Introduction
In recent years, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) corporate credit landscape has undergone a vital shift. Traditional lenders — long the backbone of regional corporate financing — are increasingly selective in deploying capital, particularly in segments that fall outside conventional risk parameters. This evolution reflects tighter regulatory scrutiny, more disciplined risk management frameworks, and lessons learned from past credit cycles.
At the same time, private credit has been gaining traction across the region. While still developing relative to more mature markets, it is increasingly being deployed across a broad range of opportunities, particularly in performing and near‑performing segments such as small and medium‑sized enterprises (SME), early‑growth companies, and sectors where traditional bank financing does not fully meet market demand. In these contexts, private capital is not a replacement for banks, but a complementary source of flexible and tailored
