FS Specialty Lending Fund (FSEN) 10-K2023 FY Annual report

Many of the amounts and percentages presented in Part I have been rounded for convenience of presentation and all dollar amounts, excluding per share amounts, are presented in thousands unless otherwise noted.

The majority of our portfolio is comprised of income-oriented securities, which principally refers to debt securities and other income-producing investments, of privately-held companies within the United States. Historically, our portfolio has largely been invested in Energy companies, although we expect our portfolio to continue to shift away from investments in Energy companies as we pursue a diversified credit strategy. Generally, in the long-term, we expect to weight our investments more heavily towards directly originated investments, as this will provide us with the ability to tailor investments to best match a project’s or company’s needs with our investment objectives. However, our current investment policy enables FS/EIG Advisor to opportunistically invest in broadly syndicated investments and dynamically adjust allocations between private and public markets depending on where the risk-adjusted returns are most attractive. We intend to weight our portfolio towards senior secured debt, which we believe offers opportunities for superior risk-adjusted returns and income generation. Our debt investments may take the form of corporate or project loans or bonds, may be secured or unsecured and may, in some cases, be accompanied by yield enhancements. These yield enhancements are typically expected to include warrants, options, net profits interests, cash flow participations or other forms of equity participation that can provide additional consideration or “upside” in a transaction. Our current preferred equity investments are generally directly originated and may take the form of perpetual or redeemable securities, typically with a current income component and minimum base returns. In addition, certain income-oriented preferred or common equity interests may include interests in master limited partnerships, or MLPs. MLPs are entities that (i) are structured as limited partnerships or limited liability companies, (ii) are publicly traded, (iii) satisfy certain requirements to be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes and (iv) primarily own and operate midstream and upstream Energy companies. In connection with certain of our debt investments or any restructurings of these debt investments,

To seek to enhance our returns, we employ leverage as market conditions permit and at the discretion of FS/EIG Advisor, but in no event will leverage employed exceed the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. With certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities if our asset coverage, as calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing. The minimum asset coverage requirement applicable to BDCs under the 1940 Act, however, is currently 150% provided that certain disclosure and approval requirements are met.

As a BDC, we are subject to certain regulatory restrictions in making our investments. For example, BDCs generally are not permitted to co-invest with certain affiliated entities in transactions originated by the BDC or its affiliates in the absence of an exemptive order from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. However, BDCs are permitted to, and may, simultaneously co-invest in transactions where price is the only negotiated term. In an order dated June 4, 2013, or the Order, the SEC granted exemptive relief permitting us, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to co-invest in certain privately negotiated investment transactions with certain affiliates of its former investment adviser, including FS KKR Capital Corp., or collectively our co-investment affiliates. Effective April 9, 2018, or the JV Effective Date, and in connection with the transition of advisory services to a joint advisory relationship with EIG (as defined below), our board of trustees authorized and directed that we (i) withdraw from the Order, except with respect to any transaction in which we participated in reliance on the Order prior to the JV Effective Date, and (ii) rely on an exemptive relief order dated April 10, 2018, granted to EIG and its affiliates which permits us to participate in co-investment transactions with certain other EIG advised funds, or the EIG Order. On September 19, 2023, we, among other applicants, filed an application with the SEC to seek permission to co-invest in certain privately negotiated transactions with certain affiliates of FS/EIG Advisor, including FS Credit Opportunities Corp. and FS Tactical Opportunities Fund. The application provides that, among other things, should the SEC grant the requested order, we would withdraw from the EIG Order, except with respect to any transaction in which we participated in reliance on the EIG Order prior to the issuance of the new order. There is no guarantee if and when the application will be granted by the SEC.

While a BDC may list its shares for trading in the public markets, we have currently elected not to do so. Prior to any liquidity event, a non-traded structure allows us to operate with a long-term view, instead of managing to quarterly market expectations. We and FS/EIG Advisor will continue to evaluate the appropriate form and timing of any liquidity event, taking into account, among other things, the composition of our portfolio, portfolio performance and market conditions.

For information regarding our share repurchase program and distributions, including certain related tax considerations, see “Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Share Repurchase Program, De Minimis Account Liquidation and Distributions” and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—RIC Status and Distributions.”

FS/EIG Advisor is a Delaware limited liability company, located at 201 Rouse Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19112, registered as an investment adviser with the SEC under the Advisers Act. FS/EIG Advisor is jointly operated by an affiliate of Franklin Square Holdings, L.P. (which does business as FS Investments), and EIG Asset Management, LLC, or EIG. Our chairman and chief executive officer, Michael C. Forman, serves as FS/EIG Advisor’s chairman and chief executive officer.

FS/EIG Advisor’s management team has significant experience investing in the credit markets, including private lending and private equity investing, and has developed an expertise in using all levels of a firm’s capital structure to produce income-generating investments, while focusing on risk management. The team also has extensive knowledge of the managerial, operational and regulatory requirements of publicly registered alternative asset entities, such as BDCs. We believe that the active and ongoing participation by personnel of FS Investments, EIG and their respective affiliates in the credit markets, and the depth of experience and disciplined investment approach of FS/EIG Advisor’s management team, will allow FS/EIG Advisor to successfully execute our investment strategies.

Our board of trustees, including a majority of independent trustees, oversees and monitors our investment performance, and annually reviews the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement to determine, among other things, whether the fees payable under such agreement are reasonable in light of the services provided.

FS Investments is a global alternative asset manager dedicated to delivering superior performance and innovative investment and capital solutions. The firm manages over $79 billion in assets for a wide range of clients, including institutional investors, financial professionals and individual investors. FS Investments provides access to a broad suite of alternative asset classes and strategies through its best-in-class investment teams and partners. With its diversified platform and flexible capital solutions, the firm is a valued partner to general partners, asset owners and portfolio companies. FS Investments is grounded in its high-performance culture and guided by its commitment to building value for its clients, investing in its colleagues and giving back to its communities. The firm has more than 500 employees across offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia and is headquartered in Philadelphia.

FS/EIG Advisor believes that opportunities exist in non-traditional areas of the credit market that can offer enhanced return potential. These opportunities may offer above-market returns because they are misunderstood or can be difficult to source, analyze, structure and/or have illiquidity premiums.

The majority of our portfolio is comprised of income-oriented securities of privately-held companies within the United States. Historically, our portfolio has largely been invested in Energy companies, although we expect our portfolio to continue to shift away from investments in Energy companies as we pursue a diversified credit strategy. Investments in private companies pose significantly greater risks than investments in public companies. First, private companies have reduced access to the capital markets, resulting in diminished capital resources and ability to withstand financial distress. As a result, these companies, which may present greater credit risk than public companies, may be unable to meet the obligations under their debt and equity securities that we hold. Second, the investments themselves may often be illiquid. The securities of many of the companies in which we invest are not publicly traded or actively traded on the secondary market and are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated over-the-counter secondary market for institutional investors. In addition, our directly originated investments generally will not be traded on any secondary market, and a trading market for such investments may not develop. These securities may also be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale. As such, we may have difficulty exiting an investment promptly or at a desired price prior to maturity or outside of a normal amortization schedule. These investments may also be difficult to value because little public information generally exists about private companies, requiring an experienced due diligence team to analyze and value the potential portfolio company. Finally, these companies may not have third-party debt ratings or audited financial statements. We must therefore rely on the ability of FS/EIG Advisor directly, or indirectly through FS Investments or EIG, to obtain adequate information through their due diligence efforts to evaluate the creditworthiness of, and risks involved in investing in, these companies, and to determine the optimal time to exit an investment. These companies and their financial information will also generally not be subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and other rules and regulations that govern public companies that are designed to protect investors.

Our current investment policy is to invest primarily in a portfolio of secured and unsecured floating and fixed rate loans, bonds and other types of credit instruments, which, under normal circumstances, will represent at least 80% of our total assets. This investment policy may not be changed without at least 60 days’ prior notice to holders of our common shares of any such change. In accordance with the best interests of our shareholders, FS/EIG Advisor monitors our targeted investment mix as economic conditions evolve.

We currently seek to achieve our current investment objectives by focusing on strategies such as direct originations, including innovative capital structure solutions, and broadly syndicated loan and bond transactions, which may include event-driven investments, opportunistic performing credit and special situations. By focusing on these opportunities, FS/EIG Advisor believes it can create a portfolio that offers high potential income and returns while limiting our risk. These strategies are described in further detail below.

