27 January 2026: Franklin Templeton’s US and European alternative credit businesses, Benefit Street Partners and Alcentra, have now aligned under an updated Benefit Street Partners (BSP) brand.
The move is the final step in BSP and Alcentra’s integration – two pioneering alternative credit firms that Franklin Templeton acquired in 2019 and 2022 respectively – and reflects increasing investor demand for a specialist global credit platform with expertise across the full spectrum of the asset class. A refreshed logo and new website domain accompany the brand alignment, and from this week Alcentra branded funds start to take on the BSP name.1 Overall, Franklin Templeton’s alternative credit platform – which also includes direct lender Apera - is on track to exceed US$100 billion in AUM in 2026.
According to new research also published today by BSP, which surveyed 135 global institutional investors with a combined AUM of £8trn,2 around 93% of global institutional investors intend to either maintain (42%) or increase (51%) their exposure to alternative credit in 2026. The main motivation is the pursuit of greater diversification (85%) and the potential for higher total returns in alternatives than traditional fixed income (81%). As investors grow and diversify their alternative credit allocations, 81% consider a specialist asset class focus the key to delivering strong performance.