Carlyle Plans Complex Credit Vehicle to Kick-Start Flagship Fund

As private equity firms take longer to sell off companies they’ve bought, pay back investors in their funds, and raise money for new vehicles, Carlyle Group Inc. is turning to a unique solution: a multibillion-dollar structured financing.

The transaction, known internally as “Project Potomac,” would seed a new buyout fund, Carlyle Partners IX, according to people with knowledge of the matter. It would also pay back money to some investors in the firm’s older private equity funds, said the people, asking not to be named discussing non-public information.