Apex Group Ltd. (“Apex Group”), a global financial services provider with over $3.5 trillion in assets serviced, has published AI-powered private credit, a new research report examining how artificial intelligence is being adopted across private credit operations globally, and where the industry’s most significant opportunities and challenges lie.
With deep expertise across more than 50 jurisdictions, Apex Group delivers fund administration, middle-office, and technology solutions to asset managers, financial institutions, and corporates worldwide.
Based on responses from 105 senior leaders in the industry, the majority of whom are C-suite executives, the report draws on insights from firms across the Americas, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, representing institutional-scale platforms with established private credit operations. The findings reveal that 85% of respondents say AI is now fully embedded within their private credit activities, with investment decision-making (76%) and risk management (67%) identified as the areas delivering the greatest value. The research also highlights that 94% of respondents consider AI critical or very important to making private credit accessible to non-institutional investors.
Helen Wang, Chief AI and Data Science Officer, Apex Group, said:
“Governance cannot be treated as an overlay once AI becomes part of core operating workflows. It has to be designed in from the outset, so that controls scale alongside capability. This approach supports regulatory readiness and investor confidence without slowing decision-making, and it becomes especially important for firms operating across jurisdictions or serving a broader investor base.”
Despite strong adoption, the report identifies a gap between perceived embedding and achieved transformation. While many firms have deployed AI tools, fewer have redesigned the underlying processes, data flows, and governance structures required to integrate those tools into day-to-day decision-making. Over 60% of respondents expect technology investment in operations to increase by 20% to 50% over the next three years, with nearly half expecting to direct between 50% and 75% of technology budgets towards AI capabilities.
Eddie Kelly, Global Head of Product – Private Debt, Apex Group, said:
“AI is now part of how private credit firms operate, but embedding technology and embedding operating discipline are not the same thing. The firms that close that gap will be best positioned to scale with confidence.”
Priority investment areas over the next three years include risk monitoring and analytics (27%), retail distribution platforms (20%), valuation and pricing systems (17%), and data infrastructure and integration (14%). The research also underscores the growing importance of governance, with over 60% of respondents reporting formal policies in place to govern the ethical use of AI in credit decision-making.
The report further highlights the role of the middle office as a critical area of operational transformation. 63% of respondents are currently implementing AI or automation within middle-office operations, with data extraction, financial statement processing, and credit agreement analysis emerging as the most common applications. Improved data accuracy (37%) and reduced processing time (30%) were cited as the most significant benefits achieved.
AI-powered private credit is available now and is aimed at private credit managers, chief operating officers, chief technology and data officers, and investors seeking to understand how AI is shaping the operational future of the asset class.
Complete the form below to download the report
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Marion Janic I Head of Media Relations
Marion.Janic@apexgroup.com
About Apex Group
Apex Group is dedicated to driving positive change in financial services while supporting the growth and ambitions of asset managers, allocators, financial institutions, family offices, and sovereigns. Established in Bermuda in 2003, the Group has continually disrupted the industry through its investment in innovation and talent.
Today, Apex Group sets the pace in fund and asset servicing and stands out for its unique single-source solution and unified cross asset-class platform which supports the entire value chain, harnesses leading innovative technology, and benefits from cross-jurisdictional expertise delivered by a long-standing management team and over 13,000 highly integrated professionals in over 50 jurisdictions.
Apex Group leads the industry with a broad and unmatched range of services, including capital raising, business and corporate management, fund and investor administration, portfolio and investment administration, ESG, capital markets and transactions support, as well as digital and AI solutions. These services are tailored to each client and are delivered both at the Group level and via specialist subsidiary brands.
The Apex Foundation, a not-for-profit entity, is the Group’s passionate commitment to empower sustainable change.
