“We want to quickly broaden our investor base”
Philipp Kerz is now Head of Sales at Debitos. In an interview, he explains what he did before, which core tasks he is taking over at Debitos and in which areas he sees potential for the Frankfurt credit marketplace.
Philipp, in the past you have been working for various alternative credit investors such as HayFin Capital Management and Apollo. What business areas were you responsible for there?
Philipp Kerz: I have been working in the credit business for many years and established many relevant contacts during this time. At HayFin and Apollo I was responsible for an opportunistic leveraged loan portfolio which we put together in the primary and secondary market by investing in individual loan transactions.
Philipp Kerz
What attracted you to the job at Debitos and what will be your main tasks?
Philipp Kerz: Debitos is a highly interesting tech company that provides liquidity and transaction certainty for sellers and buyers of all kinds of loans via an electronic platform. Such a platform is the future of the credit markets. My focus will be on performing loans and we want to quickly broaden the base of investors who use our marketplace as quickly as possible.
Debitos was established mainly as a NPL platform, but is also increasingly transacting in performing loans and promissory notes or Schuldscheine. What potential do you see in this area?
Philipp Kerz: Performing loans and leveraged loans are a huge asset class for which our platform is ideally suited. We provide sellers and buyers in this area with a high degree of transaction certainty at a competitive and fair price.
How would you currently describe the market in the DACH region?
Philipp Kerz: Market participants in the DACH region are increasingly open for leveraged loans and non-investment grade debt in general. This growing risk appetite is the result of extremely low interest rates in Europe. The market will very likely continue to grow as long as this low interest rate environment persists.
If there is an economic slowdown in Germany, will opportunities for a secondary market place like Debitos increase?
Philipp Kerz: Debitos will grow regardless of the economic situation. Through Debitos market participants have a buying or selling alternative that gives them additional liquidity and transaction certainty. This is a very important argument in favor of our platform.
What do you want to achieve with Debitos in 2020?
Philipp Kerz: Our aim is to make Debitos much more widely known in the market and to position Debitos as an alternative to the traditional selling and buying process. The more market participants know and use our marketplace, the better and more competitive the auction processes on our platform will be which will benefit all parties involved.
Philipp, thank you very much for the interview.
(Diritti d'immagine: istockphoto.com/PPAMPicture)