Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with “Item 1. Financial Statements.” This discussion contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events our future performance or financial condition and involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those set forth in “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,2020 and Part II, Item 1A of and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. Actual results could differ materially from those implied or expressed in any forward-looking statements. The three months ended March 31, 2021 represents the period from January 7, 2021 (commencement of operations) to March 31, 2021.
Overview and Investment Framework
We are a newly organized, externally managed, non-diversified closed-end management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. Formed as a Delaware statutory trust on February 11, 2020, we are externally managed by the Adviser, which is responsible for sourcing potential investments, conducting due diligence on prospective investments, analyzing investment opportunities, structuring investments and monitoring our portfolio on an ongoing basis. Our Adviser is registered as investment adviser with the SEC. We also intend to elect to be treated, and intend to qualify annually thereafter, as a RIC under the Code.
Under our Investment Advisory Agreement, we have agreed to pay the Adviser an annual management fee as well as an incentive fee based on our investment performance. Also, under the Administration Agreement, we have agreed to reimburse the Administrator for the allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by the Administrator in performing its obligations under the Administration Agreement, including but not limited to our allocable portion of the costs of compensation and related expenses of our chief compliance officer, chief financial officer and their respective staffs.
Our investment objectives are to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, we will invest at least 80% of our total assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in private credit investments (loans, bonds and other credit instruments that are issued in private offerings or issued by private companies). If we change our 80% test, we will provide shareholders with at least 60 days’ notice of such change. Once we have invested a substantial amount of proceeds from the offering, under normal circumstances we expect that the majority of our portfolio will be in privately originated and privately negotiated investments, predominantly direct lending to U.S. middle market companies through (i) first lien senior secured and unitranche loans (generally with total investment sizes less than $300 million, which criteria may change from time to time) and (ii) second lien, unsecured, subordinated or mezzanine loans and structured credit (generally with total investment sizes less than $100 million, which criteria may change from time to time), as well as broadly syndicated loans (for which we may serve as an anchor investor), club deals (generally investments made by a small group of investment firms) and other debt and equity securities (the investments described in this sentence, collectively, “Private Credit”). To a lesser extent, we will also invest in publicly traded securities of large corporate issuers (“Opportunistic Credit”). We expect that the Opportunistic Credit investments will generally be liquid, and may be used for the purposes of maintaining liquidity for our share repurchase program and cash management, while also presenting an opportunity for attractive investment returns.
Most of our investments will be in private U.S. companies, but (subject to compliance with BDCs’ requirement to invest at least 70% of its assets in private U.S. companies), we also expect to invest to some extent in European and other non-U.S. companies, but do not expect to invest in emerging markets. Subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act, we may invest in loans or other securities, the proceeds of which may refinance or otherwise repay debt or securities of companies whose debt is owned by other Blackstone Credit funds. From time to time, we may co-invest with other Blackstone Credit funds.
Key Components of Our Results of Operations
Investments
We focus primarily on loans and securities, including syndicated loans, of private U.S. companies, specifically small and middle market companies, which we define as companies with annual revenue of $50 million to $2.5 billion, at the time of investment. Our level of investment activity (both the number of investments and the size of each investment) can and will vary substantially from period to period depending on many factors, including the amount of debt and equity capital available to middle market companies, the level of merger and acquisition activity for such companies, the general economic environment, trading prices of loans and other securities and the competitive environment for the types of investments we make.
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