Frankfurt / Duesseldorf, 13 November 2025 – Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank (apoBank) is cooperating in the field of private debt with Deutsche Credit, an independent asset management platform for alternative corporate financing solutions in Germany and Europe. The cooperation aims at expanding financing options for medium-sized corporate clients in the healthcare sector in a targeted manner and to sustainably cover their substantial capital requirements, particularly for growth initiatives. To this end, Deutsche Credit, acting as investment advisor, has initiated a credit fund for senior loans under Luxembourg law, which is currently in an advanced stage of marketing to institutional investors.
Joint approach
At the heart of the cooperation is a joint origination approach in the German healthcare sector via apoBank’s network. As a leading financial institution in the healthcare sector, apoBank has exclusive access to companies in this industry. It contributes its comprehensive lending expertise, acts as a specialized advisor and additionally provides active support in fundraising. In addition, Deutsche Credit has long-standing, direct relationships with numerous medium-sized companies and their advisors in Germany and neighbouring countries. It also brings to the cooperation an investment team with extensive experience in financing medium-sized companies, a broad network and expertise in the private debt market. Deutsche Credit furthermore provides its own fund and securitisation structures in Luxembourg and Germany, which are geared towards institutional and professional investors.
The focus is on financing solutions for medium-sized companies in the healthcare sector, as part of a larger credit fund managed by Deutsche Credit. In addition to the healthcare sector, the fund also invests on a sector-agnostic basis across all industry segments. Approximately one third of the overall portfolio allocation is designated for investments in the healthcare sector. The investment strategy focuses on so-called “non-sponsored” senior debt financings for German and European medium-sized companies, i.e. credit fund investments without the involvement of private equity firms as owners. The regional focus is on Germany and the DACH region as a whole, while the Benelux countries and Scandinavia are also part of the manager’s investment universe.
Focus on new loan origination
The focus is exclusively on new loan origination, for which apoBank and Deutsche Credit generally offer joint financing structures, thereby providing borrowers with high added value through “one-stop” solutions. Within the cooperation framework, Deutsche Credit has the sole decision-making authority for all investments made by the fund, in order to fully comply with its fiduciary and regulatory obligations towards investors. For the future, apoBank and Deutsche Credit intend to expand their cooperation through additional joint fund strategies and co-lending programmes.
“Germany is home to a large number of ‘hidden champions’ that are global leaders in their niche markets – particularly in the healthcare sector, which is our area of specialisation at apoBank. Private capital is essential for these companies to maintain and expand their capacity for innovation. In addition to traditional bank financing, we see interesting opportunities in areas such as organic or inorganic growth financing, transformational investments and succession situations. Through our cooperation with Deutsche Credit, we want to make this capital available on an even broader basis. We have already executed our first joint transactions. At the same time, we are opening up attractive investment opportunities in the private debt asset class for institutional investors.”
“In recent years, the private debt market in Germany has been heavily focused on private equity-related acquisition financing – but this is now beginning to shift. For some time now, we have been observing increasing demand among medium-sized companies for alternative corporate financing solutions across the entire capital structure. Compared to other countries, German medium-sized companies continue to stand out for their above-average credit and balance sheet quality. Germany has a strong legal system and offers a stable economic environment despite current challenges. Nevertheless, the private debt market for “non-sponsored” companies has hardly been tapped so far. Together with apoBank, we intent to change that. Our cooperation is the first of its kind in Germany.”
Media contacts:
apoBank
Ines Semisch
Media spokesperson
Deutsche Credit
Carsten Lootze
PB3C GmbH
About apoBank
Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank (apoBank) is the largest cooperative primary bank and the number one financial services provider in the healthcare sector. Its customers include healthcare professionals, their professional organisations and associations, healthcare institutions and companies in the healthcare market. apoBank operates according to the principle ‘by healthcare professionals, for healthcare professionals’, i.e. it specialises in serving players in the healthcare market and is owned by them. This provides apoBank with a unique business model in Germany.
About Deutsche Credit
Deutsche Credit is an independent asset management platform in the market for alternative corporate financing solutions in Germany and Europe. It offers medium-sized companies in the DACH and Benelux regions as well as Scandinavia individual financing solutions across the entire capital structure. This enables companies, among other things, to drive innovation and invest in their further organic or inorganic growth. Professional investors will find investment solutions at Deutsche Credit that enable them to further diversify and optimise their portfolios. This is because the private debt asset class is attractive in terms of both absolute and relative returns, with financing for medium-sized companies offering particularly interesting risk/return profiles. In addition to its headquarters in Frankfurt, Deutsche Credit has employees in Hamburg, Munich, Zurich, London and Luxembourg.
