Here’s something that hasn’t happened in nearly two decades: European lenders are telling software companies they need to actually start paying back their loans on a schedule. Not at maturity. Not when they feel like it. Now.

The return of amortization requirements to Europe’s leveraged finance market marks a significant shift in how creditors view the software sector. The last time these kinds of repayment terms were widespread in Europe was during the global financial crisis. The catalyst this time isn’t a banking meltdown. It’s artificial intelligence.

What’s actually happening

Lenders in Europe’s private credit and leveraged finance markets are increasingly demanding that software borrowers commit to gradual principal repayment over the life of their loans, rather than the bullet-maturity structures that have dominated for years.

Paysafe Ltd. offers a concrete example. The payments company has proposed 5% annual repayments on its original loan principal in exchange for a two-year extension on its loan maturity.

Investors are reportedly positioned to request comparable amortization terms in upcoming negotiations with think-cell Software GmbH, a company backed by private equity firm Cinven.

The core anxiety driving this shift is straightforward: lenders are worried that AI might fundamentally reshape the software industry before their loans come due. If a company’s product can be replicated or made obsolete by an AI system, its revenue stream becomes a lot less predictable.

Why lenders are spooked

For years, software companies were the golden children of leveraged finance. Recurring revenue models, high margins, sticky customer bases. These were the characteristics that made lenders comfortable extending large credit facilities with minimal repayment requirements.

AI has introduced a wrinkle into that logic. Lenders are questioning whether the moats that made software businesses attractive — things like proprietary algorithms, user interface advantages, and switching costs — will hold up as AI capabilities become more accessible and cheaper to deploy.

This is fundamentally a refinancing risk problem. A lender who extends a bullet loan to a software company is making a bet that the company will still be creditworthy enough to refinance when that loan matures. If AI disruption erodes the borrower’s competitive position, the lender could be left holding paper that nobody wants to refinance. Amortization reduces that exposure by getting some capital back before the music potentially stops.

What this means for investors

For software companies backed by private equity, amortization requirements directly reduce free cash flow available for growth investments, dividends, or further leveraged acquisitions. A 5% annual principal repayment on a large loan is real money that has to come from somewhere. Companies with thinner margins or slower growth will feel the squeeze most acutely.

The tightening could also create a bifurcation within the software sector. Companies that can demonstrate genuine defensibility against AI disruption — through proprietary data assets, deep enterprise integrations, or regulatory moats — will likely continue to access favorable financing terms. Those that cannot make that case convincingly may find their cost of capital rising.