SAO PAULO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Virtus BR Partners (“Virtus”), a leading independent Brazilian financial advisory firm with extensive experience in stressed and distressed private credit opportunities in Brazil, is pleased to announce the establishment of a strategic relationship with Oaktree Capital Management L.P. managed funds (“Oaktree”) to pursue investment opportunities in Brazil and throughout Latin America, utilizing Virtus’s local experience and Oaktree’s investment expertise. Oaktree, formed in 1995 and headquartered in Los Angeles, is a leading global alternative investment management firm with expertise in credit strategies and over $98 billion in AUM.
Eleazar de Carvalho Filho, founding partner and CEO of Virtus, and Julio Herrera, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Oaktree’s Emerging Markets Opportunities and Emerging Markets Debt Total Return strategies, will oversee the relationship.
During his over-thirty-year career, Mr. Carvalho Filho has served as CEO of both government and international financial institutions in Brazil, and has sat on several boards of directors of publicly listed companies in Brazil and abroad. “We are excited to enter into this relationship with Oaktree at this important juncture in Brazil’s economy. The opportunities in the coming years are significant, and investors will benefit from the combined experience of our teams,” said Mr. Carvalho Filho.
During his over-twenty-year career in distressed emerging market investing, Mr. Herrera has played a leading role in many of the largest debt restructurings in the emerging markets, particularly in Latin America, Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe. “We believe this formal relationship with Virtus will augment Oaktree’s local transaction structuring, informational and analytic capabilities,” said Mr. Herrera. “We are thrilled about this opportunity to expand our capacity throughout Latin America and specifically in the dynamic, rapidly evolving Brazilian market. Tighter credit conditions should create opportunities for long-term value investors with extensive experience in distressed credit investment.”
About Virtus
Virtus BR Partners has a dedicated local Brazilian team of ten investment professionals with expertise in sourcing, structuring and executing complex transactions in Brazil, including debt restructurings, mergers and acquisitions and project finance. The firm is currently involved in some of the largest ongoing debt restructurings in Brazil, including engagements with large Brazilian infrastructure conglomerates and is active in many key industries, including power, gas and water utilities, infrastructure, agribusiness, retail and real estate. For additional information, please visit Virtus’s website at http://www.virtusbr.com.
About Oaktree
Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments, with $98 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2016. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in distressed debt, corporate debt (including high yield debt and senior loans), control investing, convertible securities, real estate and listed equities. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm has over 900 employees and offices in 18 cities worldwide. For additional information, please visit Oaktree’s website at http://www.oaktreecapital.com.