With the rise in interest rates and a stumbling global economy, debt for most private equity firms has become more expensive. In this edition, Real Deals investigates whether private debt funds can fill the gap left by traditional lenders and the strategies they're adopting to win business (see pages 10-11).

Also this month, we join the holidaymakers heading south for our Southern Europe special report, looking at PE progress in Italy, Spain and Portugal (see pages 22-25).

Also in this issue:

• Roundtable: The state of play in the mid-market debt space
• Mid-market deal report: Reflecting on the themes and trends seen in H1 2023
• Organic growth: Standout examples of recent successes by AnaCap and Riverside Europe

All the above plus our regular Deals in Focus, Funds in Focus and more from the Real Deals team can be accessed via the links below or the e-reader opposite. Happy reading!