Constrained mandates create an opportunity to lend to companies that do not satisfy conventional lending criteria. Non-traditional borrowers include companies without financial sponsors or backed by small or emerging sponsors, businesses in industries that are in transition, overlevered, stressed or distressed businesses and/or companies with unconventional or niche assets. Traditional lenders, whether banks, private credit funds or others, tend to avoid lending to these businesses because of regulations, limited investment mandates or lack of expertise.

Based on prior experience, FS/EIG Advisor believes that it can offer target portfolio companies a variety of customized financing solutions to meet their capital needs, while providing us with attractive risk-adjusted returns. These solutions are typically highly structured and offer yield premiums compared to traditional blue chip sponsor-based private lending and investments in high yield and broadly syndicated loans. The highly structured nature of the investments can also provide for significant downside protection in the form of strong creditor protections. FS/EIG Advisor believes that this capital structure solutions investment strategy provides us with an alternative and differentiated capability that diversifies and enhances our risk-adjusted return profile.

We may seek to take advantage of dislocations that arise in the markets due to an impending event for which the market’s apparent expectation of value differs substantially from the view of FS/EIG Advisor. Event-driven investing requires FS/EIG Advisor to make judgments concerning, among other things, (i) the likelihood that an event will occur and (ii) the impact such event will have on the value of a company’s loans and securities. Such events may include a looming debt maturity or default, merger, spin-off or other corporate reorganization, an adverse regulatory or legal ruling or a material contract expiration, any of which may significantly improve or impair a company’s financial position. Event-driven investing depends much more heavily on FS/EIG Advisor’s ability to successfully predict the outcomes of these events than on underlying macroeconomic fundamentals such as the level of interest rates or gross domestic product. As a result, successful event-driven strategies may offer substantial diversification benefits and the ability to generate performance in uncertain market environments. Our investment strategy revolves around a thorough due diligence process and is based on the belief that a deep understanding of companies and the industries in which they operate is critical to generating positive income and returns.

We seek to capitalize on market price inefficiencies by investing in loans, bonds and other securities for which the income of such investment reflects a higher risk premium or the market price of such investment reflects a lower value than deemed warranted by FS/EIG Advisor’s fundamental analysis. These opportunities may often be idiosyncratic in nature, as specific issues or complexity related to a prospective investment may drive the excess yield or total return potential. FS/EIG Advisor believes that market price inefficiencies may occur due to, among other things, a misunderstanding by the market of a particular company or an industry being out of favor with the broader investment community. Market price inefficiencies may also arise from broader market dislocations, which can include broad-based, risk-off sentiment across multiple markets as well as specific technical dislocations within a single market. FS/EIG Advisor seeks to allocate capital to securities that have been mispriced by the market and that it believes represent attractive investment opportunities.

Our special situations credit strategy provides flexibility to take advantage of secondary market credit opportunities with asymmetrical risk and return profiles. We seek to purchase instruments at a discount to intrinsic value from forced sellers or unnatural holders as a result of stress, distress or major events, or change at a company or industry level. The need for holders to transition out of a credit combined with a high level of complexity surrounding the investment can present an opportunity to purchase instruments at a significant discount to its fair value as determined by FS/EIG Advisor. Such investment opportunities may include investments in loans, bonds and other securities issued by companies that are over levered, facing temporary or permanent business issues, have a current or pending covenant violation, have looming debt maturities and may lack the ability to refinance or have defaulted on their debt instruments. Investments may include purchasing a portion of outstanding debt, the entire tranche or a portfolio of investments. Opportunities can be created by idiosyncratic issues at the company or industry level or by a macro-driven credit cycle.

Idiosyncratic opportunities can generate attractive returns at any point in the credit cycle, with low correlation to credit market indexes. Macro-driven credit cycles can provide an additional source of risk-adjusted return to the investment strategy by increasing the investible universe which is often coupled with market dislocations that creates increased discounts to intrinsic value.

Investments may also include other assets or opportunities that are consistent with our investment approach, provided that such investments are appropriate from a tax, regulatory and operational perspective.

Our flexible strategy across several areas of opportunity allows FS/EIG Advisor to focus on what we believe are the most attractive opportunities across both the public and private markets at any given point in time. We believe this helps to mitigate timing risk and contributes to consistent deal flow.

When identifying prospective portfolio companies pursuant to the investment strategy described above, we often focus on the attributes set forth below, which we believe help us generate higher total returns with an acceptable level of risk. While these criteria provide general guidelines for our investment decisions, we caution investors that, if we believe the benefits of investing are sufficiently strong, not all of these criteria necessarily will be met by each prospective portfolio company in which we choose to invest. These attributes are:

In addition, since the JV Effective Date, the EIG Order has permitted us to participate in co-investment transactions with certain other EIG advised funds. We also recently filed an application with the SEC to seek permission to co-invest in certain privately negotiated transactions with certain affiliates of FS/EIG Advisor, including FS Credit Opportunities Corp. and FS Tactical Opportunities Fund. The application provides that, among other things, should the SEC grant the requested order, we would withdraw from the EIG Order, except with respect to any transaction in which we participated in reliance on the EIG Order prior to the issuance of the new order. There is no guarantee if and when the application will be granted by the SEC. We believe that the ability to participate in co-investment transactions with other funds under a new order will permit us to participate in a broader range of, and allocate a higher percentage of our portfolio to, secured, directly negotiated investments as we pursue a diversified credit strategy.

Since January 2020, we have also invested with Imperial Sustainable Infrastructure Investments, LLC, or Imperial, a subsidiary of Imperial Capital Asset Management, LLC, through Sustainable Infrastructure Investments, LLC, or SIIJV, a joint venture between us and Imperial. SIIJV invests its capital in first lien senior secured loans to middle market companies, broadly syndicated loans and other midstream and renewables assets. We and Imperial each have 50% voting control of SIIJV and together are required to agree on all investment decisions as well as all other significant actions for SIIJV. As of December 31, 2023, SIIJV had total capital commitments of up to $67,629 in U.S. dollars and $5,430 in Canadian dollars pursuant to which we and Imperial have agreed to provide 87.5% and 12.5%, respectively, of the committed capital. As of December 31, 2023, we and Imperial funded approximately $49,313 to SIIJV, of which $43,150 was from us. As of December 31, 2023, our investment in SIIJV had a fair market value of approximately $39,427. We do not consolidate SIIJV in our consolidated financial statements.

We believe that we offer investors the following potential competitive strengths:

We believe that the breadth and depth of the experience of FS/EIG Advisor’s management team, which is dedicated to sourcing, structuring, diligencing, executing and monitoring a broad range of private and public investments, provides us with a significant competitive advantage in sourcing and analyzing what we believe to be attractive investment opportunities.

Our long-term investment horizon gives us great flexibility for pursuing transactions, which we believe allows us to maximize returns on our investments. Unlike private equity and venture capital funds, we are not required to return capital to our shareholders once we exit a portfolio investment. Such funds typically can only be invested once and capital must be returned to investors after a specific time period. These provisions often force private equity and venture capital funds to seek liquidity events, including initial public offerings, mergers or recapitalizations, more quickly than they otherwise might, potentially resulting in a lower return to investors. We believe that freedom from such capital return requirements, which allows us to invest using a longer term focus, provides us with the opportunity to increase total returns on invested capital, compared to other private company investment vehicles.

FS/EIG Advisor employs an investment approach focused on current income and, to a lesser extent, long-term investment performance. This investment approach involves a multi-stage selection process for each investment opportunity, as well as ongoing monitoring of each investment made, with particular emphasis on early detection of deteriorating credit conditions at portfolio companies which would result in adverse portfolio developments. This strategy is designed to maximize current income and minimize the risk of capital loss while maintaining the potential for long-term capital appreciation.

FS/EIG Advisor believes that its broad expertise and experience investing at all levels of a company’s capital structure enable us to manage risk while affording us the opportunity for positive returns on our investments. We attempt to capitalize on this expertise in an effort to produce and maintain an investment portfolio that will perform in a broad range of economic conditions. In addition, we seek to leverage this broad-ranging capability to enable us to provide companies with financing that most closely aligns with their particular capital needs. We believe that such flexibility is valuable to companies and provides us with an advantage over other capital providers that are more limited in the securities in which they invest.

We believe that the experience, technical expertise, depth and continuity of FS/EIG Advisor’s team are key differentiators for us relative to our competitors. We believe that FS/EIG Advisor’s substantial in-house technical expertise and recognized brand name in the industry provide a competitive advantage in sourcing, analyzing and executing diversified credit investments, as FS/EIG Advisor is typically able to make independent evaluations of investment opportunities without significant reliance on third-party consultants.

