By Takahiko Wada and Makiko Yamazaki
TOKYO, April 9 (Reuters) – Japan’s financial regulator has been conducting checks on private credit exposure at major financial institutions, a source told Reuters on Thursday, as concerns mount over strains in the $2 trillion global private credit industry.
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) is examining lending and investment ties to private credit, the source familiar with the matter said, declining to be identified as the matter is private. The move was first reported by Kyodo News.
Private credit funds in the United States have faced high redemption requests as jittery retail investors bolt for the exits amid concerns over transparency, valuations and artificial intelligence-related disruption.
Japan’s private credit market remains small due to companies’ easy access to traditional bank lending, but Japanese banks have stepped up financing to global private credit funds in recent years in search of higher returns.
While major Japanese banks’ exposure has been limited, global stress in private credit could potentially spill over to Japan if it were to intensify, the source said.
FSA Commissioner Yutaka Ito told Reuters last month that the watchdog has been closely monitoring Japanese banks’ exposure to the sector.
“As for how this might spill over to Japanese banks, there is still nothing concrete that has emerged,” he said, noting that the regulator has a detailed understanding of the banks’ exposures.
Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said last week that private credit could be on the agenda at a meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers in Washington next week.
“Information sharing and close coordination with the G7 partners will become increasingly important,” she said.
(Reporting by Takahiko Wada and Makiko YamazakiEditing by Bernadette Baum)
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