantial increase in the amount of incentive fees payable to the Adviser with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income.

Compliance with SEC Rule 18f-4 governing derivatives and use of leverage may limit our investment discretion.

In connection with the adoption of Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, the SEC eliminated the asset segregation framework arising from prior SEC guidance for covering positions in derivatives and certain financial

 

74

instruments. Among other things, Rule 18f-4 limits a fund’s derivatives exposure through a value-at-risk test and requires the adoption and implementation of a derivatives risk management program for certain derivatives users. Subject to certain conditions, limited derivatives users (as defined in Rule 18f-4), such as the Fund, however, would not be subject to the full requirements of Rule 18f-4. Under Rule 18f-4, a fund may enter into an unfunded commitment agreement that is not a derivatives transaction, such as an agreement to provide financing to a portfolio company, if the fund has, among other things, a reasonable belief, at the time it enters into such an agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all of its unfunded commitment agreements, in each case as it becomes due. The Fund has adopted policies and procedures to comply with the requirements of the new rule. Compliance with Rule 18f-4 may limit our ability to use derivatives and/or enter into certain other financial contracts.

We have formed CLOs, and may form additional CLOs in the future, which may subject us to certain structured financing risks.

To finance investments, we may securitize certain of our secured loans or other investments, including through the formation of one or more CLOs, while retaining all or most of the exposure to the performance of these investments. This would involve contributing a pool of assets to a special purpose entity, and selling debt interests in such entity on a non-recourse or limited-recourse basis to purchasers. Depending on how these CLOs are structured, an interest in any such CLO held by us may be considered a “non-qualifying” portfolio investment for purposes of the 1940 Act.

For the CLOs we create we will depend in part on distributions from the CLO’s assets out of its earnings and cash flows to enable us to make distributions to shareholders. The ability of a CLO to make distributions will be subject to various limitations, including the terms and covenants of the debt it issues. Also, a CLO may take actions that delay distributions in order to preserve ratings and to keep the cost of present and future financings lower or the CLO may be obligated to retain cash or other assets to satisfy over-collateralization requirements commonly provided for holders of the CLO’s debt, which could impact our ability to receive distributions from the CLO. If we do not receive cash flow from any such CLO that is necessary to satisfy the annual distribution requirement for maintaining RIC tax treatment, and we are unable to obtain cash from other sources necessary to satisfy this requirement, we may not maintain our qualification for taxation as a RIC, which would have a material adverse effect on an investment in the shares.

In addition, a decline in the credit quality of loans in a CLO due to poor operating results of the relevant borrowers, declines in the value of loan collateral or increases in defaults, among other things, may force a CLO to sell certain assets at a loss, reducing their earnings and, in turn, cash potentially available for distribution to us for distribution to shareholders. To the extent that any losses are incurred by the CLO in respect of any collateral, such losses will be borne first by us as owner of equity interests in the CLO.

The manager for a CLO that we create may be the Fund, the Adviser or an affiliate, and such manager may be entitled to receive compensation for structuring and/or management services. To the extent the Adviser or an affiliate other than the Fund serves as manager and the Fund is obligated to compensate the Adviser or the affiliate for such services, we, the Adviser or the affiliate will implement offsetting arrangements to assure that we, and indirectly, our shareholders, pay no additional management fees to the Adviser or the affiliate in connection therewith. To the extent we serve as manager, we will waive any right to receive fees for such services from the Fund (and indirectly its shareholders) or any affiliate.

Federal Income Tax Risks

We will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we are unable to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code or to satisfy RIC distribution requirements.

To qualify for and maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code, we must, among other things, meet annual distribution, income source and quarterly asset diversification requirements. If we do not

 

75

qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions.

We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income.

For federal income tax purposes, we may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash. For example, if we hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as zero-coupon securities, debt instruments with PIK interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or debt instruments that were issued with warrants), we must include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount that accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same taxable year. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan or are paid in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock. We anticipate that a portion of our income may constitute original issue discount or other income required to be included in taxable income prior to receipt of cash. Furthermore, we have elected to accrue market discount on debt obligations and include such amounts in our taxable income on a current basis, instead of upon disposition of the applicable debt obligation.

Because any original issue discount, market discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our shareholders in order to satisfy the annual distribution requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have difficulty meeting the annual distribution requirement necessary to qualify for and maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code. We may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may not qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment and thus we may become subject to corporate-level income tax.

Some of our investments may be subject to corporate-level income tax.

We may invest in certain debt and equity investments through taxable subsidiaries and the taxable income of these taxable subsidiaries will be subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. We may invest in certain foreign debt and equity investments which could be subject to foreign taxes (such as income tax, withholding and value added taxes).

Our portfolio investments may present special tax issues.

The Fund expects to invest in debt securities that are rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund, to the extent necessary, to preserve its status as a RIC and to distribute sufficient income to not become subject to U.S. federal income tax.

Legislative or regulatory tax changes could adversely affect investors.

At any time, the federal income tax laws governing RICs or the administrative interpretations of those laws or regulations may be amended. Any of those new laws, regulations or interpretations may take effect

 

76

retroactively and could adversely affect the taxation of us or our shareholders. Therefore, changes in tax laws, regulations or administrative interpretations or any amendments thereto could diminish the value of an investment in our shares or the value or the resale potential of our investments.

Risks Related to an Investment in the Common Shares

We may have difficulty paying distributions and the tax character of any distributions is uncertain.

We generally intend to distribute substantially all of our available earnings annually by paying distributions on a monthly basis, as determined by the Board of Trustees in its discretion. We cannot assure investors that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this prospectus. Due to the asset coverage test applicable to us under the 1940 Act as a BDC, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. In addition, if we enter into a credit facility or any other borrowing facility, for so long as such facility is outstanding, we anticipate that we may be required by its terms to use all payments of interest and principal that we receive from our current investments as well as any proceeds received from the sale of our current investments to repay amounts outstanding thereunder, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions.