Our investment activities are managed by FS/EIG Advisor and supervised by our board of trustees, a majority of whom are independent. Under the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement, we have agreed to pay FS/EIG Advisor an annual base management fee based on the average weekly value of our gross assets during the most recently completed calendar quarter as well as an incentive

FS/EIG Advisor oversees our day-to-day operations, including the provision of general ledger accounting, fund accounting, legal services, investor relations, certain government and regulatory affairs activities and other administrative services. FS/EIG Advisor also performs, or oversees the performance of, our corporate operations and required administrative services, which includes being responsible for the financial records that we are required to maintain and preparing reports for our shareholders and reports filed with the SEC. In addition, FS/EIG Advisor assists us in calculating our net asset value, overseeing the preparation and filing of tax returns and the printing and dissemination of reports to our shareholders, and generally overseeing the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others.

Pursuant to the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement, we reimburse FS/EIG Advisor for expenses necessary to perform services related to our administration and operations, including FS/EIG Advisor’s allocable portion of the compensation and/or related expenses of certain personnel of FS Investments and EIG providing administrative services to us on behalf of FS/EIG Advisor, and for transactional expenses for prospective investments, such as fees and expenses associated with performing due diligence reviews of investments that do not close, often referred to as "broken deal" costs. We reimburse FS/EIG Advisor no less than quarterly for all costs and expenses incurred by FS/EIG Advisor in performing its obligations and providing personnel under the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement. The amount of this reimbursement is set at the lesser of (1) FS/EIG Advisor’s actual costs incurred in providing such services and (2) the amount that we estimate would be required to pay alternative service providers for comparable services in the same geographic location. FS/EIG Advisor allocates the cost of such services to us based on factors such as time allocations and other reasonable metrics. Our board of trustees reviews the methodology employed in determining how the expenses are allocated to us and assesses the reasonableness of such reimbursements for expenses allocated to us based on the breadth, depth and quality of such services as compared to the estimated cost to us of obtaining similar services from third-party service providers known to be available. In addition, our board of trustees considers whether any single third-party service provider would be capable of providing all such services at comparable cost and quality. Finally, our board of trustees compares the total amount paid to FS/EIG Advisor for such services as a percentage of our net assets to the same ratio as reported by other comparable BDCs. We do not reimburse FS/EIG Advisor for any services for which it receives a separate fee, or for rent, depreciation, utilities, capital equipment or other administrative items allocated to a controlling person of FS/EIG Advisor.

In addition, we have contracted with State Street Bank and Trust Company, or State Street, to provide various accounting and administrative services including, but not limited to, preparing preliminary financial information for review by FS/EIG Advisor, preparing and monitoring expense budgets, maintaining accounting and corporate books and records, processing trade information provided by us and performing testing with respect to RIC compliance.

As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. Also, while we are permitted to finance investments using debt, our ability to use debt will be limited in certain significant respects pursuant to the 1940 Act. Within the limits of existing regulation, we will adjust our use of debt, according to market conditions, to the level we believe will allow us to generate maximum risk-adjusted returns. See "—Regulation." We have elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and intend to qualify annually, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code.

We may invest in both private and public U.S. and, to a lesser extent non-U.S., debt and equity securities, including, without limitation, senior secured, second lien and unsecured loans, secured and unsecured bonds, structured products, convertible bonds, preferred stocks and any other type of credit or equity investment that is consistent with our investment objectives. In making these investments, we may also seek to purchase investments across the investment spectrum that FS/EIG Advisor believes are mispriced and offer the potential for exceptional risk-adjusted income and returns.

The majority of our portfolio is comprised of income-oriented securities, which principally refers to debt securities and other income-producing investments, of privately-held companies within the United States. Historically, our portfolio has largely been invested in Energy companies, although we expect our portfolio to continue to shift away from investments in Energy companies as we pursue a diversified credit strategy. Generally, in the long-term, we expect to weight our investments more heavily towards directly originated investments, as this will provide us with the ability to tailor investments to best match a project’s or company’s needs with our investment objectives. However, our current investment policy enables FS/EIG Advisor to opportunistically invest in broadly syndicated investments and dynamically adjust allocations between private and public markets depending on where the risk-adjusted returns are most attractive. We intend to weight our portfolio towards senior secured debt, which we believe offers opportunities for superior risk-adjusted returns and income generation. Our debt investments may take the form of corporate or project loans or bonds, may be secured or unsecured and may, in some cases, be accompanied by yield enhancements. These yield enhancements are typically expected to include warrants, options, net profits interests, cash flow participations or other forms of equity participation that can provide additional consideration or “upside” in a transaction. Our current preferred equity investments are generally directly originated

Historically, we have focused on the following investment categories: (i) direct originations and (ii) broadly syndicated investments. Going forward, FS/EIG Advisor intends to continue to focus on these categories while being active in its pursuit of opportunities across changing economic and credit cycles. We expect our focus over time will be more heavily weighted towards directly originated investments, though the current investment policy enables FS/EIG Advisor to opportunistically invest in broadly syndicated investments and dynamically adjust allocations between private and public markets depending on where the risk-adjusted returns are most attractive.

Senior secured debt is situated at the top of the capital structure. Because this debt has priority in payment, it typically carries the lowest risk among all investments in a company. Generally, senior secured debt in which we invest is expected to have a maturity period of three to seven years and have first priority security interests in the assets of the borrower. Senior secured debt may also include second lien debt, which is granted a second priority security interest in the assets of the borrower, meaning that any realization of collateral will generally be applied to pay first lien debt in full before second lien debt positions are paid, and the value of the collateral may not be enough to repay in full both first lien secured debt and second lien secured debt. Generally, we expect that the variable interest rate on our first lien debt will typically range between 4.0% and 9.0% over a standard benchmark, such as the prime rate, or the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR. We expect that the variable interest rate on second lien debt will range between 6.0% and 12.0% over a standard benchmark. In addition, we may receive additional returns from any yield enhancements we receive in connection with these investments.

In addition to senior secured debt, we may invest a portion of our assets in unsecured debt. Unsecured debt is effectively subordinated to first lien and second lien secured debt to the extent of the collateral securing such debt, but is senior to preferred equity and common equity in the capital structure. In return for its junior status compared to first lien and second lien secured debt, unsecured debt typically offers higher returns through both higher interest rates and possible equity ownership in the form of warrants or other yield enhancements, enabling the investor to participate in the capital appreciation of the borrower. Where warrants are received, they typically require only a nominal cost to exercise. We intend to generally target unsecured debt with interest-only payments throughout the life of the security, with the principal due at maturity. Typically, unsecured debt investments have maturities of five to ten years. In normalized markets, we expect these securities to carry a fixed rate or a floating current yield of 4.0% to 10.0% over a standard benchmark. In addition, we may receive additional returns from any warrants or other yield enhancements we receive in connection with these investments. In some cases, a portion of the total interest may accrue or be paid-in-kind, or PIK.

We hold and may continue to hold select and potentially significant positions in equity securities, including common stock and convertible securities, or other assets that we receive in exchange for our credit instruments as part of a reorganization or restructuring process, and may hold those assets until such time as FS/EIG Advisor believes that a disposition is most advantageous. Such assets, to the extent received as part of a reorganization or restructuring process, will be considered “credit instruments” for purposes of our intention to invest primarily in a portfolio of secured and unsecured floating and fixed rate loans, bonds and other types of credit instruments, which, under normal circumstances, will represent at least 80% of our total assets.

We may also purchase select positions in equity securities, including common stock and convertible securities. Such assets, to the extent purchased in the market or not received as part of a reorganization or restructuring process, will not be considered “credit instruments” for this purpose.

Preferred equity typically includes a stated value or liquidation preference that is contractually senior to common equity, and may include a dividend or yield feature. Holders of preferred equity can be entitled to a wide range of voting and other rights, depending on the structure of each security. Preferred equity can also include a conversion feature whereby the securities convert into common stock based on established parameters according to set ratios. We seek to invest in primarily income-oriented equity securities in a manner consistent with our status as a BDC.

Other equity securities are typically subordinated to all other securities within the capital structure and do not have a stated maturity. As compared to more senior securities, equity interests (including preferred equity interests) have greater risk exposure, but also have the potential to provide a higher return.

