Reckoner Capital Management Hires Team to Provide New-Build Superyacht Financing
Firm taps four industry veterans to spearhead new venture
NEW YORK, April 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reckoner Capital Management (“Reckoner”), a global asset management firm with specialized expertise in alternative credit, today announced the launch of Reckoner Superyacht Finance, a new superyacht construction finance strategy, expanding the firm’s capabilities in asset-backed lending and alternative credit.
The strategy is focused on the global new-build yacht market, a segment currently estimated at approximately $10.56 billion annually and projected to grow to $16.6 billion by 2034. It is supported by an order book exceeding $38 billion, with more than 1,100 yachts currently under construction worldwide, underscoring a deep pipeline of in-progress assets that form the core opportunity set for the strategy.1
“We see a significant opportunity to target a segment of the superyacht market characterized by more standardized builds,” said Reckoner Co-Founder and CEO John Kim. “The addressable market has attractive structural dynamics with low risk, and there are compelling opportunities to deploy capital in a disciplined way while seeking strong risk-adjusted returns for investors.”
The strategy focuses on providing highly collateralized, low loan-to-value (LTV) financing for superyacht construction, targeting vessels in the 30 to 85 meter range. Reckoner will fund a significant percentage of a yacht’s build cost, complementing the customer’s initial equity contribution to shipyards.
Reckoner has appointed a London-based team of industry veterans that brings decades of deep expertise in marine finance across European and U.S. markets.
John Stephens and Bob Atkinson come to Reckoner’s Superyacht Finance Team from JB Capital Group, a specialist advisor they co-founded to help ultra-high net worth individuals and corporate clients source, manage, and finance superyachts and business aircraft. Stephens brings more than 25 years of banking experience across superyacht and business aircraft finance, developed through client-facing and senior management roles at Barclays, BNP Paribas Fortis, and RBS Group. Atkinson has more than 30 years of banking experience covering superyacht and business aircraft finance across the UK, EMEA, US, and Asia with Barclays, where he established and developed the Corporate Jet and Superyacht financing business in 2003.
Martin Kahm and Niklas Nilsson join Reckoner’s Superyacht Finance Team from StarStruck Marine Capital, an independent maritime finance advisory firm specializing in debt structuring and capital raising for international shipowners and asset operators. Kahm and Nilsson co-founded the firm in 2017 after holding roles at Nordea Bank, a Scandinavian bank with a long tradition in global ship finance. Kahm served in multiple roles over 13 years at Nordea, including Head of Offshore and Oil Services. Nilsson spent more than 17 years at Nordea, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President in the bank's Shipping, Offshore, and Oil Services division.
Sophocles Zoullas, a prominent figure in commercial shipping, will serve as Chairman of the platform, advising on strategy and market opportunities.
“By providing loans at the construction stage, we believe we can mitigate many of the risks associated with traditional marine or shipping finance,” said Kim. “Capital will be deployed in stages as construction milestones are met, and vessels remain in shipyards until delivery, which will provide us with strong collateral control and enforcement rights. Martin, John, Niklas, and Bob will be instrumental in this important venture as we expand our structured credit portfolio, and we’re excited to welcome this world-class team to the Reckoner platform.”
The launch reflects Reckoner’s continued focus on developing differentiated credit strategies that provide access to niche, asset-backed opportunities traditionally limited to specialized lenders as investors seek to diversify their traditional fixed income portfolios.
To learn more about Reckoner Capital Management, please visit www.reckoner.com.
About Reckoner Capital Management
Reckoner Capital Management is a global asset management firm with specialized expertise in alternative credit. We are dedicated to delivering superior investment performance to institutional and retail clients by creating bespoke, innovative solutions and products that are directly aligned with their objectives. Leveraging our vast experience, expertise, and relationships, we bring highly differentiated alternative credit investments to Wall Street and Main Street, which has traditionally had limited access to this asset class. We are employee-owned and partnered with RedBird Capital Partners, a $14 billion private equity firm.
Media Contact:
Pat Burek
Financial Profiles
(US+) 1-310-622-8244
pburek@finprofiles.com
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1Fortune Business Insights, “Super Yacht Market Size, Share, and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Application Type (Passenger and Commercial), By Type (Sailing Yacht and Motorized Yacht), By Size (Below 24m, 24-45m, and Above 45m), and By Region, 2026-2034,” 4/6/2026. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/super-yacht-market-110404
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