Furthermore, the tax treatment and characterization of our distributions may vary significantly from time to time due to the nature of our investments. The ultimate tax characterization of our distributions made during a taxable year may not finally be determined until after the end of that taxable year. We may make distributions during a taxable year that exceed our investment company taxable income and net capital gains for that taxable year. In such a situation, the amount by which our total distributions exceed investment company taxable income and net capital gains generally would be treated as a return of capital up to the amount of a shareholder’s tax basis in the shares, with any amounts exceeding such tax basis treated as a gain from the sale or exchange of such shares. A return of capital generally is a return of a shareholder’s investment rather than a return of earnings or gains derived from our investment activities. Moreover, we may pay all or a substantial portion of our distributions from borrowings or sources other than cash flow from operations in anticipation of future cash flow, which could constitute a return of shareholders’ capital and will lower such shareholders’ tax basis in our shares, which may result in increased tax liability to shareholders when they sell such shares.

An investment in our shares will have limited liquidity.

Our shares constitute illiquid investments for which there is not, and will likely not be, a secondary market at any time prior to a public offering and listing of our shares on a national securities exchange. There can be no guarantee that we will conduct a public offering and list our shares on a national securities exchange. Investment in the Fund is suitable only for sophisticated investors and requires the financial ability and willingness to accept the high risks and lack of liquidity inherent in an investment in the Fund. Except in limited circumstances for legal or regulatory purposes, shareholders are not entitled to redeem their shares. Shareholders must be prepared to bear the economic risk of an investment in our shares for an extended period of time.

Certain investors will be subject to 1934 Act filing requirements.

Because our Common Shares will be registered under the 1934 Act, ownership information for any person who beneficially owns 5% or more of our Common Shares will have to be disclosed in a Schedule 13G or other filings with the SEC. Beneficial ownership for these purposes is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and includes having voting or investment power over the securities. In some circumstances, our shareholders who choose to reinvest their dividends may see their percentage stake in the Fund increased to more than 5%, thus triggering this filing requirement. Each shareholder is responsible for determining their filing obligations and preparing the filings. In addition, our shareholders who hold more than 10% of a class of our shares may be subject to Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act, which recaptures for the benefit of the Fund profits from

 

77

the purchase and sale of registered stock (and securities convertible or exchangeable into such registered stock) within a six-month period.

Economic events that may cause our shareholders to request that we repurchase their shares may materially adversely affect our cash flow and our results of operations and financial condition.

Economic events affecting the U.S. economy, such as the general negative performance of the credit sector, or market volatility (including as a result of the recent outbreak of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine) could cause our shareholders to seek to sell their shares to us pursuant to our share repurchase program at a time when such events are adversely affecting the performance of our assets. Even if we decide to satisfy all resulting repurchase requests, our cash flow and liquidity could be materially adversely affected and we may incur additional leverage. In addition, if we determine to sell assets to satisfy repurchase requests, we may not be able to realize the return on such assets that we may have been able to achieve had we sold at a more favorable time, and our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, shareholders have and may continue to seek, and certain financial intermediaries have and may continue to recommend to their clients that they seek repurchase of some or all of the shares of our Common Shares that they hold. Any such repurchase request, or recommendation, can result in a significant volume of repurchase requests in a given period, which can exceed the amount we offer to repurchase each quarter under our share repurchase program, and can result in less than the full amount of repurchase requests being satisfied in such period (including relative to our quarterly repurchase target amount). See “Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Share Repurchase Program” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Special considerations for certain benefit plan investors.

We intend to conduct our affairs so that our assets should not be deemed to constitute “plan assets” under ERISA and certain U.S. Department of Labor regulations promulgated thereunder, as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA (the “Plan Asset Regulations”). In this regard, if any class of the Common Shares were not considered “publicly-offered securities” within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations, we will have the right to take the actions as described in “Certain ERISA Considerations.”

If, notwithstanding our intent, the assets of the Fund were deemed to be “plan assets” of any shareholder that is a “benefit plan investor” under the Plan Asset Regulations, this would result, among other things, in (i) the application of the prudence and other fiduciary responsibility standards of ERISA to investments made by the Fund, and (ii) the possibility that certain transactions in which the Fund might seek to engage could constitute “prohibited transactions” under ERISA and the Code. If a prohibited transaction occurs for which no exemption is available, the Adviser and/or any other fiduciary that has engaged in the prohibited transaction could be required to (i) restore to the benefit plan investor any profit realized on the transaction and (ii) reimburse the benefit plan investor for any losses suffered by the benefit plan investor as a result of the investment. In addition, each disqualified person (within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code) involved could be subject to an excise tax equal to 15% of the amount involved in the prohibited transaction for each year the transaction continues and, unless the transaction is corrected within statutorily required periods, to an additional tax of 100%. The fiduciary of a benefit plan investor who decides to invest in the Fund could, under certain circumstances, be liable for prohibited transactions or other violations as a result of their investment in the Fund or as co-fiduciaries for actions taken by or on behalf of the Fund or the Adviser. With respect to a benefit plan investor that is an individual retirement account (an “IRA”) that invests in the Fund, the occurrence of a prohibited transaction involving the individual who established the IRA, or his or her beneficiaries, would cause the IRA to lose its tax-exempt status.

We may face risks arising from potential control group liability.