We have invested in energy-specific non-operating investments including net profits interests, royalty interests or VPPs. Such non-operating interests do not include the rights and obligations of operating a mineral property (costs of exploration, development and operation) and do not bear any part of the net losses. Net profits interests and royalty interests are contractual agreements whereby the holders of such interests are entitled to a portion of the mineral production or proceeds therefrom. A VPP is a type of structured investment whereby the owner sells a specific volume of production in a field or property to an investor and the investor receives a specific quota of production on a monthly basis in either raw output or proceeds therefrom. A VPP is typically set to expire after a certain length of time or after a specified aggregate total volume of the commodity has been delivered. If the producer cannot meet the supply quota for a given period, the supply obligation rolls forward to future cycles until the buyer is made financially whole. We do not intend to invest in any new net profits interests, royalty interest or VPPs as we transition our investment strategy to secured and unsecured floating and fixed rate loans, bonds, and other types of credit instruments.

We may invest in non-U.S. securities, including securities of companies in emerging markets, which may include securities denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. currencies, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. In addition, investing in securities of companies in emerging markets involves many risks, including potential inflationary economic environments, regulation by foreign governments, different accounting standards, political uncertainties and economic, social, political, financial, tax and security conditions in the applicable emerging market, any of which could negatively affect the value of companies in emerging markets or investments in their securities.

We may co-invest with third parties through partnerships, joint ventures or other entities, thereby acquiring jointly-controlled or non-controlling interests in certain investments in conjunction with participation by one or more third parties in such investment.

We may invest in structured products, which may include collateralized debt obligations, collateralized bond obligations, collateralized loan obligations, structured notes and credit-linked notes. The issuers of such investment products may be structured as trusts or other types of pooled investment vehicles. Such products may also involve the deposit with or purchase by an entity of the underlying investments and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying investments or referencing an indicator related to such investments.

We may maintain a certain level of cash or equivalent instruments to make follow-on investments, if necessary, in existing portfolio companies or to take advantage of new opportunities or existing commitments. We may invest our excess funds in money market instruments, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, among other instruments. In addition, and in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions, we may invest in high quality fixed income securities, money market instruments and money market funds or may hold significant positions in cash or cash equivalents for defensive purposes.

The primary means through which our shareholders may receive a return of value is through interest income, dividends and capital gains generated by our investments. In addition to these sources of income, we may receive fees paid by our portfolio companies, including one-time closing fees paid at the time each investment is made. FS/EIG Advisor has agreed to offset the amount

We may also enter into interest rate hedging transactions. Such transactions will enable us to selectively modify interest rate exposure as market conditions dictate.

Affirmative covenants require borrowers to take actions that are meant to ensure the solvency of the company, facilitate the lender's monitoring of the borrower and ensure payment of interest and loan principal due to lenders. Examples of affirmative covenants include covenants requiring the borrower to maintain adequate insurance, accounting and tax records, and to produce frequent financial reports for the benefit of the lender.

Negative covenants impose restrictions on the borrower and are meant to protect lenders from actions that the borrower may take that could harm the credit quality of the lender's investments. Examples of negative covenants include restrictions on the payment of dividends and restrictions on the issuance of additional debt without the lender's approval. In addition, certain covenants restrict a borrower's activities by requiring it to meet certain earnings interest coverage ratio and leverage ratio requirements. These covenants are also referred to as financial or maintenance covenants.

The investment professionals supporting FS/EIG Advisor have spent their careers developing the experience necessary to invest in private companies. Our current transaction process is highlighted below.

The relationships of FS/EIG Advisor and its affiliates provide us with access to a robust and established pipeline of investment opportunities from a variety of different investment channels, including private equity sponsors, non-sponsored corporates, financial advisors, banks, brokers and family offices. In addition, personnel of FS/EIG Advisor have long-standing personal contacts who provide us with additional opportunities for directly originated investments. Similarly, substantial in-house technical expertise and recognized brand name in the industry of FS/EIG Advisor and its affiliates provide a competitive advantage in sourcing, analyzing and executing investment opportunities, as FS/EIG Advisor is typically able to make independent evaluations of investment opportunities without significant reliance on third-party consultants. Once a potential investment has been identified, FS/EIG Advisor screens the opportunity and makes a preliminary determination concerning whether to proceed with a more comprehensive deal-level due diligence review.

Before purchasing an investment, personnel of FS/EIG Advisor will conduct a thorough due diligence review of the opportunity to ensure that it fits our investment strategy and restrictions. The due diligence process may include, among other procedures: (i) an analysis to determine the presence of a catalyst for a corporate event such as a looming debt maturity, default or merger and the likelihood that an event will occur and the impact such event will have on the value of a company’s securities; (ii)

If a potential directly originated investment passes the initial review process, the investment team then negotiates preliminary terms with the potential portfolio company. We seek to maintain flexibility in structuring the form of investments and utilize this flexibility to provide tailor-made financing solutions. FS/EIG Advisor works to structure investments not only in an effort to maximize returns, create downside protection and create tax efficiencies, but also to ensure compliance with the varying regulatory guidelines governing us as a BDC and a RIC.

Generally, at an appropriate stage of the due diligence process, the deal team will prepare a draft investment recommendation for direct originations, which provides the analysis for the specific investment opportunity and appropriately fosters a process for reviewing the merits of the investment. A final investment recommendation for such investments is submitted to the FS/EIG Advisor investment committee for review and approval. Each direct origination must be pre-approved by the FS/EIG Advisor investment committee.

The FS/EIG Advisor investment committee has the authority to and has delegated its investment authority to certain investment professionals of FS/EIG Advisor with respect to publicly traded / syndicated investments, provided that the investment types, risk and profiles are within the parameters set by the FS/EIG Advisor investment committee. The FS/EIG Advisor investment committee maintains its investment authority for and pre-approves all illiquid investments. On a regular basis, and no less than quarterly, the investment committee reviews individual investment decisions that have been made, the investment portfolio generally, and the investment parameters.

Once the FS/EIG Advisor investment committee has determined that the portfolio company is suitable for investment, FS/EIG Advisor works with the management team of the prospective company to finalize the structure and terms of the investment. We believe that structuring transactions appropriately is a key factor to producing strong investment results. Accordingly, we will actively consider transaction structures and seek to process and negotiate terms that provide the best opportunities for superior risk-adjusted returns.

Typically, FS/EIG Advisor receives financial and other reports that may detail information such as operating performance, sales volumes, margins, cash flows, financial position and other key operating metrics on a quarterly basis from our portfolio companies. FS/EIG Advisor uses this data, combined with due diligence gained through contact with the company’s management, customers, suppliers, competitors, market research, expert networks and other methods, to conduct an ongoing, rigorous assessment of the company’s operating performance and prospects.

In addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, FS/EIG Advisor uses an investment rating system to characterize and monitor the expected level of returns on each investment in our portfolio. FS/EIG Advisor uses an investment rating scale of 1 to 5. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Portfolio Asset Quality” for a description of the conditions associated with each investment rating.

To seek to enhance our returns, we employ leverage as market conditions permit and at the discretion of FS/EIG Advisor, but in no event may leverage employed exceed the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. See Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding our financing arrangements.

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their affiliates, principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters. The 1940 Act requires that a majority of our trustees be persons other than “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by “a majority of our outstanding voting securities,” which the 1940 Act defines as the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy or (ii) 50% of our voting securities.

We will generally not be able to issue and sell our common shares at a price per share, after deducting underwriting commissions and discounts, that is below our net asset value per share. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Business Development Companies—Regulations governing our operation as a BDC and a RIC will affect our ability to raise, and the way in which we raise, additional capital or borrow for investment purposes, which may have a negative effect on our growth.” We may seek the approval of our shareholders to issue shares of our common shares at a price below the then current net asset value per share for a twelve month period following shareholder approval. In addition, we may generally issue new shares of our common shares at a price below net asset value per share in rights offerings to existing shareholders, in payment of dividends and in certain other limited circumstances.

As a BDC, we are subject to certain regulatory restrictions in making our investments. For example, BDCs generally are not permitted to co-invest with certain affiliated entities in transactions originated by the BDC or its affiliates in the absence of an exemptive order from the SEC. However, BDCs are permitted to, and may, simultaneously co-invest in transactions where price is the only negotiated term. The EIG Order permits us to co-invest in privately negotiated investment transactions with private funds managed by EIG or its affiliates. As described further above, in September 2023 we filed an application with the SEC to seek permission to co-invest in certain privately negotiated investment transactions with certain affiliates of FS/EIG Advisor. Should the SEC grant the requested order, we would withdraw from the EIG Order, except with respect to any transaction in which we participated in reliance on the EIG Order prior to the issuance of the new order. There is no guarantee if and when the application will be granted by the SEC.

