Blue Owl Capital has agreed to buy up to $2 billion of consumer installment loans from Upstart as part of an effort to push into asset-based finance. The private credit lender will snap up the debt over the next 18 months, through a forward-flow agreement.
Apollo Global Management Inc.’s structured credit business Atlas SP Partners will provide debt financing for the loan purchases. Blue Owl’s investment comes as the firm is trying to position itself as a one-stop shop for borrowers by moving into other credit products. Last month, it completed its acquisition of Atalaya Capital Management, which focuses on asset-based finance, a type of lending that allows firms to hand out debt backed by a borrower’s assets, like auto loans or equipment leasing debt.