Under ERISA and the Code, all members of a group of commonly controlled trades or businesses may be jointly and severally liable for each other’s obligations to any defined benefit pension plans maintained by an

 

78

entity in the controlled group or to which such entity is obligated to contribute. These obligations may include the obligation to make required pension contributions, the obligation to fund any deficit amount upon pension plan termination and the obligation to pay withdrawal liability owed to a multiemployer (union) plan to which such entity makes contributions if the entity withdraws from an underfunded multiemployer pension plan. A 2013 U.S. Federal Appeals court decision found that certain supervisory and portfolio management activities of a private equity fund could cause a fund to be considered a trade or business for these purposes, and thus, liable for withdrawal liability owed by a fund’s portfolio company to an underfunded multiemployer plan which covered the employees of the portfolio company. Accordingly, if we invested in a control type investment and if we were found to be engaged in a “trade or business” for ERISA purposes, we and the various entities in which we have a control type investment could be held liable for the defined benefit pension obligations of one or more of such investments.

No shareholder approval is required for certain mergers.

The independent Trustees of our Board of Trustees may undertake to approve mergers between us and certain other funds or vehicles. Subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act, such mergers will not require shareholder approval so you will not be given an opportunity to vote on these matters unless such mergers are reasonably anticipated to result in a material dilution of the NAV per share of the Fund. These mergers may involve funds managed by affiliates of Blackstone Credit. The independent Trustees may also convert the form and/or jurisdiction of organization, including to take advantage of laws that are more favorable to maintaining board control in the face of dissident shareholders.

Shareholders may experience dilution.

All distributions declared in cash payable to shareholders that are participants in our distribution reinvestment plan will generally be automatically reinvested in our Common Shares. As a result, shareholders that do not participate in our distribution reinvestment plan may experience dilution over time.

Holders of our Common Shares will not have preemptive rights to any shares we issue in the future. Our Declaration allows us to issue an unlimited number of Common Shares. After you purchase Common Shares in the offering, our Board of Trustees may elect, without shareholder approval, to: (1) sell additional shares in this or future public offerings; (2) issue Common Shares or interests in any of our subsidiaries in private offerings; (3) issue Common Shares upon the exercise of the options we may grant to our independent directors or future employees; or (4) subject to applicable law, issue Common Shares in payment of an outstanding obligation to pay fees for services rendered to us. To the extent we issue additional Common Shares after your purchase in the offering, your percentage ownership interest in us will be diluted. Because of these and other reasons, our shareholders may experience substantial dilution in their percentage ownership of our shares or their interests in the underlying assets held by our subsidiaries.

Investing in our shares involves a high degree of risk.

The investments we make in accordance with our investment objectives may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and volatility or loss of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies may be highly speculative and aggressive and, therefore, an investment in our shares may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.

The NAV of our shares may fluctuate significantly.

The NAV and liquidity, if any, of the market for our shares may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include:

 

•

changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs or BDCs;

 

•

loss of RIC or BDC status;

 

79

•

changes in earnings or variations in operating results;

 

•

changes in the value of our portfolio of investments;

 

•

changes in accounting guidelines governing valuation of our investments;

 

•

any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors;

 

•

departure of either of the Adviser or certain of its respective key personnel;

 

•

general economic trends and other external factors; and

 

•

loss of a major funding source.

 

80

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to (1) make investments in accordance with our investment strategy and policies, (2) reduce borrowings and repay indebtedness incurred under various financing agreements we may enter into and (3) fund repurchases under our share repurchase program. Generally, our policy will be to pay distributions and operating expenses from cash flow from operations, however, we are not restricted from funding these items from proceeds from this offering or other sources and may choose to do so, particularly in the earlier part of this offering. For additional information on our debt obligations, see “Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Note 7. Borrowings” and “Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

We will seek to invest the net proceeds received in this offering as promptly as practicable after receipt thereof, and in any event generally within 60 days of each subscription closing. However, depending on market conditions and other factors, including the availability of investments that meet our investment objectives, we may be unable to invest such proceeds within the time period we anticipate. Pending such investment, we may have a greater allocation to syndicated loans or other liquid investments than we otherwise would or we may make investments in cash or cash equivalents (such as U.S. government securities or certain high quality debt instruments).

We estimate that we will incur approximately $20.8 million of offering expenses (excluding the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee) in connection with this offering, or approximately 0.06% of the gross proceeds, assuming maximum gross proceeds of $36,500,000,000. Any reimbursements will not exceed actual expenses incurred by the Adviser and its affiliates.

The following tables sets forth our estimate of how we intend to use the gross proceeds from this offering. Information is provided assuming that the Fund sells the maximum number of shares registered in this offering, or 1,484,343,229 shares. The amount of net proceeds may be more or less than the amount depicted in the table below depending on the public offering price of our shares and the actual number of shares we sell in this offering. The table below assumes that shares are sold at the offering price as of December 31, 2022 of $24.59 per share. Such amount is subject to increase or decrease based upon our NAV per share.

The following tables present information about the net proceeds raised in this offering for each class, assuming that we sell the maximum primary offering amount of $36,500,000,000. The tables assume that 1/3 of our gross offering proceeds are from the sale of Class S shares, 1/3 of our gross offering proceeds are from the sale of Class D shares and 1/3 of our gross offering proceeds are from the sale of Class I shares. The number of shares of each class sold and the relative proportions in which the classes of shares are sold are uncertain and may differ significantly from what is shown in the tables below. Because amounts in the following tables are estimates, they may not accurately reflect the actual receipt or use of the gross proceeds from this offering. Amounts expressed as a percentage of net proceeds or gross proceeds may be higher or lower due to rounding.

The following table presents information regarding the use of proceeds raised in this offering with respect to Class S shares.

