CIFC

What CIFC does

CIFC Asset Management is a privately-held alternative credit specialist founded in 2005, headquartered in Miami, with offices in New York, London, and Radnor. The firm manages over $47 billion in assets as of December 31, 2025, across six core credit strategies: senior secured loans, collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), direct lending, high-yield, opportunistic credit, and structured credit. CIFC serves 500+ institutional investors globally — including public pensions, Taft-Hartley plans, endowments, foundations, and alternative investment managers — and ranks as the 5th largest global CLO manager and 2nd largest U.S. CLO manager by outstanding size, with 65 U.S. CLOs and 9 Euro CLOs currently under management (80+ since inception). The direct lending platform (integrated from the 2021 LBC Credit Partners acquisition) has executed 352 deals and $11.6B invested across 12 funds.

The firm operates a multi-strategy credit platform supported by proprietary technology infrastructure including a CLO simulation engine running more than one million simulations nightly, a proprietary data reporting and analytics stack, and a dynamic proprietary allocation system for the high-yield strategy. Revenue is generated through asset management fees on AUM across strategies plus performance fees and carried interest on CLO equity and direct lending. Distribution is exclusively institutional via a dedicated Investor Solutions team covering U.S. pensions, unions, consultants, and expanding regional coverage into Southeast Asia and the Nordic region (through a Boden Capital distribution agreement), supplemented by a UCITS-compliant fund platform for global access. The firm is FCA-regulated in the UK, a signatory to UN PRI, and operates across GDPR, CCPA, and Cayman DPL frameworks.

The leadership team is led by CEO/CIO Steve Vaccaro (48 years of credit experience including 25 years at JPMorgan), supported by senior executives with pedigrees from Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Citadel, and GE Capital. The firm was built via organic growth, the 2011 merger with Deerfield Capital Corp., and the 2021 acquisition of LBC Credit Partners.

Name

CIFC

Legal name

CIFC LLC

Website

https://cifc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CIFC Asset Management is a privately-held alternative credit specialist managing $47+ billion across CLOs, direct lending, senior secured loans, high-yield, opportunistic credit, and structured credit, serving 500+ institutional investors globally from offices in Miami, New York, London, and Radnor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Credit Asset Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Open-End Investment Funds (525910), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Asset-Backed Securities (6189)

akta.pro primary industry

High-Yield Corporate Credit (FSAAAHAC)

Keywords

• Alternative credit asset management
• Collateralized loan obligations
• Direct lending strategies
• Institutional credit investing
• Structured credit products

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Asset Management Fees: Management fees charged on assets under management across CLOs, direct lending, high-yield, senior secured loans, structured credit, and opportunistic credit strategies.
2. Performance Fees / Carried Interest: Performance-based fees from delivering consistent, attractive risk-adjusted returns to investors across multiple credit strategies.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CIFC Asset Management is an alternative credit specialist that manages institutional capital across six core credit strategies: Senior Secured Loans, CLOs, Direct Lending, High-Yield, Opportunistic Credit, and Structured Credit. The firm serves over 500 institutional investors globally with a UCITS-compliant fund platform and proprietary analytics supporting portfolio construction, risk monitoring, and reporting across approximately $47 billion in assets under management.

