Was Ardagh's carve-out of its metal packaging business in 2021 an early example of a European LME before LMEs went global? Call it what you will, the troubled packaging conglomerate is getting a taste of both the potential upside and the backlash caused by these controversial financial maneuvers.

In this episode, 9fin's global head of restructuring, Max Frumes, sat down with European senior distressed credit analyst Emmet McNally to discuss some of the events that led us here. Events so far have culminated in the company cleansing creditors party to restructuring negotiations that failed to reach common ground.

Unsecured creditors Arini and Canyon have sued the company for alleged value extraction and fraudulent conveyance dating back to the metal carve-out. Emmet and Max talk us through the headline terms of the proposals put forward by the company and the unsecured bondholder group, and discuss how bid-ask spreads between the two proposals could be narrowed to reach a mutually agreeable deal.

Want to share feedback on this episode? Send us a note at [email protected].

No one likes that feeling of being a little too thick in the middle. But finding the right balance of strength and cushion is no easy task. We’re talking about the middle office here, of course.

The middle office may not always be in the spotlight, but when loan data goes awry it’s the team that keeps the gears turning and numbers in check. In this episode, head of podcasts Chase Collum chats with Jared Vest, global co-head of middle office solutions at FIS, to break down the middle office's essential roles, risks, and evolving responsibilities. They explore how accurate data and strong operational support are critical to navigate today’s fast-paced loan market.

This episode was produced in partnership with FIS as part of a three-part series diving into the challenges facing middle office practitioners and users of global loan data sets.

Have any feedback for us? Send us a note at [email protected].

AI is eating the world, or so the headlines say. But what does this really mean for debt markets? Where does AI truly excel, and what limitations persist? What implications does this technological shift hold for analysts' jobs? And how is 9fin deploying AI to address specific challenges confronting debt market professionals?

Sujeet Indap, Wall Street editor at the Financial Times, sat down with Steven Hunter, CEO and co-founder of 9fin, to cut through the hype and dissect the real impact of AI on debt markets. This episode was produced from a recent 9fin webinar. If you’d like to learn more about how 9fin's AI-powered platform can give you a competitive edge in debt markets, we’d love to chat.

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In the credit markets, it’s important practitioners get their fax straight. No, you didn’t read that wrong — even in 2025, people still use fax machines to transmit some loans data.

In our latest Cloud 9fin episode, Chase Collum, head of podcasts, and private credit analyst Devin McGinley, sit down with John Smullen, product manager at FIS. They chat about how global data trends are shaping strategies in the leveraged finance world as private credit CLOs and direct lending gain ground.

This episode is part of a three-part series we’ll publish in partnership with FIS on Cloud 9fin, so look out for our next episode, coming next Thursday! Have any feedback for us? Send us a note at [email protected].

In this episode of Jane’s LME Addiction, our head of LME coverage Jane Komsky brings in global chair of Gibson Dunn’s restructuring group, Scott Greenberg, to discuss the evolution of cooperation agreements within liability management exercises. They discuss the different types of co-ops, why co-ops have become expected in US deals, their spread to the EU, and the validity of antitrust arguments.

Find all our coverage on co-ops at 9fin.com.

Have any feedback on the podcast? Send us a note at [email protected] — thanks for listening!

Three media companies, in vaguely the same vicinity, in fair debt markets where we lay our scene — where ancient business models encounter new scrutiny, and AI generates images you can’t unsee…

Valentine’s Day has been and gone, so why on earth are we besmirching Romeo and Juliet with terrible puns? You should listen to the episode for the full picture, but basically we’re discussing three recent debt transactions from X/Twitter, Snap, and Getty Images.

These deals might not seem immediately connected, but there’s a thread running through all three. In an age of political upheaval and rapid technological advancement, what do they tell us about the future of media? William Hoffman, David Bell and Will Caiger-Smith are here to discuss, and to crowdsource ideas for sponsored 9fin Snapchat filters.

Want to share feedback on this episode? Send us a note at [email protected].

In the private equity world, continuation vehicles have been a bit of a blockbuster, so can the structure's success transfer to private credit?

We have already seen BlackRock's $1.3bn continuation vehicle last year, and some market participants are expecting to see even more in 2025. On the other side however, this might not be as straight forward as in the PE world, and there is a growing pool of skeptics.

In this episode of Cloud 9fin, senior private credit reporter Synne Johnsson sits down with private credit reporter Jemima Denham, to discuss all things private credit continuation vehicles -- Why are they the current talk of the town? What are the challenges? And will they eventually take off?

Have a listen to hear this discussion on continuation vehicles in the private credit market. If you have any feedback for us, send us a note at [email protected]. Thanks for listening.

We talk a lot about leverage at the 9fin office (it’s kind of the story behind our company name, in case you were wondering) so it should come as no surprise that we think it’s interesting. But in the world of Significant Risk Transfer, it’s especially fascinating — and controversial.

You may have caught the story that Celeste Tamers, part of our growing asset-based finance team, broke last week about Deutsche Bank pulling back from offering repo financing on SRT trades.

In this episode of Cloud 9fin, Celeste and our asset-based finance editor Owen Sanderson pick that story apart and use it to explore the history of SRT, to help listeners understand why regulators are raising their eyebrows at the recent growth of this important market.

Any feedback on this episode? Email us at [email protected].

Long live liability management.

In this episode of our new show Jane’s LME Addiction, our head of LME coverage Jane Komsky brings in Latham & Watkins partner George Klidonas and C Street founder and CEO Jon Henes, to discuss the Better Health transaction and its implications for future LMEs.

Also under discussion: how liability management has taken off as an industry, how law firms and advisors are adapting to this boom in business, and the creative moves market participants are making to ensure the LME space lives a lengthy and healthy life.

Listeners might notice a bit of background noise because this episode is also recorded in video format! Find it on YouTube here! Have any feedback on the podcast? Send us a note at [email protected] — thanks for listening!

Publicly traded leveraged debt issuers are facing a collective maturity wall of $219 billion in the coming years. But unlike the Chiefs' offensive line in the Super Bowl, credit market watchers aren't expecting that wall to collapse.

In this episode of Cloud 9fin, US managing editor Bill Weisbrod sits down with credit analyst Ben Dickerman and leveraged finance reporter Dan Mika about their recent piece looking at how the 2026-27 maturity wall in the US is shaping up.

Among the highlights: how issuers are hanging on to cheap debt costs, how a leveraged finance market starved for new-money deals is giving BB-rated companies plenty of time to refinance, the uncertainties surrounding Trump administration’s economic policies, and how this story was powered by Dan’s love of drum and bass music.

As always, if you have any feedback for us, send us a note at [email protected]