 

		Maximum Offering of $12,166,666,667 in Class S Shares
Gross Proceeds(1)		$	12,166,666,667				100	%
Upfront Sales Load(2)		$	—				—	%
Organization and Offering Expenses(3)		$	6,943,587				0.06	%
Net Proceeds Available for Investment		$	12,159,723,080				99.94	%

 

81

The following table presents information regarding the use of proceeds raised in this offering with respect to Class D shares.

 

		Maximum Offering of $12,166,666,667 in Class D Shares
Gross Proceeds(1)		$	12,166,666,667				100	%
Upfront Sales Load(2)		$	—				—	%
Organization and Offering Expenses(3)		$	6,943,587				0.06	%
Net Proceeds Available for Investment		$	12,159,723,080				99.94	%

The following table presents information regarding the use of proceeds raised in this offering with respect to Class I shares.

 

		Maximum Offering of $12,166,666,667 in Class I Shares
Gross Proceeds(1)		$	12,166,666,667				100	%
Upfront Sales Load(2)		$	—				—	%
Organization and Offering Expenses(3)		$	6,943,587				0.06	%
Net Proceeds Available for Investment		$	12,159,723,080				99.94	%

 

(1)

We intend to conduct a continuous offering of an unlimited number of Common Shares over an unlimited time period by filing a new registration statement prior to the end of the three-year period described in Rule 415 under the Securities Act; however, in certain states this offering is subject to annual extensions.

(2)

No upfront sales load will be paid with respect to Class S shares, Class D shares or Class I shares, however, if you buy Class S shares or Class D shares through certain financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you transaction or other fees, including upfront placement fees or brokerage commissions, in such amount as they may determine, provided that selling agents limit such charges to a 1.5% cap on NAV for Class D shares and 3.5% cap on NAV for Class S shares. Selling agents will not charge such fees on Class I shares. We will pay the following shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees to the Intermediary Manager, subject to FINRA limitations on underwriting compensation: (a) for Class S shares only, a shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee equal to 0.85% per annum of the aggregate NAV for the Class S shares and (b) for Class D shares only, a shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee equal to 0.25% per annum of the aggregate NAV for the Class D shares, in each case, payable monthly. The shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees are similar to sales commissions. The distribution and servicing expenses borne by the participating brokers may be different from and substantially less than the amount of shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees charged. All or a portion of the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee may be used to pay for sub-transfer agency, sub-accounting and certain other administrative services. The Fund also may pay for these sub-transfer agency, sub-accounting and certain other administrative services outside of the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees and its Distribution and Servicing Plan. The total amount that will be paid over time for shareholder servicing and/ or distribution fees depends on the average length of time for which shares remain outstanding, the term over which such amount is measured and the performance of our investments, and is not expected to be paid from sources other than cash flow from operating activities. We will cease paying the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee on the Class S shares and Class D shares on the earlier to occur of the following: (i) a listing of Class I shares, (ii) our merger or consolidation with or into another entity, or the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets or (iii) the date following the completion of the primary portion of this offering on which, in the aggregate, underwriting compensation from all sources in connection with this offering, including the shareholder servicing and/or distribution fee and other underwriting compensation, is equal to 10% of the gross proceeds from our primary offering. In addition, consistent with the exemptive relief allowing us to offer multiple classes of shares, at the end of the month

 

82

in which the Intermediary Manager in conjunction with the transfer agent determines that total transaction or other fees, including upfront placement fees or brokerage commissions, and shareholder servicing and/or distribution fees paid with respect to the shares held in a shareholder’s account would exceed, in the aggregate, 10% of the gross proceeds from the sale of such shares (or a lower limit as determined by the Intermediary Manager or the applicable selling agent), we will cease paying the shareholder servicing and/ or distribution fee on the Class S shares and Class D shares in such shareholder’s account. Compensation paid with respect to the shares in a shareholder’s account will be allocated among each share such that the compensation paid with respect to each individual share will not exceed 10% of the offering price of such share. We may modify this requirement in a manner that is consistent with applicable exemptive relief. At the end of such month, the Class S shares or Class D shares in such shareholder’s account will convert into a number of Class I shares (including any fractional shares), with an equivalent aggregate NAV as such Class S or Class D shares.

(3)

The organization and offering expense numbers shown above represent our estimates of expenses to be incurred by us in connection with this offering and include estimated wholesaling expenses reimbursable by us. See “Plan of Distribution” for examples of the types of organization and offering expenses we may incur.

 

83

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with “Financial Highlights” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The information in this section contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or the future performance or financial condition of the Fund and involves numerous risks and uncertainties. Please see “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for a discussion of uncertainties, risk and assumptions associated with these statements.

Overview and Investment Framework

We are a newly organized, externally managed, non-diversified closed-end management investment company that has elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. Formed as a Delaware statutory trust on February 11, 2020, we are externally managed by the Adviser, which is responsible for sourcing potential investments, conducting due diligence on prospective investments, analyzing investment opportunities, structuring investments and monitoring our portfolio on an ongoing basis. Our Adviser is registered as investment adviser with the SEC. We have elected to be treated, and intend to qualify annually, as a RIC under the Code.

Under our Investment Advisory Agreement, we have agreed to pay the Adviser an annual management fee as well as an incentive fee based on our investment performance. Also, under the Administration Agreement, we have agreed to reimburse the Administrator for the allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by the Administrator in performing its obligations under the Administration Agreement, including our allocable portion of the costs of compensation and related expenses of our chief compliance officer, chief financial officer and their respective staffs.

