Asset-based lending continues to push past its traditional moorings — inventory, receivables and equipment — into uncharted territory, driven by the rise of knowledge-economy businesses. With private credit surging toward $2 trillion and ABL commanding a $400+ billion slice, the imperative to unlock liquidity from novel asset classes is reshaping the middle market.[1]
Intellectual property (IP), recurring revenue streams and digital assets are emerging as viable collateral, offering the dealmaker ecosystem — PE sponsors, investment bankers, legal advisors, specialty lenders and turnaround experts — new levers to fuel innovation-heavy portfolios. This article dissects these innovations and their alignment with PE strategies, highlighting technical implications and ecosystem dynamics.
The New Frontier: Expanding ABL’s Collateral Base
ABL’s evolution reflects a market adapting to intangible value drivers:
- Intellectual Property Lending: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) notes IP-backed financing is gaining traction, with patents, trademarks and copyrights increasingly collateralized.[2] Valuations hinge on royalty streams and market potential, often reaching 50% of assessed value, per industry norms.
- Recurring Revenue Lending: Subscription-based cash flows, prevalent in SaaS and healthcare, are now ABL-eligible. Lenders target annualized recurring revenue (ARR), advancing 70% to 80% against predictable streams, per Secured Research benchmarks.
- Digital Asset Lending: Blockchain-based assets — cryptocurrencies, tokenized securities — enter the fold, with the Federal Reserve eyeing their $2 trillion market as collateral potential. Volatility caps advance rates at 30% to 50%, but liquidity appeals to risk-tolerant lenders.
Technical Innovations: Structuring the Intangible
These asset classes demand bespoke frameworks:
- IP Collateralization: Valuation blends income (discounted cash flows) and market approaches, per Appraisal Economics, with legal enforceability critical.[3] Covenants tie to IP maintenance, hedging infringement risks.
- Recurring Revenue Facilities: Borrowing bases peg to ARR growth rates, often 20% to 30% annually for tech firms, with triggers for churn or contract renewal, per S&P Global insights.[4] Floating rates (SOFR + 300-400 bps) reflect risk profiles.
- Digital Asset Structures: Real-time mark-to-market adjustments, enabled by blockchain, manage volatility, with custody via regulated platforms like Coinbase Custody.[5] Advance rates flex with market swings, per IMF analysis.[6]
Connecting to PE Strategies: Knowledge-Economy Synergies
PE’s pivot to knowledge-driven sectors — tech, biotech, media — amplifies these innovations:
- Leverage Optimization: McKinsey reports 2024 buyout leverage at 4.1x could climb to 4.5x with IP and recurring revenue collateral, stretching equity efficiency.[7] PE sponsors use these assets to fund R&D or scale-ups without dilution.
- Value Creation Alignment: Recurring revenue supports extended hold periods (5.7 years median, per Private Equity Info), enabling operational transformation.[8] IP lending fuels patent-driven exits, targeting 3-4x multiples.
- Risk Mitigation: Digital assets offer liquidity for distressed plays, with turnaround advisors leveraging tokenized equity to recapitalize portfolios, per Deloitte’s 2025 Banking Regulatory Outlook.[9]
Ecosystem Implications: Roles and Risks
This expansion reshapes the dealmaking table:
- Private Equity Sponsors: PE firms integrate IP and ARR into deal models, relying on IB to structure facilities that maximize leverage within 5-6x EBITDA caps.
- Investment Bankers: IB crafts hybrid ABL-private credit solutions, blending tangible and intangible collateral to align with PE’s 7 to 10-year theses.
- Legal Advisors: Enforcing IP liens and navigating digital asset custody spike complexity, with fees rising 15% to 20% as jurisdictional gaps widen.
- Specialty Lenders: ABL providers shift from 90-day receivable cycles to multi-year revenue projections, investing in valuation tech — KPMG estimates $138 billion in automation savings.[10]
- Turnaround Advisors: Volatility in digital assets demands real-time stress testing, while IP disputes threaten recovery, per S&P Global’s 2024 default warnings.
Risks loom: IP valuation disputes, recurring revenue churn (10% to15% annually in SaaS), and digital asset price swings (30% daily moves) challenge stability, per IMF data.
Looking Ahead: ABL’s Knowledge-Economy Pivot
ABL’s foray into new asset classes signals a structural shift. For the ecosystem, this demands agility — IB refining structures, legal teams securing intangibles, specialty lenders scaling analytics and turnaround advisors guarding against overreach. In 2025, ABL’s expansion beyond traditional collateral isn’t just adaptation — it’s a catalyst for PE’s knowledge-economy ambitions.
Rita E. Garwood is Editor in Chief of ABF Journal.
Footnotes:
[1] Cai, Fang and Haque, Sharjil, “Private Credit: Characteristics and Risks,” Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Feb. 23, 2024.
[2] “Intellectual Property Finance,” World Intellectual Property Organization.
[3] “Asset-Based Lending: Intellectual Property,” Appraisal Economics.
[4] “Rising Global Defaults Will Test Private Credit Funds In 2024,” S&P Global, May 1, 2024.
[5] “Secure digital asset custody,” Coinbase.
[6] “The Last Mile: Financial Vulnerabilities and Risks,” International Monetary Fund, April 2024.
[7] “Global Private Markets Report 2024: Private markets in a slower era,” McKinsey & Company, March 28, 2024.
[8] Jones, Andy, “Holding periods reach record highs as private equity recovers from Covid-19,” Private Equity Info, Sept. 14, 2023.
[9] “2025 banking regulatory outlook: Gearing up for change,” Deloitte.
[10] “2023 KPMG Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer Survey,” KPMG, 2023.