AXA IM Structured Finance has raised over €1bn in total commitments for the AXA IM Partner Capital Solutions VII Fund at the end of September, following launch in July 2017. The capital committed was raised from sophisticated institutions, insurance companies and pension funds as well as family offices, with both repeat and new clients. This is the largest amount that AXA IM has raised for capital relief trades, reflecting increased asset management foothold in the alternative credit space. Oliver Fochler, CEO at Stone Mountain Capital, echoes similar views. “Capital relief trades are restricted to banks and insurance firms, since they are the ones who have the structuring expertise and the capital need to do them. For other investors in alternative credit it’s just much more convenient to do an outright sale or an acquisition”. However, Fochler confirms a wider investment base among insurers, along with more cash to put to use. 2017 SCI. All rights reserved. Interview with Oliver Fochler, CEO in Stone Mountain Capital LTD was covered on 10th November 2017 in Structured Credit Investor (SCI) under 'AXA boosts risk transfer foothold' (website requires registration).