Private Credit and Shadow Banking Flows in December 2025: Regulatory Focus and Deployment Trends

Over the past 72 hours, OSINT indicates increased regulatory attention on private credit and shadow banking activities, with a focus on bank exposures and new funding channels in the US financial system. These developments reflect ongoing shifts in credit market structures and capital flows.

The US bank regulators’ year-end review highlights private credit as a top structural risk, emphasizing its growing integration into the credit system and potential supervisory responses. Regulators also express concern over the disintermediation of banks by nonbank lenders and the rise of novel banking charters linked to shadow credit.

Regulatory reports note the increasing use of “novel charters” and de novo banks, including PayPal’s Utah ILC application, which could formalize on-balance-sheet funding channels for fintech and private-credit lenders. This trend may tighten the connection between shadow credit activities and insured deposits.

The December 2025 fixed-income outlook describes a “pivotal shift” following the Fed’s dovish stance and reserve management adjustments, supporting private credit fundraising, especially in floating-rate direct lending. Re-risking within credit sectors persists as investors rotate from investment-grade to higher-yielding assets, maintaining capital inflows into private credit funds.

The structured finance year-in-review reports that 2025 saw a maturing SRT market, with increased use of synthetic securitisations to free bank capital. This activity deepens the linkages between regulated banks and shadow credit, indicating ongoing reliance on capital relief mechanisms to support private and off-balance-sheet lending.

The dataset does not specify the notional volume of SRT activity or detailed capital levels, nor does it include forward-looking guidance beyond these reports.