1. StepStone Group launches new private credit benchmarks with Kroll. 2. Benchmarks use data from over 15,000 deals for robust valuation. 3. Investor interest in private markets is expected to grow significantly. 4. Benchmarks provide timely insights for better capital allocation. 5. Joint webinar scheduled on September 16 to discuss benchmarks.
The introduction of industry-standard benchmarks enhances StepStone's competitive position in private markets. Historical trends show similar innovations have led to improved investor confidence and market performance.
The benchmarks are pivotal for establishing StepStone as a leader in private markets, likely leading to increased investments and stronger market presence which could positively affect stock prices.
The benchmarks will gradually influence investment strategies and market allocations over time, akin to past transformative industry standards that took time to fully benefit companies involved.
A new industry standard for faster, more precise and confident decision-making in private capital markets
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroll, the leading independent provider of global financial and risk advisory solutions, and StepStone Group (NASDAQ:STEP), a global private markets solutions provider, today announced the launch of the Kroll StepStone Private Credit Benchmarks (Benchmarks). A new industry standard, the Benchmarks enable more robust and rigorous valuation and provide an unmatched level of intelligence into the asset class's investment characteristics.
The private credit Benchmarks are a result of an industry-first collaboration, built using loan-level data and information from more than 15,000 deals, as opposed to fund-level aggregates or modeled estimates. Developed with the long-standing and data-driven private markets expertise of Kroll and StepStone Group, the Benchmarks deliver more timely, reliable and actionable insights, on an anonymized basis, which are essential to the accelerated growth of private investment markets.
"Investor interest and confidence in private markets is growing, in part buoyed by the 'retailification' of private capital, and we expect investors to allocate even more to private markets over the coming years," said Jacob Silverman, CEO of Kroll. "We are excited to partner with StepStone Group and respond to this market demand with a rigorous solution that enables near real-time market monitoring and provides vital intelligence for industry participants."
Updated weekly with new primary market data, the Benchmarks provide aggregated, anonymized, filterable insights across regions, sectors, size and loan security. This includes extensive coverage across U.S. and European markets, facilitating targeted and timelier capital allocation decision-making, portfolio monitoring, and loan terms and pricing.
Marcel Schindler, Partner and CEO of StepStone Private Debt, added, "We continue to see strong demand for private credit solutions across the world's investors and, with that, comes an increasing need for clarity and granular benchmarks in this rapidly evolving asset class. By combining Kroll's robust dataset in private credit with complementary data contained within our SPI by StepStone platform, we're building a powerful intelligence toolkit that enables improved decision-making for investors and market participants across the private credit ecosystem."
Michael H. Dolan, President of Financial Advisory at Kroll, explained, "We believe private investment markets are an enduring opportunity for growth as retail investors gain access and begin to shift from public to private market investment strategies. This trend has been augmented by a proliferation of evergreen funds. Retail investors currently control more than 50% of global wealth, however, they only control about 20% of private market assets under management. The industry is at an inflection point and Kroll is excited to help drive this market transition."
Tyler Johnson, Partner and Chief Technology Officer of StepStone Group emphasized, "Robust and granular benchmarking has long been a challenge in private markets, one that StepStone has addressed since its inception through our SPI by StepStone platform. Our collaboration with Kroll will continue that mission to build a better data and analytics toolkit, bringing deeper intelligence and transparency for private credit to all market participants."
The Benchmarks are available through the Private Capital Markets Platform which, as part of Kroll's Private Asset Valuation Solutions, enables users to easily identify, analyze and model critical valuation drivers of illiquid investments and fund-level data at scale.
Learn more about the Kroll StepStone Private Credit Benchmarks at www.kroll.com/benchmarks.
Kroll and StepStone will host a joint webinar on September 16 at 11:00 a.m. ET to introduce Private Credit Benchmarks. Register here to attend.
About Kroll
As the leading independent provider of financial and risk advisory solutions, Kroll leverages our unique insights, data and technology to help clients stay ahead of complex demands. Kroll's team of more than 6,500 professionals worldwide continues the firm's nearly 100-year history of trusted expertise spanning risk, governance, transactions and valuation. Our advanced solutions and intelligence provide clients the foresight they need to create an enduring competitive advantage. At Kroll, our values define who we are and how we partner with clients and communities.
Learn more at Kroll.com.
About StepStone Group
StepStone Group Inc. (NASDAQ:STEP) is a global private markets investment firm focused on providing customized investment solutions and advisory and data services to its clients. As of June 30, 2025, StepStone was responsible for approximately $723 billion of total capital, including $199 billion of assets under management. StepStone's clients include some of the world's largest public and private defined benefit and defined contribution pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies, as well as prominent endowments, foundations, family offices and private wealth clients, which include high-net-worth and mass affluent individuals. StepStone partners with its clients to develop and build private markets portfolios designed to meet their specific objectives across the private equity, infrastructure, private debt and real estate asset classes.
For more information, visit StepStone Group.
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SOURCE Kroll Associates