“Long-term, I think the game is over from a buyout perspective. I think private capital has won that game,” says Randy Schwimmer, vice-chairman and chief investment strategist at Churchill Asset Management, a leading middle market financing and investment firm with $55 billion in AUM.

In the latest episode of the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee, Schwimmer notes 90% of the leveraged buyouts completed this year were financing by private credit in the traditional middle market space. As for the large-cap deals, the bigger loans that can be multi-billions of dollars in size – while there, too, the majority of LBOs were done by private credit firms, banks have found a way to stay relevant by undertaking refinancings and repricings. Banks also still have significant market share in straight corporate lending and for certain specialist sectors.

“It’s a healthy ecosystem right now, where everybody is playing a role,” Schwimmer says.

Speaking to banks’ aspirations to create a secondary trading market for private credit loans, that will be difficult, especially in the middle market, Schwimmer predicts. He adds that many have tried. “Illiquidity will still mean something in the traditional middle market,” he says.