CreditSights Annual European Conference

Dire Straits: Navigating Credit in 2026 and 2027

Join investors, analysts, bankers and advisers from across Europe’s credit markets for a day of expert insight, sharp debate and meaningful connection. Now in its 22nd year, this flagship event remains the place where the market comes together to make sense of the year ahead.

13 October 2026 | London

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About the Event

Staying ahead in credit takes more than information. It takes context, independent perspective and access to the people shaping market thinking. Our Annual European Conference brings CreditSights analysts together with senior market participants for a day of candid, independent discussion on the forces driving public and private credit. It’s a chance to explore the trends and themes across the credit markets, hear a genuine range of views and our recommendations, and build the connections that matter.

Agenda

8:30 – 9:05 AM

Registration & Breakfast

9:05 – 9:25 AM

Welcome

Speaker

Ruth Yang, Head of Business Strategy, CreditSights

9:25 – 10:05 AM

Strategy: Translating Global Themes into Euro Trades
In this session we will present our preliminary 2027 outlook, connecting global macro themes to European credit markets, and outline key recommendations across sectors and asset classes.

Speaker

Logan Miller, Head of European Strategy, CreditSights

10:05 – 10:45 AM

Keynote
Join Luke Millar and Ian Gilday as they discuss key developments in the global levfin markets and the outlook for the coming months.

Speakers

Ian Gilday, Global Head of Leveraged Finance, Morgan Stanley

Luke Millar, Global Editor-in-chief, CreditSights (LevFin Insights)

10:45 -11:05 AM

Coffee Break & Refreshments

11:05 – 11:45 AM

Fireside Chat: Data Centres
Join Logan Miller and Roelof Steeknekamp for a discussion on Data Centres, with a focus on the rapid growth of infrastructure spending, debt financing trends and the implications for credit markets.

Speakers

Roelof Steeknekamp, Managing Director, Global Infrastructure and Project Finance, Fitch Ratings

Logan Miller, Head of European Strategy, CreditSights

11:45 – 12:25 AM

Emerging Markets Outlook
We provide our outlook for the EM sovereign debt market and highlight investment opportunities for 2027, discuss the resilience of EM economies despite elevated energy costs and geopolitical uncertainties, and take a closer look at developments across Eastern Europe.

Speakers

Anwita Basu, Head of Europe Country Risk, BMI
Regis Chatellier, Head of EM Sovereign Strategy, CreditSights

12:25 – 1:25 PM

Lunch

Track 1
Track 2

1:25 – 2:10 PM

LevFin Outlook / BSL Panel
In this session, we will discuss the key developments influencing global leveraged finance markets and debate the headwinds and tailwinds shaping the outlook for leveraged loans and CLOs in the months ahead.

Speakers:
Jermaine Jarrett, Head of Leveraged Credit & Loan Syndicate,NatWest
Andrew Lawson, Head of Capital Markets & CLO Business, NorthWall Capital
Luke Millar, Global Editor-in-chief, CreditSights (LevFin Insights)
Jane Gray, European Head of Research, CreditSights (Covenant Review)

2:10 – 2:50 PM

Fireside Chat: Private Credit
Join Kerstin Kubanek and Dominic Ashcroft for a discussion on the state of the private credit market as we enter the final stretch of 2026, exploring the recovery in deal activity, the continued expansion of private credit across Europe, opportunities emerging from the AI ecosystem and buildout, and the key themes expected to shape the market in 2027, including asset-based finance, private investment-grade lending, and the increasing importance of manager selection and underwriting discipline.

Speakers:
Dominic Ashcroft, European Head of Private Credit Origination, Blackstone Credit and Insurance
Kerstin Kubanek, Senior Reporter, CreditSights (LevFin Insights)

2:50 – 3:10 PM

Afternoon Break

3:10 – 3:45 PM

Special Situations
We take a deep dive into several European credits facing stress, distress, or potential restructuring/LME activity.

Speaker:
Helen Rodriguez, Head of European Special Situations, CreditSights

3:45 – 4:10 PM

European Liability Management: Who’s Winning, and Lessons Learned
Drawing on recent transactions including Aston Martin, Synthomer and Lipton Teas, Covenant Review updates on liability management, related legal challenges (Selecta and Hunkemöller) and documentation risks investors should be watching for.

Speaker:
Alastair Gillespie, Senior Covenant Analyst ,CreditSights (Covenant Review)

4:10 – 4:30 PM

Topical Slot

More Info Coming Soon

4:30 – 5:30 PM

Networking Drinks Reception

1:25 – 1:45 PM

European Banks: Dealmakers and Risk Takers
SRT issuance and M&A activity have gained traction as institutions seek to manage capital efficiently and drive strategic growth. We explore the key themes influencing market activity, from the impact on capital to the regulatory and economic forces shaping deal flow.

Speakers:
Simon Adamson, Head of Financials, CreditSights
Paola Biraschi, Head of Southern European Banks, CreditSights
Puja Karia, Head of Western European Banks, CreditSights

1:45 – 2:10 PM

Utilities: Capex, Connections and Constraints
The big limiting factor to demand growth and achievement of climate goals in Europe is the grid. We take a look at the factors affecting the readiness of networks, including capex, regulatory returns and resultant bill increases.

Speakers:
Andrew Moulder, Head of Utilities, CreditSights
Bozhidar Dinkov, Utilities Analyst, CreditSights

2:10 – 2:30 PM

Autos: When Cyclical Meets Secular
As secular headwinds continue to build in the background, we assess how the European auto sector is positioned and the tools available to counteract the increasingly difficult global operating environment.

Speakers:
Jim Williamson, Head of Autos, CreditSights
Jack Hird, Autos Analyst, CreditSights

2:30 – 2:50 PM

TMT: Digesting Fibre FCF Futures
As fibre networks reach maturity, free cash flow profiles across the telco/cable space are transforming. We look at what will drive winners and losers and the implications for credit investors.

Speaker:
Mark Chapman, CFA, Head of Telecom/Media, CreditSights

2:50 – 3:10 PM

Afternoon Break

3:10 -3:45 PM

Consumer & Retail: Healthier Habits
This session explores how Consumer Goods and Food Retail companies are responding to consumers’ growing focus on health & wellness, experiences, and value.

Speakers:
Maryum Ali, CFA, Head of Consumer Goods, CreditSights
Mathieu Le Cann, CFA, Senior Analyst, Services, CreditSights

3:45 -4:10 PM

Chemicals: Reckoning Postponed?
We seek to identify the haves vs the have-nots amidst the fallout from the ME conflict disruption by analysing feedstock and trade flows, supply/demand dynamics, and the potential effectiveness and timing of protectionist measures.

Speaker:
Tom Weaver, CFA, Head of Chemicals and Paper & Packaging, CreditSights

4:30 – 5:30 PM

Networking Drinks Reception

Hear From the Market's Leading Voices

For 22 years, our conference brings together respected voices from across the credit market, CreditSights’ own analysts alongside senior market participants, for genuine, unscripted discussion. This year’s line-up will feature experts across the credit markets, including leveraged finance and private credit, sharing the perspectives that shape how the market thinks.