Our investment objectives are to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, we will invest at least 80% of our total assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in private credit investments (loans, bonds and other credit instruments that are issued in private offerings or issued by private companies). If we change our 80% test, we will provide shareholders with at least 60 days’ notice of such change. Once we have invested a substantial amount of proceeds from the offering, under normal circumstances we expect that the majority of our portfolio will be in privately originated and privately negotiated investments, predominantly direct lending to U.S. private companies through Private Credit. To a lesser extent, we will also invest in Opportunistic Credit. We expect that the Opportunistic Credit investments will generally be liquid, and may be used for the purposes of maintaining liquidity for our share repurchase program and cash management, while also presenting an opportunity for attractive investment returns.

Most of our investments will be in U.S. private companies, but (subject to compliance with BDCs’ requirement to invest at least 70% of its assets in U.S. private companies), we also expect to invest to some extent in European and other non-U.S. companies, but do not expect to invest in emerging markets. Subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act, we may invest in loans or other securities, the proceeds of which may refinance or otherwise repay debt or securities of companies whose debt is owned by other Blackstone Credit Clients. From time to time, we may co-invest with other Blackstone Credit Clients.

Key Components of Our Results of Operations

Investments

We focus primarily on loans and securities, including syndicated loans, of U.S. private companies. Our level of investment activity (both the number of investments and the size of each investment) can and will vary

 

84

substantially from period to period depending on many factors, including the amount of debt and equity capital available to private companies, the level of merger and acquisition activity for such companies, the general economic environment, trading prices of loans and other securities and the competitive environment for the types of investments we make.

Revenues

We generate revenues in the form of interest income on debt investments, capital gains, and dividend income from our equity investments in our portfolio companies. Our senior and subordinated debt investments are expected to bear interest at a fixed or floating rate. Interest on debt securities is generally payable quarterly or semiannually. In some cases, some of our investments may provide for deferred interest payments or PIK interest. The principal amount of the debt securities and any accrued but unpaid PIK interest generally will become due at the maturity date. In addition, we may generate revenue in the form of commitment and other fees in connection with transactions. Original issue discounts and market discounts or premiums will be capitalized, and we will accrete or amortize such amounts as interest income. We will record prepayment premiums on loans and debt securities as interest income. Dividend income, if any, will be recognized on an accrual basis to the extent that we expect to collect such amounts. In addition, we generate revenue in the form of commitment, loan origination, structuring or diligence fees, fees for providing managerial assistance to our portfolio companies, and possibly consulting fees.

In addition, we generate revenue in the form of commitment, loan origination, structuring or diligence fees, fees for providing managerial assistance to our portfolio companies, and possibly consulting fees.

Expenses

Except as specifically provided below, all investment professionals and staff of the Adviser, when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory services to us, and the base compensation, bonus and benefits, and the routine overhead expenses, of such personnel allocable to such services, will be provided and paid for by the Adviser. We will bear all other costs and expenses of our operations, administration and transactions, including, but not limited to (a) investment advisory fees, including management fees and incentive fees, to the Adviser, pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement; (b) our allocable portion of compensation, overhead (including rent, office equipment and utilities) and other expenses incurred by the Administrator in performing its administrative obligations under the Administration Agreement, including but not limited to: (i) our chief compliance officer, chief financial officer and their respective staffs; (ii) investor relations, legal, operations and other non-investment professionals at the Administrator that perform duties for us; and (iii) any internal audit group personnel of Blackstone or any of its affiliates; and (c) all other expenses of our operations, administrations and transactions.

From time to time, the Adviser, the Administrator or their affiliates may pay third-party providers of goods or services. We will reimburse the Adviser, the Administrator or such affiliates thereof for any such amounts paid on our behalf. From time to time, the Adviser or the Administrator may defer or waive fees and/or rights to be reimbursed for expenses. All of the foregoing expenses will ultimately be borne by our shareholders.

Expense Support and Conditional Reimbursement Agreement

We have entered into an Expense Support Agreement with the Adviser. For additional information see “Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Note 3. Agreements and Related Party Transactions” in our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Portfolio and Investment Activity

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we acquired $33,770.9 million aggregate principal amount of investments (including $3,579.0 million of unfunded commitments), $30,283.5 million of which was first lien

 

85

debt, $833.1 million of which was second lien debt, $38.9 million of which was unsecured debt, $129.8 million of which was structured finance investments, $252.8 million of which was equity and $2,232.7 million of investments in our joint ventures.

Our investment activity is presented below (information presented herein is at amortized cost unless otherwise indicated) (dollar amounts in thousands):

 

		As of and for the year ended December 31,
		2022				2021
Investments:
Total investments, beginning of period		$	30,698,023			$	—
New investments purchased(1)			28,498,983				34,311,996
Net accretion of discount on investments			147,923				38,201
Net realized gain (loss) on investments(6)			(252,197	)			12,796
Investments sold or repaid(7)			(9,157,436	)			(3,664,970	)
Total investments, end of period		$	49,935,296			$	30,698,023
Amount of investments funded at principal:
First lien debt investments		$	26,775,118			$	31,929,838
Second lien debt investments			764,387				1,982,239
Unsecured debt			38,949				81,418
Structured finance investments			129,811				288,700
Equity investments and Investments in Joint Ventures(5)			2,483,632				528,924
Total		$	30,191,897			$	34,811,119
Proceeds from investments sold or repaid:
First lien debt investments		$	(8,637,315	)		$	(3,413,413	)
Second lien debt investments			(448,327	)			(177,391	)
Unsecured debt			(24,922	)			(74,166	)
Structured finance investments			(6,100	)			—
Equity investments			(40,770	)			—
Total		$	(9,157,434	)		$	(3,664,970	)
Number of portfolio companies			532				454
Weighted average yield on debt and income producing investments, at cost(2)(3)			10.37	%			6.71	%
Weighted average yield on debt and income producing investments, at fair value(2)(3)			10.59	%			6.69	%
Average loan to value (LTV)(4)			43.6	%			42.7	%
Percentage of debt investments bearing a floating rate, at fair value			99.8	%			99.6	%
Percentage of debt investments bearing a fixed rate, at fair value			0.2	%			0.4	%

 

(1)	Includes payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest capitalized, which increases the loan principal.