Product overview

CIFC Asset Management is an alternative credit specialist offering an integrated platform of credit investment strategies. The company provides six core investment strategies: Senior Secured Loans, CLOs (Collateralized Loan Obligations), Direct Lending, High-Yield, Opportunistic Credit, and Structured Credit. These strategies work together as a comprehensive credit platform, enabling CIFC to serve as a single credit partner for institutional investors seeking exposure across the full credit spectrum. The platform is complemented by a UCITS-compliant fund structure (CIFC Credit Funds) and supported by proprietary technology infrastructure for analytics and reporting. Founded in 2005, CIFC manages over $47 billion in assets through 200+ employees serving 500+ institutional investors globally, with offices in Miami, New York, London, and Philadelphia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Senior Secured Loans Strategy Actively managed investment strategy seeking long-term attractive returns through a total-return approach across a diversified portfolio of primarily first-lien senior-secured corporate loans; designed for institutional investors seeking leveraged loan exposure.
• CLOs (Collateralized Loan Obligations) Management of CLO portfolios; CIFC manages 65 U.S. CLOs and 9 Euro CLOs with over 80 CLOs since inception, ranking as the 5th largest global CLO manager and 2nd largest U.S. CLO manager by total outstanding size. Designed for institutional investors seeking structured credit exposure.
• Direct Lending Customized financing solutions to the lower middle market with a 20+ year track record; supports sponsored and non-sponsored transactions in partnership with private equity funds and their portfolio companies. Comprises 12 direct lending funds with 352 deals completed and $11.6 billion in invested capital.
• High-Yield Strategy Actively managed high-yield bond strategy run by a dedicated team with 20+ years of experience; invests through two sub-strategies, Fundamental Credit and Technical Credit, using fundamental and technical views. Targeted at institutional investors seeking U.S. high-yield exposure.
• Opportunistic Credit Event-driven, leveraged credit strategy focused on stressed and distressed issuers and special situations; seeks value-oriented investments with emphasis on performing credit, capital preservation, and asymmetric upside. Backed by 1,000+ credits invested in and 300+ sponsor relationships.
• Structured Credit Strategy seeks to maximize long-term total return by dynamically capturing market inefficiencies across primary and secondary CLO markets; invests and actively trades in CLO debt, CLO equity, and CLO warehouse. Designed for institutional investors seeking structured credit alpha.
• CIFC Credit Funds (UCITS) UCITS-compliant fund platform offering multiple strategies including the CIFC Global Floating Rate Credit Fund, CIFC Long/Short Credit Fund, and CIFC Multi-Strategy Credit Fund for institutional investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $47 billion in assets under management
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LBC Credit PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2021CIFC Asset Management was planning to acquire LBC Credit Partners, a direct lender. The acquisition would expand CIFC's direct lending capabilities, with LBC bringing expertise in lower middle market lending with 12 funds and over 350 deals completed. LBC was subsequently acquired and integrated into CIFC's platform.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ares Management: Major alternative asset manager with a substantial Credit Group including U.S. and European CLOs, direct lending, and high-yield strategies — direct competitor to CIFC across multiple credit strategies and a benchmark for institutional credit scale.
• Sixth Street Partners: Multi-strategy credit and credit-adjacent asset manager with direct lending, structured credit, and fund finance offerings. Comparable institutional client base and credit breadth.
• Oaktree Capital Management: Specialist in credit strategies including CLOs, high-yield bonds, senior loans, and opportunistic credit. Comparable to CIFC in credit orientation and institutional LP base.
• Apollo Global Management (Apollo Credit): Operates one of the largest CLO franchises globally alongside direct lending, high-yield, and structured credit — directly comparable to CIFC across the credit platform, particularly in U.S. CLO issuance.
• Blackstone Credit (formerly GSO Capital Partners): Blackstone's credit arm manages tens of billions in CLOs, direct lending and mezzanine strategies. Competes with CIFC across CLO issuance, senior secured loans, and direct lending to middle-market sponsors.
• KKR Credit: Operates a large credit business including direct lending, leveraged loans, CLOs, and special situations. Overlaps with CIFC across multiple strategies and competes for institutional mandates.

Direct peers

• Bain Capital Credit: Operates a multi-strategy credit platform including CLOs, leveraged loans, direct lending, and special situations. Directly comparable to CIFC's integrated credit approach and similar institutional client focus.
• Crescent Capital Group: Middle-market focused direct lending and credit-oriented asset manager. Overlap with CIFC's direct lending franchise and LBC-acquired capabilities.
• Palmer Square Capital Management: Independent CLO manager and structured credit investor. Closely comparable to CIFC's structured credit strategy and CLO debt/equity trading capabilities.
• Octagon Credit Investors: Pure-play CLO manager focused on broadly syndicated and middle-market CLOs. Direct peer to CIFC's CLO platform and competitive counterparty in primary issuance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cifc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CIFC