During 2023, compliance with material governmental regulation applicable to us did not have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position.

In addition, a BDC must have been organized and have its principal place of business in the United States and must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described in (1), (2) or (3) above.

In order to count portfolio securities as qualifying assets for the purpose of the 70% test, we must either control the issuer of the securities or must offer to make available to the issuer of the securities (other than small and solvent companies described above) significant managerial assistance; except that, where we purchase such securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together, one of the other persons in the group may make available such managerial assistance. Making available managerial assistance means, among other things, any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its trustees, officers or employees, offers to provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company.

Pending investment in other types of "qualifying assets," as described above, our investments may consist of cash, cash equivalents, including money market funds, U.S. government securities or high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from the time of investment, which we refer to, collectively, as temporary investments, so that 70% of our assets are qualifying assets. Typically, we will invest in U.S. Treasury bills or in repurchase agreements, provided that such agreements are fully collateralized by cash or securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies. A repurchase agreement involves the purchase by an investor, such as us, of a specified security and the simultaneous agreement by the seller to repurchase it at an agreed-upon future date and at a price that is greater than the purchase price by an amount that reflects an agreed-upon interest rate. There is no percentage restriction on the proportion of our assets that may be invested in such repurchase agreements. However, if more than 25% of our total assets constitute repurchase agreements from a single counterparty, we would not meet the Diversification Tests (as defined below) in order to maintain our qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes as described below under "—Taxation as a RIC." Thus, we do not

We are permitted, under specified conditions, to issue multiple classes of debt and one class of shares senior to our common shares if our asset coverage, as applicable to us under the 1940 Act, is at least equal to 200% immediately after each such issuance. In addition, while any senior securities remain outstanding, we must make provisions to prohibit any distribution to our shareholders or the repurchase of such securities or shares unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the distribution or repurchase. We may also borrow amounts up to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary purposes without regard to asset coverage. For a discussion of the risks associated with leverage, see "Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Debt Financing" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Business Development Companies."

We and FS/EIG Advisor have adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the federal securities laws and are required to review these compliance policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation. Our chief compliance officer and the chief compliance officer of FS/EIG Advisor are responsible for administering these policies and procedures.

We have delegated our proxy voting responsibility to FS/EIG Advisor. The proxy voting policies and procedures of FS/EIG Advisor are set forth below. The guidelines are reviewed periodically by FS/EIG Advisor and our non-interested trustees, and, accordingly, are subject to change.

As an investment adviser registered under the Advisers Act, FS/EIG Advisor has a fiduciary duty to act solely in the best interests of its clients. As part of this duty, it recognizes that it must vote client securities in a timely manner free of conflicts of interest and in the best interests of its clients.

These policies and procedures for voting proxies for the investment advisory clients of FS/EIG Advisor are intended to comply with Section 206 of, and Rule 206(4)-6 promulgated under, the Advisers Act.

Personnel of FS/EIG Advisor and its affiliates will vote proxies relating to our securities in the best interest of its clients. Such personnel will review on a case-by-case basis each proposal submitted for a shareholder vote to determine its impact on the portfolio securities held by its clients. Although FS/EIG Advisor will generally vote against proposals that may have a negative impact on its clients' portfolio securities, it may vote for such a proposal if there exist compelling long-term reasons to do so.

The proxy voting decisions are made by the senior personnel of FS/EIG Advisor and its affiliates who are responsible for monitoring each of its clients' investments. To ensure that its vote is not the product of a conflict of interest, it will require that: (a) anyone involved in the decision-making process disclose to its chief compliance officer any potential conflict that he or she is aware of and any contact that he or she has had with any interested party regarding a proxy vote; and (b) employees involved in the decision making process or vote administration are prohibited from revealing how FS/EIG Advisor intends to vote on a proposal in order to reduce any attempted influence from interested parties.

Shareholders may obtain information, without charge, regarding how FS/EIG Advisor voted proxies with respect to our portfolio securities by making a written request for proxy voting information to: Chief Compliance Officer, FS Specialty Lending Fund, 201 Rouse Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19112 or by calling us collect at (215) 495-1150.

We will be periodically examined by the SEC for compliance with the 1940 Act.

We are required to provide and maintain a bond issued by a reputable fidelity insurance company to protect us against larceny and embezzlement. Furthermore, as a BDC, we are prohibited from protecting any trustee or officer against any liability to us or our shareholders arising from willful misconduct, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person's office.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires us to review our current policies and procedures to determine whether we comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder. We monitor our compliance with all regulations that are adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and take actions necessary to ensure that we are in compliance therewith.

We have elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, we generally will not have to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that we distribute as dividends to our shareholders. To qualify for and maintain our qualification as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements (as described below). In addition, in order to maintain RIC tax treatment, we must distribute to our shareholders, for each tax year, dividends of an amount at least equal to 90% of our "investment company taxable income," which is generally the sum of our net ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses, determined without regard to any deduction for distributions paid, or the Annual Distribution Requirement.

If we:

As a RIC, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible federal excise tax on certain undistributed income unless we distribute dividends in a timely manner to our shareholders generally of an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our net ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income, which is the excess of capital gains over capital losses (as adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 of that calendar year and (3) 100% of any net ordinary income and capital gain net income recognized for the preceding years that were not distributed during such years and on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax, or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement. Any distribution declared by us during October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following calendar year, will be treated as if it had been paid by us, as well as received by our U.S. shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which the distribution was declared. We generally will endeavor in each tax year to avoid any material U.S. federal excise tax on our earnings.

We have previously incurred, and may incur in the future, such excise tax on a portion of our income and capital gains. While we intend to distribute income and capital gains to minimize exposure to the 4% excise tax, we may not be able to, or may choose not

Requirement, or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, may be limited by (1) the illiquid nature of our portfolio and/or (2) other requirements relating to our status as a RIC, including the Diversification Tests. If we sell or otherwise dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, we may make such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous.

Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments than we have. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors have greater experience operating under, or are not subject to, the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC. For additional information concerning the competitive risks we face, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Structure—We may face increasing competition for investment opportunities, which could delay deployment of our capital, reduce returns and result in losses.”

We do not currently have any employees. Each of our executive officers is a principal, officer or employee of FS/EIG Advisor or its affiliates, which manages and oversees our investment operations. In the future, FS/EIG Advisor may retain additional investment personnel based upon its needs.

Because we have no employees, we depend on the investment expertise, skill and network of business contacts of FS/EIG Advisor. FS/EIG Advisor evaluates, negotiates, structures, executes, monitors and services our investments. Our future success depends to a significant extent on the continued service of FS/EIG Advisor, as well as its senior management team. The departure of any members of FS/EIG Advisor’s senior management team could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objectives.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives depends on FS/EIG Advisor’s ability to identify, analyze, invest in, finance and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria. FS/EIG Advisor’s capabilities in structuring the investment process, providing competent, attentive and efficient services to us, and facilitating access to financing on acceptable terms depend on the employment of investment professionals in an adequate number and of adequate sophistication to match the corresponding flow of transactions. To achieve our investment objectives, FS/EIG Advisor may need to hire, train, supervise and manage new investment professionals to participate in our investment selection and monitoring process. FS/EIG Advisor may not be able to find investment

In addition, the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement has termination provisions that allow the parties to terminate the agreement without penalty. The FS/EIG investment advisory agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by FS/EIG Advisor, upon 60 days’ written notice to us. If the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement is terminated, it may adversely affect the quality of our investment opportunities. In addition, in the event such agreement is terminated, it may be difficult for us to replace FS/EIG Advisor. Furthermore, the termination of the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement may adversely impact the terms of any existing or future financing arrangement, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If FS/EIG Advisor fails to maintain its existing relationships with issuers, private equity sponsors, investment banks and commercial banks on which it relies to provide us with potential investment opportunities or develop new relationships with other issuers, sponsors or sources of investment opportunities, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom FS/EIG Advisor has relationships generally are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities, and, therefore, there is no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.

A number of entities compete with us to make the types of investments that we plan to make and we believe that recent market trends have increased the number of competitors seeking to invest in loans to private, middle market companies in the United States. We compete with public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing companies and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity and hedge funds. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, we believe some of our competitors have access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors could have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC or the source of income, asset diversification and distribution requirements we must satisfy to maintain our qualification as a RIC. The competitive pressures we face could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. As a result of this competition, we can provide no assurance that we will be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities that arise from time to time, and we can provide no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that are consistent with our investment objective.

