New York, 20 April 2026: Benefit Street Partners (BSP), Franklin Templeton’s private credit specialist investment manager with $92 billion in assets under management, has appointed Anant Kumar into the newly created role of Global Investment Strategist, effective immediately.
In this capacity, Anant will lead the development of research-driven market insights and content for investors and other key external stakeholders. He will collaborate with the BSP investment teams across all strategies and geographies, as well as the business development, IR, marketing and communications functions, to help investors navigate and understand opportunities in the growing and diversifying global private credit industry.
Based in the US, Anant remains the firm’s Head of Credit Research, overseeing a dedicated team of over 20 sector focused analysts, and as a Portfolio Manager for Franklin Templeton and BSP’s two closed-end interval funds (FBLUX and FBSPX), which provide daily valuations, monthly distributions and quarterly liquidity.
Anant joined BSP in 2015. Prior to that he was in the capital markets advisory group at Lazard Freres, and in the leveraged finance group at Deutsche Bank. Anant received an MBA from the University of Chicago, a Master of Science from Stanford University, and a Bachelor of Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University in India.
Commenting, Allison Davi, Co-COO at BSP said: “Private credit is still growing and as more investors diversify their exposure and look for new opportunities, there is a need to provide more tailored and bespoke insight to support them. With Anant’s 20 years in finance, current oversight of the firm’s research team and his experience in portfolio management, he is perfectly placed to provide this new service.”
Anant’s appointment as Global Investment Strategist follows a string of recent key hires at BSP, including Takeshi Yamamoto as the firm’s new Japan lead, Alex Denby as Deputy Head of Middle East based in the UAE, and Sam Turvey as Global Head of Communications based in London.
About Benefit Street Partners
Benefit Street Partners (“BSP”) is an alternative credit pioneer with $92 billion1 in assets under management (including Apera). It seeks to deliver attractive, risk-adjusted returns through its deep specialism, long-term relationships and global reach. A wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton, BSP is focused on credit. Through its disciplined, solutions-oriented approach, BSP unlocks opportunities across market cycles and geographies. The firm manages strategies spanning private debt, real estate debt, structured credit, and liquid loans. For more information, visit bspcredit.com.
1. BSP’s $92 billion AUM is an estimate as of 12/31/2025 and includes Apera Asset Management.
About Franklin Templeton
Franklin Templeton is a trusted investment partner, delivering tailored solutions that align with clients’ strategic goals. With deep portfolio management expertise across public and private markets, we combine investment excellence with cutting-edge technology. Since our founding in 1947, we have empowered clients through strategic partnership, forward-looking insights, and continuous innovation – providing the tools and resources to navigate change and capture opportunity.
With more than $1.7 trillion in assets under management as of January 31, 2026, Franklin Templeton operates globally in more than 35 countries.
To learn more, visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE: BEN]
