We’re pleased to announce the introduction of loan agency services to our Italian offering. Appointed to lead this new business line is Solidea Maccioni, who brings to the role more than 20 years of experience in structured finance, servicing and complex debt transactions.
This development comes quickly after the recent rebrand of Zenith Global to IQ-EQ, a milestone that completed the transition period after we acquired Zenith, a market-leading Italian securitisation solutions provider, earlier this year. This strategic acquisition gave us an established, specialist team of 220+ professionals in Italy and the ideal springboard from which to build out our debt and capital markets offering in the Italian market – starting with loan agency services.
IQ-EQ Italy, which has a 26-year history in the Italian market and over €50 billion in assets under management in the securitisation space, stands out for its innovative, sophisticated structures catered to international investors. As IQ-EQ, the Italian business is also now part of a global platform with international reach, significant operational depth and multidisciplinary capabilities.
According to the Italian Association of Private Equity, Venture Capital and Private Debt (AIFI), the Italian private debt market saw investments reach €6.8 billion in 2025, up 33% from €5.1 billion in 2024, reflecting growing transaction volumes and increased participation from institutional investors. Data from the first quarter of 2026 suggests that the market’s structural growth drivers remain firmly in place, supported by the continued expansion of direct lending.
In this context, our introduction of loan agency services to Italy responds to growing demand from lenders, borrowers and investors for an independent, experienced partner able to support sophisticated financing structures.
This service development marks a key milestone in our strategic plans to extend both our Italian service suite and our loan agency capabilities across key locations worldwide. The service offering covers bonds, loans, equity and restructuring activities.
Leading the new service line will be Solidea Maccioni, who joins our Milan office as Head of Loan Agency. Solidea brings to IQ-EQ more than 20 years of industry experience, including roles at BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank as well as several years with Zenith Global that saw her lead Zenith’s structuring, transaction management and corporate teams. Her appointment back into the business demonstrates the strength of her expertise across structured finance, servicing and complex debt transactions.
While Solidea’s primary focus will be on establishing and growing the new service in Italy, she will also assist in building out IQ-EQ’s loan agency service proposition more broadly across the group.
“It is wonderful to see us hit the ground running as IQ-EQ Italy,” commented Umberto Rasori, Managing Director, Italy at IQ-EQ. “Loan agency services are a natural extension of our established structured finance and loan servicing offering and will further enhance our ability to support our clients throughout the full lifecycle of increasingly sophisticated financing transactions. I’m also delighted to be welcoming Solidea back to our team – I’m confident our loan agency business will be in safe hands with her.”
Joanne McEnteggart, Global Head of Debt, Capital Markets and Corporate at IQ-EQ, added: “Since we agreed to acquire the Zenith business back in late 2025, I’ve been blown away by the strength of the team – their knowledge, skills, passion and dedication. So, it makes absolute sense to me that we’re bringing back a familiar face to launch our loan agency service line in Italy.
“Our goal in expanding the Italian business is to offer clients the best of both worlds: trusted specialists on the ground in Italy, paired with the reach, resources and capabilities of a global provider. I look forward to working closely with Solidea as we introduce our loan agency expertise to the Italian market.”