The amount of capital in the private debt markets and overall competition for loans could result in short-term returns for us that are lower than our long-term targets. If there is a decrease in the number of new investment opportunities in U.S. middle market companies like there was as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020, and if such conditions continue for an extended amount of time, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Identifying, structuring and consummating investments involves competition among capital providers and market and transaction uncertainty. FS/EIG Advisor can provide no assurance that it will be able to identify a sufficient number of suitable investment opportunities or to avoid prepayment of existing investments to satisfy our investment objectives, including as necessary to effectively structure credit facilities or other forms of leverage. The loan origination market is very competitive, which can result in loan terms that are more favorable to borrowers, and conversely less favorable to lenders, such as lower interest rates and fees, weaker borrower financial and other covenants, borrower rights to cure defaults, and other terms more favorable to borrowers than current or historical norms. Increased competition could cause us to make more loans that are “cov-lite” in nature and, in a distressed scenario, there can be no assurance that these loans will retain the same value as loans with a full package of covenants. As a result of these conditions, the market for leveraged loans could become less advantageous than expected for us, and this could increase default rates, decrease recovery rates or otherwise harm our returns. The risk of prepayment is also higher in the current competitive environment if borrowers are offered more favorable terms by other lenders. The financial markets have experienced substantial fluctuations in prices and liquidity for leveraged loans. Any further disruption in the credit and other financial markets could have substantial negative effects on general economic conditions, the availability of required capital for companies and the operating performance of such companies. These conditions also could result in increased default rates and credit downgrades, and affect the liquidity and pricing of the investments made by us. Conversely, periods of economic stability and increased competition among capital providers could increase the difficulty of locating investments that are desirable for us.

With respect to the investments we make, we do not seek to compete based primarily on the interest rates we offer, and we believe that some of our competitors could make loans with interest rates that will be lower than the rates we offer. In the secondary market for acquiring existing loans, we compete generally on the basis of pricing terms. With respect to all investments, we could lose some investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. However, if we match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we could experience decreased net interest income, lower yields and increased risk of credit loss. We could also compete for investment opportunities with accounts managed or sponsored by FS/EIG Advisor or its affiliates. Although FS/EIG Advisor allocates opportunities in accordance with its allocation policy, allocations to such other accounts will reduce the amount and frequency of opportunities available to us and thus not necessarily be in the best interests of us and our securityholders. Moreover, the performance of investments will not be known at the time of allocation.

Prior to September 29, 2023, our investment objectives were to generate current income and long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in privately-held U.S. companies in the energy and power industry. Prior to September 29, 2023, our investment policy was to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of our total assets in securities of Energy companies.

On May 15, 2023, we announced that our board of trustees approved our transition from an investment policy of investing primarily in energy companies to a diversified credit investment policy of investing across private and public credit in a broader set of industries, sectors and sub-sectors. We notified our shareholders of the new policy, which became effective on September 29, 2023. Under our new investment policy, our current investment objectives are to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in private and public credit in a broad set of industries, sectors and sub-sectors. Our current investment policy is to invest primarily in a portfolio of secured and unsecured floating and fixed rate loans, bonds and other types of credit instruments, which, under normal circumstances, will represent at least 80% of our total assets.

This investment policy may be changed by our board of trustees if we provide our shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior notice. In addition, our board of trustees has the authority to modify or waive our current operating policies, investment criteria and strategy without prior notice and without shareholder approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our investment policy, current operating policies, investment criteria and strategy would have on our business, net asset value, operating results and the value of our common shares. However, the effects might be adverse, which could negatively impact our ability to pay distributions to shareholders and cause shareholders to lose all or part of their investment. Finally, because our common shares are not expected to be listed on a national securities exchange for the foreseeable future, shareholders will be limited in their ability to sell their common shares in response to any changes in our investment policy, operating policies, investment criteria or strategy.

Cybersecurity refers to the combination of technologies, processes, and procedures established to protect information technology systems and data from unauthorized access, attack, or damage. We, our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers are subject to cybersecurity risks. Our business operations rely upon secure information technology systems for data processing, storage and reporting. We depend on the effectiveness of the information and cybersecurity policies, procedures and capabilities maintained by our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers to protect their computer and telecommunications systems and the data that reside on or are transmitted through them. Cybersecurity risks have significantly increased in recent years and, while we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber attacks or other information security breaches, we could suffer such losses in the future. Our, our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers’ computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other malicious code and other events that could have a security impact, as well as cyber-attacks that do not have a security impact but may nonetheless cause harm, such as causing denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users) on websites, servers or other online systems. If one or more of such events occur, it potentially could jeopardize confidential and other information, including nonpublic personal information and sensitive business data, processed and stored in, and transmitted through, computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations or the operations of our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers. This could result in significant losses, reputational damage, litigation, regulatory fines or penalties, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. The costs related to cyber or other security threats or disruptions may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means. Privacy and information security laws and regulation changes, and compliance with those changes, may result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes. In addition, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective

We, our portfolio companies and our business partners are subject to regulation at the local, state and federal level. New legislation may be enacted, amended or repealed or new interpretations, rulings or regulations could be adopted, including those governing the types of investments we are permitted to make and the deductibility of interest expense by our portfolio companies, potentially with retroactive effect. For example, certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, which influences many aspects of the financial services industry, have been amended or repealed and the Code has been substantially amended and reformed. Changes in laws or regulations governing the operations of those with whom we do business, including selected broker-dealers and other financial representatives selling our common shares, could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. New or repealed legislation, interpretations, rulings or regulations could require changes to certain business practices of us or our portfolio companies, negatively impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies.

In addition, any changes to the laws and regulations governing our operations, including with respect to permitted investments, may cause us to alter our investment strategy to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities or make other changes to our business. Such changes could result in material differences to our strategies and plans as set forth in this annual report on Form 10-K and may result in our investment focus shifting from the areas of expertise of FS/EIG Advisor to other types of investments in which FS/EIG Advisor may have less expertise or little or no experience. Thus, any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of a shareholder's investment.

On March 23, 2018, the SBCA Act became law. The SBCA Act, among other things, amends Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act to add a new Section 61(a)(2) which reduces the asset coverage requirements for senior securities applicable to BDCs from 200% to 150% provided that certain disclosure and approval requirements are met. Before the reduced asset coverage requirements under Section 61(a)(2) are effective with respect to us, the application of that section of the 1940 Act must be approved by either (1) a “required majority,” as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act, of our board of trustees or (2) a majority of votes cast at a special or annual meeting of our shareholders. If we choose to seek such approval, we may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness, and, therefore the risk of an investment in us may increase. As of the date of this annual report on Form 10-K, the asset coverage ratio applicable to us remains 200%. See “Risks Related to Debt Financing—We currently incur indebtedness to make investments, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in our common shares and may increase the risk of investing in our common shares.”

As an SEC-reporting company, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the related rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC. Our management is required to report on our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We are required to review on an annual basis our internal control over financial reporting, and on a quarterly and annual basis to evaluate and disclose changes in our internal control over financial reporting.

Developing and maintaining an effective system of internal controls may require significant expenditures, which may negatively impact our financial performance and our ability to make distributions. This process also may result in a diversion of our management’s time and attention. We cannot be certain of when our evaluation, testing and remediation actions will be completed or the impact of the same on our operations. In addition, we may be unable to ensure that the process is effective or that our internal controls over financial reporting are or will be effective in a timely manner. In the event that we are unable to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls and maintain or achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules, we may be adversely affected.

We may use derivative instruments including, in particular, swaps and other similar transactions, in seeking to achieve our investment objectives or for other reasons, such as cash management, financing activities or to hedge our positions. Accordingly, these derivatives may be used in limited instances as a form of leverage or to seek to enhance returns, including speculation on changes in credit spreads, interest rates or other characteristics of the market, individual securities or groups of securities. If we invest in a derivative for speculative purposes, we will be fully exposed to the risks of loss of that derivative, which may sometimes be greater than the derivative’s cost. The use of derivatives may involve substantial leverage. The use of derivatives may subject us to various risks, including counterparty risk, currency risk, leverage risk, liquidity risk, correlation risk, index risk and regulatory risk.

Furthermore, our ability to successfully use derivatives depends on FS/EIG Advisor’s ability to predict pertinent securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors, which cannot be assured. Additionally, segregated liquid assets, amounts paid by us as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to derivatives are not otherwise available to us for investment purposes.

Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, or the Derivatives Rule, provides a comprehensive framework for the use of derivatives by BDCs. The Derivatives Rule permits BDCs, subject to various conditions described below, to enter into derivatives transactions and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of “senior securities” under Section 18 of the 1940 Act.