(2)

Computed as (a) the annual stated interest rate or yield plus the annual accretion of discounts or less the annual amortization of premiums, as applicable, on accruing debt included in such securities, divided by (b) total debt investments (at fair value or cost, as applicable) included in such securities. Actual yields earned over the life of each investment could differ materially from the yields presented above.

(3)	As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the weighted average total portfolio yield at cost was 9.75% and 6.59%, respectively. The weighted average total portfolio yield at fair value was 9.95% and 6.57%, respectively.

 

86

(4)

Includes all private debt investments for which fair value is determined by our Board in conjunction with a third-party valuation firm and excludes quoted assets. Average loan-to-value represents the net ratio of loan-to-value for each portfolio company, weighted based on the fair value of total applicable private debt investments. Loan-to-value is calculated as the current total net debt through each respective loan tranche divided by the estimated enterprise value of the portfolio company as of the most recent quarter end.

(5)	Includes $2,232.7 million of investments in our joint ventures for the year ended December 31, 2022. There were no investments in our joint ventures in the year ended December 31, 2021.

(6)	Net realized gain (loss) on investments includes $9.9 million of net realized losses related to investments contributed in-kind to our joint ventures for the year ended December 31, 2022.

(7)	Investments sold or repaid includes the amortized cost of First lien debt investments and Second lien debt investments of $354.7 million and $114.6 million, respectively, related to investments contributed in-kind to our joint ventures for the year ended December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, our portfolio companies had a weighted average annual EBITDA of $189 million and $150 million, respectively. These calculations include all private debt investments for which fair value is determined by the Board of Trustees in conjunction with a third-party valuation firm and excludes quoted assets. Amounts are weighted based on fair value of each respective investment. Amounts were derived from the most recently available portfolio company financial statements, have not been independently estimated by us, and may reflect a normalized or adjusted amount. Accordingly, we make no representation or warranty in respect of this information.

Our investments consisted of the following (dollar amounts in thousands):

 

		December 31, 2022												December 31, 2021
		Cost				Fair value				% of Total Investments at Fair Value				Cost				Fair Value				% of Total Investments at Fair Value
First lien debt		$	44,461,300			$	43,710,812				89.37	%		$	28,076,107			$	28,143,451				91.39	%
Second lien debt			2,074,849				1,872,806				3.83				1,799,656				1,813,872				5.89
Unsecured debt			17,583				13,948				0.03				6,061				5,842				0.02
Structured finance investments			409,633				365,269				0.75				287,275				286,610				0.93
Investments in joint ventures			2,232,706				2,188,394				4.47				—				—				—
Equity investments(1)			739,225				757,379				1.55				528,924				545,918				1.77
Total		$	49,935,296			$	48,908,608				100.00	%		$	30,698,023			$	30,795,693				100.00	%

 

(1)	Includes equity investment in SLC.

As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, one loan and zero loans in the portfolio were on non-accrual status, respectively.

BCRED Emerald JV LP

BCRED Emerald JV LP (“Emerald JV”), a Delaware limited liability company, was formed as a joint venture between the Fund and a large North American pension fund (the “Emerald JV Partner”), and commenced operations on January 18, 2022 and operates under a limited liability company agreement. The Emerald JV’s principal purpose is to make investments, primarily in senior secured loans that are made to middle-market companies or in broadly syndicated loans.

As of December 31, 2022, the Fund and the Emerald JV Partner agreed to commit $2,250.0 million and $750 million, respectively, of capital to the Emerald JV. The Fund and the Emerald JV partner own 75% and

 

87

25%, respectively, of the equity ownership interest of the Emerald JV. The Fund and the Emerald JV Partner, through their joint control of the Emerald JV’s General Partner, have equal control of the Emerald JV’s investment decisions and generally all other decisions in respect of the Emerald JV must be approved by the Emerald JV’s investment committee or board of directors, each of which consists of an equal number of representatives of the Fund and the Emerald JV Partner. The Fund does not consolidate the Emerald JV.

As of December 31, 2022. the Emerald JV had total investments at fair value of $6,143.3 million, including total investments in senior secured debt at fair value of $5,722.4 million. The following table is a summary of JV’s portfolio as well as a listing of the portfolio investments in the Emerald JV’s portfolio as of December 31, 2022:

 

		Year Ended December 31, 2022
Total senior secured debt investments at fair value		$	5,722,448
Number of portfolio companies			443
Weighted average yield on debt and income producing investments, at fair value(2)			10.88	%
Weighted average yield on debt and income producing investments, at cost(2)			10.72	%
Percentage of debt portfolio at floating interest rates(1)			93.50	%
Percentage of debt portfolio at fixed interest rates(1)			6.50	%
Percentage of assets on non-accrual(1)			0.09	%

 

(1)	Based on fair value

(2)

Computed as (a) the annual stated interest rate or yield plus the annual accretion of discounts or less the annual amortization of premiums, as applicable, on accruing debt included in such securities, divided by (b) total debt investments (at fair value or cost, as applicable) included in such securities. Actual yields earned over the life of each investment could differ materially from the yields presented above.

BCRED Verdelite JV

BCRED Verdelite JV LP (“Verdelite JV”), a Delaware limited liability company, was formed as a joint venture between the Fund and an entity managed by an alternative credit management investment firm with a specialized focus on structured and syndicated credit, including CLO management (the “Verdelite JV Partner”), and commenced operations on October 21, 2022 and operates under a limited liability company agreement. The Verdelite JV’s principal purpose is to make investments, primarily in broadly syndicated loans.

