BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) has established its first real estate debt and infrastructure debt funds, having hired three fund managers.

In June last year, IPE Real Assets reported that BNPP AM had created a private debt and real assets investment group, bringing its real estate and infrastructure lending activities together with its wider private debt business.

BNPP AM has now launched European Infra Debt and European Real Estate Debt, the company’s first funds for the asset classes.

No fundraising details were revealed, but David Bouchoucha, the head of private debt and real assets, said the funds were “generating significant interest, with commitments from anchor investors and a strong pipeline of further potential commitments”.

He said: “We are committed to investing heavily in private debt and real assets, and providing our clients with a broad range of solutions based on a distinctive approach to asset sourcing and selection.”

European Infra Debt will invest in senior secured loans in Europe across sectors including transport, social infrastructure, telecoms, renewable energy, conventional energy and utilities. 

European Real Estate Debt will target a portfolio of senior secured loans in commercial real estate across the whole European market, including offices, retails, logistics, hotels, operating assets and non-standard assets.

The company said it had appointed Pauline Fiastre as senior fund manager for telecoms and renewable energy. She joined from Crédit Agricole CIB where she was a managing director in the telecoms, media and technology finance division.

Vincent Guillaume has also been named senior fund manager for transportation, social infrastructure and telecoms. He joined from Société Générale, where he was a senior vice president in project finance.

Frédéric Soulié has been appointed senior fund manager for real estate debt. He was previously an independent real estate consultant covering European markets.