BDCs that don’t qualify as “limited derivatives users” as defined below, are required by the Derivatives Rule to, among other things, (i) adopt and implement a derivatives risk management program, or DRMP, and new testing requirements; (ii) comply with a relative or absolute limit on fund leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk, or VaR; and (iii) comply with new requirements related to board and SEC reporting. The DRMP must be administered by a “derivatives risk manager,” who is appointed by the board and periodically reviews the DRMP and reports to the board.

The Derivatives Rule provides an exception from the DRMP, VaR limit and certain other requirements for a BDC that limits its “derivatives exposure” to no more than 10% of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with the Derivatives Rule), or a limited derivatives user, provided that the BDC establishes appropriate policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage derivatives risks, including the risk of exceeding the 10% “derivatives exposure” threshold.

The requirements of the Derivatives Rule may limit our ability to engage in derivatives transactions as part of our investment strategies. These requirements may also increase the cost of our investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect the value of our investments and/or our performance. The rule also may not be effective to limit our risk of loss. In particular, measurements of VaR rely on historical data and may not accurately measure the degree of risk reflected in our derivatives or other investments. There may be additional regulation of the use of derivatives transactions by BDCs, which could significantly affect our use. The ultimate impact of the regulations remains unclear. Additional regulation of derivatives transactions may make them more costly, limit their availability or utility, otherwise adversely affect their performance or disrupt markets.

We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including our ability or inability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rate payable on the debt securities we acquire, the level of our expenses, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any previous period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

Our cash is held in accounts at U.S. banking institutions. Cash held by us and our portfolio companies in non-interest-bearing and interest-bearing operating accounts may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits. If such banking institutions were to fail, we or our portfolio companies could lose all or a portion of those amounts held in excess of such insurance limitations. In addition, actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems, which could adversely affect our and our portfolio companies’ business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects.

Although we assess our portfolio companies’ banking relationships as necessary or appropriate, our and our portfolio companies’ access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our or our portfolio companies’ respective current and projected future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us or our portfolio companies, the financial institutions with which we or our portfolio companies have arrangements directly, or the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry. These factors could involve financial institutions or financial services industry companies with which we or our portfolio companies have financial or business relationships but could also include factors involving financial markets or the financial services industry generally.

In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us or our portfolio companies to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all.

We and FS/EIG Advisor could become the target of securities class action litigation or other similar claims if our common share price fluctuates significantly or for other reasons. The proceedings could continue without resolution for long periods of time and the outcome of any such proceedings could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and/or operating results. Any litigation or other similar claims could consume substantial amounts of our management’s time and attention, and that time and attention and the devotion of associated resources could, at times, be disproportionate to the amounts at stake. Litigation and other claims are subject to inherent uncertainties, and a material adverse impact on our financial statements could occur for the period in which the effect of an unfavorable final outcome in litigation or other similar claims becomes probable and reasonably estimable. In addition, we could incur expenses associated with defending ourselves against litigation and other similar claims, and these expenses could be material to our earnings in future periods.

Shareholder activism, which could take many forms, including making public demands that we consider certain strategic alternatives, engaging in public campaigns to attempt to influence our corporate governance and/or our management, and commencing proxy contests to attempt to elect the activists’ representatives or others to our board of trustees, or arise in a variety of situations, has been increasing in the BDC space recently. While we are currently not subject to any shareholder activism, because of a variety of reasons, we may in the future become the target of shareholder activism. Shareholder activism could result in substantial costs and divert management’s and our board of trustees’ attention and resources from our business. Additionally, such shareholder activism could give rise to perceived uncertainties as to our future and adversely affect our relationships with service providers and our portfolio companies. Also, we may be required to incur significant legal and other expenses related to any activist shareholder matters.

The members of the senior management and investment teams of FS/EIG Advisor serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment vehicles managed by the same personnel. For example, the officers, managers and other personnel of FS/EIG Advisor serve and may serve in the future in similar capacities for the investment advisers to the other funds managed or advised by FS, and may serve in similar or other capacities for the investment advisers to future investment vehicles affiliated with FS Investments. In serving in these multiple and other capacities, they may have obligations to other clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in our best interests or in the best interest of our shareholders. Our investment objectives may overlap with the investment objectives of such investment funds, accounts or other investment vehicles. For example, we rely on FS/EIG Advisor to manage our day-to-day activities and to implement our investment strategy. FS/EIG Advisor and certain of its affiliates are presently, and plan in the future to continue to be, involved with activities which are unrelated to us. As a result of these activities, FS/EIG Advisor, its employees and certain of its affiliates will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time between us and other activities in which they are or may become involved, including the management of other entities affiliated with FS Investments. FS/EIG Advisor and its employees will devote only as much of its or their time to our business as FS/EIG Advisor and its employees, in their judgment, determine is reasonably required, which may be substantially less than their full time.

FS/EIG Advisor and its affiliates receive substantial fees from us in return for their services, and these fees could influence the advice provided to us. We pay to FS/EIG Advisor an incentive fee that is based on the performance of our portfolio and an annual base management fee that is based on the average weekly value of our gross assets. Because the incentive fee is based on the performance of our portfolio, FS/EIG Advisor may be incentivized to make investments on our behalf that are riskier or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee is determined may also encourage FS/EIG Advisor to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. In addition, because the base management fee is based upon the average weekly value of our gross assets, which includes any borrowings for investment purposes, FS/EIG Advisor may be incentivized to recommend the use of leverage or the issuance of additional equity to make additional investments and increase the average weekly value of our gross assets. Under certain circumstances, the use of leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which could disfavor holders of our common shares. Our compensation arrangements could therefore result in our making riskier or more speculative investments, or relying more on leverage to make investments, than would otherwise be the case. This could result in higher investment losses, particularly during cyclical economic downturns.

The FS/EIG investment advisory agreement entitles FS/EIG Advisor to receive incentive compensation on income regardless of any capital losses. In such case, we may be required to pay FS/EIG Advisor incentive compensation for a fiscal quarter even if there is a decline in the value of our portfolio or if we incur a net loss for that quarter.

Any incentive fee payable by us that relates to our net investment income may be computed and paid on income that may include interest that has been accrued but not yet received. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan that is structured to provide accrued interest, it is possible that accrued interest previously included in the calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible. FS/EIG Advisor is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the incentive fee it received that was based on accrued income that we never received as a result of a default by an entity on the obligation that resulted in the accrual of such income, and such circumstances would result in our paying an incentive fee on income we never received.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we are required to recognize taxable income (such as deferred interest that is accrued as original issue discount) in some circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash and to make distributions with respect to such income to maintain our status as a RIC. Under such circumstances, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code. This difficulty in making the required distribution may be amplified to the extent that we are required to pay an incentive fee with respect to such accrued income. As a result, we may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital, or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax.

Neither FS/EIG Advisor, nor persons providing services to us on behalf of FS/EIG Advisor, are prohibited from raising money for and managing another investment entity that makes the same types of investments as those we target. As a result, the time and resources that these individuals may devote to us may be diverted. In addition, we may compete with any such investment entity for the same investors and investment opportunities.

The incentive fee payable by us to FS/EIG Advisor may create an incentive for it to enter into investments on our behalf that are risky or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee payable to FS/EIG Advisor is determined may encourage it to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. In addition, the fact that our base management fee is payable based upon our gross assets, which would include any borrowings for investment purposes, may encourage FS/EIG Advisor to use leverage to make additional investments. Under certain circumstances, the use of leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor holders of our common shares. Such a practice could result in our investing in more speculative securities than would otherwise be in our best interests, which could result in higher investment losses, particularly during cyclical economic downturns. In addition, since EIG will receive a portion of the advisory fees paid to FS/EIG Advisor, EIG may have an incentive to recommend investments that are riskier or more speculative.

Pursuant to the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement, FS/EIG Advisor and its officers, managers, partners, members (and their members, including the owners of their members), agents, employees, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with, or acting on behalf of, FS/EIG Advisor will not be liable to us for their acts under the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of their duties. We have agreed to indemnify, defend and protect FS/EIG Advisor and its officers, managers, partners, members (and their members, including the owners of their members), agents, employees, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with, or acting on behalf of, FS/EIG Advisor with respect to all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses resulting from acts of FS/EIG Advisor not arising out of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of their duties under the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement. These protections may lead FS/EIG Advisor to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

If we do not remain a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions under the 1940 Act and correspondingly decrease our operating flexibility.