On October 21, 2022, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund and the Verdelite JV Partner committed to contribute $147 million and $21 million of capital, respectively, to the Verdelite JV. The Fund and the Emerald JV partner own 87.5% and 12.5%, respectively, of the equity ownership interest of the Verdelite JV. The Fund and the Verdelite JV Partner, through their joint control of the Verdelite JV’s General Partner, have equal control of the Verdelite JV’s investment decisions and generally all other decisions in respect of the Verdelite JV must be approved by the Verdelite JV’s investment committee or board of directors, each of which consists of an equal number of representatives of the Fund and the Verdelite JV Partner. The Fund does not consolidate the Verdelite JV.

 

88

As of December 31, 2022, the Verdelite JV had total investments at fair value of $490.6 million. The following table is a summary of the Verdelite JV’s portfolio as well as a listing of the portfolio investments in the Verdelite JV’s portfolio as of December 31, 2022:

 

		Year Ended December 31, 2022
Total senior secured debt investments at fair value		$	490,615
Number of portfolio companies			129
Weighted average yield on debt and income producing investments, at fair value(2)			9.25	%
Weighted average yield on debt and income producing investments, at cost(2)			9.16	%
Percentage of debt portfolio at floating interest rates(1)			100.00	%
Percentage of debt portfolio at fixed interest rates(1)			—	%
Percentage of assets on non-accrual(1)			—	%

 

(1)	Based on fair value

(2)

Computed as (a) the annual stated interest rate or yield plus the annual accretion of discounts or less the annual amortization of premiums, as applicable, on accruing debt included in such securities, divided by (b) total debt investments (at fair value or cost, as applicable) included in such securities. Actual yields earned over the life of each investment could differ materially from the yields presented above.

For additional information on our Emerald JV and Verdelite JV, see “Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Note 11. Joint Ventures” in our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Results of Operations

The following table represents our operating results (dollar amounts in thousands):

 

		Year Ended December 31, 2022				Year Ended December 31, 2021
Total investment income		$	3,602,347			$	810,440
Net expenses			1,616,795				303,024
Net investment income before excise tax			1,985,552				507,416
Excise tax expense			975				—
Net investment income after excise tax			1,984,577				507,416
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)			(1,045,678	)			103,901
Net realized gain (loss)			(275,829	)			16,565
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations		$	663,070			$	627,882

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations can vary from period to period as a result of various factors, including acquisitions, the level of new investment commitments, the recognition of realized gains and losses and changes in unrealized appreciation and depreciation on the investment portfolio. As a result, comparisons may not be meaningful.

 

89

Investment Income

Investment income was as follows (dollar amounts in thousands):

 

		Year Ended December 31, 2022				Year Ended December 31, 2021
Interest income		$	3,330,329			$	768,141
Payment-in-kind interest income			129,475				9,267
Dividend income			114,604				2,209
Fee income			27,939				30,823
Total investment income		$	3,602,347			$	810,440

Total investment income increased to $3,602.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $810.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, driven by our deployment of capital, increased benchmark interest rates driving increased interest income from our investments and dividend income from our joint ventures. The size of our investment portfolio grew to $48,908.6 million at December 31, 2022 from $30,795.7 million at December 31, 2021. Included in investment income is dividend income of $112.5 million received from our Emerald JV and Verdelite JV joint ventures and our investment in Specialty Lending Company LLC (“SLC”) for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $1.8 million received from our investment in SLC for the year ended December 31, 2021.

While rising interest rates have favorably impacted our investment income during 2022, further interest rate increases and the resulting higher cost of capital have the potential to negatively impact the free cash flow and credit quality of certain borrowers which could impact their ability to make principal and interest payments. If such interest rate increases occur concurrently with a period of economic weakness or a slowdown in growth, our borrowers’ and/or our portfolio performance may be negatively impacted. Further, significant market dislocation as a result of changing economic conditions could limit the liquidity of certain assets traded in the credit markets, and this would impact our ability to sell such assets at attractive prices or in a timely manner.

 

90

Expenses

Expenses were as follows (dollar amounts in thousands):

 

		Year Ended December 31, 2022				Year Ended December 31, 2021
Interest expense		$	990,538			$	144,929
Management fees			259,944				74,560
Income based incentive fee			288,892				71,500
Capital gains incentive fee			(15,058	)			15,058
Distribution and shareholder servicing fees
Class S			50,424				11,752
Class D			2,302				338
Professional fees			12,917				3,533
Board of Trustees’ fees			877				563
Administrative service expenses			5,767				2,094
Other general & administrative			15,156				6,491
Organization costs			—				1,090
Amortization of continuous offering costs			5,036				4,217
Total expenses			1,616,795				336,125
Expense support			—				(2,199	)
Recoupment of expense support			—				2,199
Management fees waived			—				(18,231	)
Incentive fees waived			—				(14,870	)
Net expenses		$	1,616,795			$	303,024

Interest Expense

Total interest expense (including unused fees, amortization of deferred financing costs and accretion of net discounts on unsecured debt) increased to $990.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to $144.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by increased borrowings under our credit facilities and our unsecured note and debt securitization issuances. The average principal outstanding increased to $23,930.7 million from $6,153.4 million in the prior year.

