Lodbrok Capital

Lodbrok Capital focuses on European private credit and special situations, targeting mid-market opportunities where regulatory retrenchment by banks has opened a lending gap. The firm originates direct loans, buys non-performing loan portfolios, and participates in secondary-market credit trades when dislocations appear. The strategy is complexity-driven: rather than competing on scale, it targets situations under roughly €100 million where bespoke structuring is required.

Mikael Hanell, the founder and managing partner, serves as chief investment officer. He spent over a decade at Värde Partners as a senior distressed-debt investor before launching Lodbrok in 2016. The investment team also includes senior professionals like Bob Kramer, who previously held roles with structured-credit expertise at similar firms.

Lodbrok deliberately avoids competing with large-scale direct lenders for broadly syndicated facilities. Instead, it targets situations where complexity — such as regulatory structuring, non-performing loan acquisitions, or asset-backed credit — creates a barrier to entry for passive capital. This relationship-driven segment favors managers who can underwrite and structure in-house without relying on rating-agency models.

Lodbrok's investment mandate is concentrated on Europe, with a historical focus on Western and Northern European markets where post-crisis regulatory dynamics have most clearly reshaped bank lending behavior. The firm has not publicly disclosed a systematic expansion into North American or Asian credit markets.

The firm's deployment spans direct mid-market lending, acquisition financing, real estate bridge loans, aviation finance, and the acquisition of non-performing loan pools. It also participates in structured credit facilities to sponsor-backed companies and secondary-market credit trades during periods of market stress.