Management Fees

Management fees increased to $259.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to $74.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to an increase in net assets. The Adviser waived management fees from inception through July 7, 2021, which resulted in a waiver of $18.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. There was no waiver for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Income Based Incentive Fees

Income based incentive fees increased to $288.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to $71.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to an increase in pre-incentive fee net investment income. The Adviser waived income based incentive fees from inception through July 7, 2021, which resulted in a waiver of $14.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. There was no waiver for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Capital Gains Based Incentive Fees

We accrued capital gains based incentive fees of $(15.1) million for the year ended December 31, 2022, attributable to net realized and unrealized loss of $1,321.5 million. The reversal of previously accrued incentive

 

91

fees was attributable to net realized and unrealized losses in the current year. The accrual for any capital gains incentive fee under U.S. GAAP in a given period may result in an additional expense if such cumulative amount is greater than in the prior period or a reduction of previously recorded expense if such cumulative amount is less in the prior period. If such cumulative amount is negative, then there is no accrual.

Other Expenses

Total other expenses were $92.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily comprised of $52.7 million of distribution and shareholder servicing fees paid with respect to Class S and Class D investors, $12.9 million of professional fees (including legal, rating agencies, audit, tax, valuation, technology and other professional fees related to management of the Fund), and $15.2 million of general and administrative expenses (including insurance, filing, research, and fees paid to our sub-administrator and transfer agent). The increase compared to the prior year was primarily driven by the costs attributable to increased subscriptions to our Class S and Class D shares, servicing a growing investment portfolio, and increased borrowings through the establishment of new financing facilities and the issuance of unsecured notes and debt securitizations.

Income Taxes, Including Excise Taxes

We elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code, and we intend to operate in a manner so as to continue to qualify for the tax treatment applicable to RICs. To qualify for tax treatment as a RIC, we must, among other things, distribute to our shareholders in each taxable year generally at least 90% of the sum of our investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code (without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), and net tax-exempt income for that taxable year. To maintain our tax treatment as a RIC, we, among other things, intend to make the requisite distributions to our shareholders, which generally relieve us from corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes.

Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may carry forward taxable income (including net capital gains, if any) in excess of current year dividend distributions from the current tax year into the next tax year and pay a nondeductible 4% U.S. federal excise tax on such taxable income, as required. To the extent that we determine that our estimated current year annual taxable income will be in excess of estimated current year dividend distributions from such income, we will accrue excise tax on estimated excess taxable income.

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Fund incurred $1.0 million and $0.0 million, respectively, of U.S. federal excise tax.

Net Unrealized Gain (Loss)

Net unrealized gain (loss) was comprised of the following (dollar amounts in thousands):

 

		Year Ended December 31, 2022				Year Ended December 31, 2021
Net unrealized gain (loss) on investments		$	(1,050,537	)		$	113,329
Foreign currency forward contracts			(4,301	)			1,505
Foreign currency transactions			9,160				(10,933	)
Net unrealized gain (loss)		$	(1,045,678	)		$	103,901

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had net unrealized losses on investments of $1,050.5 million, compared to net unrealized gains on investments of $113.3 million during the prior year, which were primarily driven by a decrease in the fair value of our debt investments. The fair value of our debt investments as a percentage of principal decreased by 2.3%, from 98.6% as of December 31, 2021 to 96.3% as of December 31, 2022, partially due to inflation and changes in the economic outlook during the year ended December 31, 2022.

 

92

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had net unrealized losses of $4.3 million and net unrealized gains of $9.2 million on foreign currency forward contracts and foreign currency transactions, respectively, primarily as a result of fluctuations in the GBP, CAD and EUR exchange rates.

Net Realized Gain (Loss)

The realized gains and losses on fully exited and partially exited investments comprised of the following (dollar amounts in thousands):

 

		Year Ended December 31, 2022				Year Ended December 31, 2021
Net realized gain (loss) on investments		$	(252,197	)		$	12,796
Net realized gain (loss) on derivative instruments			(43,104	)			—
Net realized gain (loss) on forward purchase obligation			—				3,709
Net realized gain (loss) on syndicated warehouse agreement			—				2,334
Net realized gain (loss) on translation of assets and liabilities in foreign currencies and other transactions			19,472				(2,274	)
Net realized gain (loss)		$	(275,829	)		$	16,565

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we generated net realized losses on investments of $252.2 million, which was primarily from full or partial sales of our debt investments. Additionally, we generated net realized losses of $43.1 million on derivative assets and derivative liabilities from the settlement of our foreign currency derivative transactions. These items were partially offset by net realized gains of $19.5 million on foreign currency translations primarily as a result of fluctuations in the GBP, CAD, EUR and SEK exchange rates vs. USD.

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

We generate cash primarily from the net proceeds of our continuous offering of Common Shares, proceeds from net borrowings on our credit facilities and unsecured debt issuances, income earned and repayments on principal on our debt investments. The primary uses of our cash and cash equivalents are for (i) originating and purchasing debt and other investments, (ii) funding the costs of our operations (including fees paid to our Adviser and expense reimbursements paid to our Administrator), (iii) debt service, repayment and other financing costs of our borrowings, (iv) funding repurchases under our share repurchase program and (v) cash distributions to the holders of our shares.

As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, our debt consisted of asset based leverage facilities, revolving credit facility, unsecured note issuances, short term borrowings related to repurchase obligations and debt securitizations. We have and will continue to, from time to time, enter into additional credit facilities, increase the size of our existing credit facilities or issue additional debt securities, including debt securitizations, unsecured debt and other forms of debt. Any such incurrence or issuance may be from sources within the U.S. or from various foreign geographies or jurisdictions, and may be denominated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar. Additionally, any such incurrence or issuance would be subject to prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual and regulatory restrictions and other factors. In accordance with the 1940 Act, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to incur borrowings, issue debt securities or issue preferred stock, if immediately after the borrowing or issuance, the ratio of total assets (less total liabilities other than indebtedness) to total indebtedness plus preferred stock, is at least 150%. As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had an aggregate amount of $26,842.2 million and $18,301.5 million, respectively, of debt outstanding and our asset coverage ratio was 184.5% and 170.2%.

 

93