Any working capital reserves we maintain may not be sufficient for investment purposes, and we may require debt or equity financing to operate. We may also need to access the capital markets to refinance existing debt obligations to the extent maturing obligations are not repaid with cash flows from operations. In order to maintain RIC tax treatment, we must make distributions to our shareholders each tax year on a timely basis generally of an amount at least equal to 90% of our investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for distributions paid, and the amounts of such distributions will therefore not be available to fund investment originations or to repay maturing debt. In addition, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities or preferred shares, which we refer to collectively as "senior securities," such that our asset coverage, as calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing, which, in certain circumstances, may restrict our ability to borrow or issue debt securities or preferred shares. In the event that we develop a need for additional capital in the future for investments or for any other reason, and we cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms, or at all, our ability to acquire investments and to expand our operations will be adversely affected. As a result, we would be less able to allocate our portfolio among various issuers and industries and achieve our investment objectives, which may negatively impact our results of operations and reduce our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

As a BDC, we may not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. Therefore, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if such investments are not qualifying assets. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making additional investments in existing portfolio companies, which could result in the dilution of our position, or could require us to dispose of investments at an inopportune time to comply with the 1940 Act. If we were forced to sell non-qualifying investments in the portfolio for compliance purposes, the proceeds from such sale could be significantly less than the current value of such investments. Conversely, if we fail to invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could lose our status as a BDC, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions and significantly decrease our operating flexibility.

As a result of our need to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement in order to maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code, we may need to periodically access the capital markets to raise cash to fund new investments. We may issue "senior securities," as defined in the 1940 Act, including issuing preferred shares, borrowing money from banks or other financial institutions or issuing debt securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after such incurrence or issuance. Our ability to issue certain other types of securities is also limited. Under the 1940 Act, we are

In addition, because we incur indebtedness for investment purposes, if the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy the asset coverage test under the 1940 Act, which would prohibit us from paying distributions and, as a result, could cause us to be subject to corporate-level tax on our income and capital gains, regardless of the amount of distributions paid. If we cannot satisfy the asset coverage test, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our debt financing, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous.

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates without the prior approval of a majority of the independent members of our board of trustees and, in some cases, the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act and we will generally be prohibited from buying or selling any securities from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our board of trustees. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain "joint" transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our board of trustees and, in some cases, the SEC. In an order dated June 4, 2013, the SEC granted exemptive relief permitting us, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to co-invest in certain privately negotiated investment transactions with our co-investment affiliates. Effective April 9, 2018, or the JV Effective Date, and in connection with the transition of advisory services to a joint advisory relationship with EIG, our board of trustees authorized and directed that we (i) withdraw from this order, except with respect to any transaction in which we participated in reliance on the order prior to the JV Effective Date, and (ii) rely on an exemptive relief order dated April 10, 2018, granted to EIG and its affiliates which permits us to participate in co-investment transactions with certain other EIG advised funds, or the EIG Order. Pursuant to the EIG Order we are permitted to participate in co-investment transactions with certain other EIG advised funds. If a person acquires more than 25% of our voting securities, we will be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to such person or certain of that person's affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons to the extent not covered by our exemptive relief, absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or trustees or their affiliates. As a result of these restrictions, we may be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any portfolio company of a fund managed by FS/EIG Advisor without the prior approval of the SEC, which may limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us. On September 19, 2023, we, among other applicants, filed an application with the SEC to seek permission to co-invest in certain privately negotiated transactions with certain affiliates of FS/EIG Advisor, including FS Credit Opportunities Corp. and FS Tactical Opportunities Fund. The application provides that, among other things, should the SEC grant the requested order, we would withdraw from the EIG Order, except with respect to any transaction in which we participated in reliance on the EIG Order prior to the issuance of the new order. There is no guarantee if and when the application will be granted by the SEC.

Certain of our portfolio companies are in industries that may be impacted by inflation. If such portfolio companies are unable to pass any increases in their costs of operations along to their customers, it could adversely affect their operating results and impact their ability to pay interest and principal on our loans, particularly if interest rates rise in response to inflation. In addition, any projected future decreases in our portfolio companies’ operating results due to inflation could adversely impact the fair value of those investments. Any decreases in the fair value of our investments could result in future realized or unrealized losses and therefore reduce our net assets resulting from operations.

Our investments may be risky and there is no limit on the amount of any such investments in which we may invest.

In addition, we may make investments in countries whose governments or economies may prove unstable. Certain of the countries in which we may invest may have political, economic and legal systems that are unpredictable, unreliable or otherwise inadequate with respect to the implementation, interpretation and enforcement of laws protecting asset ownership and economic interests. In some of the countries in which we may invest, there may be a risk of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, which may have an adverse effect on our portfolio companies in those countries and the rates of return that we are able to achieve on such investments. We may also lose the total value of any investment which is nationalized, expropriated or confiscated. The financial results and investment opportunities available to us, particularly in developing countries and emerging markets, may be materially and adversely affected by any or all of these political, economic and legal risks.

We may invest in private investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity funds, limited liability companies and other business entities which would be required to register as investment companies but for an exemption under Sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. Our investments in private funds are subject to substantial risks. Investments in such private investment funds expose us to the risks associated with the businesses of such funds or entities as well as such private investment funds’ portfolio companies. These private investment funds may or may not be registered investment companies and, thus, may not be subject to protections afforded by the 1940 Act, covering, among other areas, liquidity requirements, governance by an independent board, affiliated transaction restrictions, leverage limitations, public disclosure requirements and custody requirements.

We rely primarily on information provided by managers of private investment funds in valuing our investments in such funds. There is a risk that inaccurate valuations provided by managers of private investment funds could adversely affect the value of our common shares. In addition, there can be no assurance that a manager of a private investment fund will provide advance notice of any material change in such private investment fund’s investment program or policies and thus, our investment portfolio may be subject to additional risks which may not be promptly identified by FS/EIG Advisor. Moreover, we may not be able to withdraw our investments in certain private investment funds promptly after we make a decision to do so, which may result in a loss to us and adversely affect our investment returns.

Investments in the securities of private investment funds may also involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in private investment funds indirectly through us, shareholders bear a pro rata portion of our advisory fees and other expenses, and also indirectly bear a pro rata portion of the advisory fees, performance-based allocations and other expenses borne by us as an investor in the private investment funds. In addition, the purchase of the shares of some private investment funds requires the payment of sales loads and (in the case of closed-end investment companies) sometimes substantial premiums above the value of such investment companies’ portfolio securities.

In addition, certain private investment funds may not provide us with the liquidity we require and would thus subject us to liquidity risk. Further, even if an investment in a private investment fund is deemed liquid at the time of investment, the private investment fund may, in the future, alter the nature of our investments and cease to be a liquid investment fund, subjecting us to liquidity risk.

We may seek to hedge against interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations and credit risk by using structured financial instruments such as futures, options, swaps and forward contracts, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. Use of structured financial instruments for hedging purposes may present significant risks, including the risk of loss of the amounts invested. Defaults by the other party to a hedging transaction can result in losses in the hedging transaction. Hedging activities also involve the risk of an imperfect correlation between the hedging instrument and the asset being hedged, which could result in losses both on the hedging transaction and on the instrument being hedged. Use of hedging activities may not prevent significant losses and could increase our losses. Further, hedging transactions may reduce cash available to service our debt or pay distributions to our shareholders.

We may from time to time hold securities of a single portfolio company that comprise more than 5% of our total assets and/or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the portfolio company. For that reason, we are classified as a non-diversified management investment company under the 1940 Act. As of December 31, 2023, we had an investment in two portfolio companies, which represented approximately 20.0% of our total investment portfolio, by fair value. A consequence of the concentration of a small number of investments at any given time is that the aggregate income and returns we realize may be significantly adversely affected by the unfavorable performance of a single or small number of such investments or a substantial write-down of the value of any one investment.

Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may entitle the holders to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments with respect to the debt instruments in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any proceeds. After repaying such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt instruments in which we invest, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

If one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors. In situations where a bankruptcy carries a high degree of political significance, our legal rights may be subordinated to other creditors. We may also be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by us with respect to a borrower's business or in instances where we exercise control over the borrower or render significant managerial assistance.

Certain debt investments that we make in portfolio companies may be secured on a second priority basis by the same collateral securing first priority debt of such companies. The first priority liens on the collateral will secure the portfolio company's obligations under any outstanding senior debt and may secure certain other future debt that may be permitted to be incurred by such company under the agreements governing the loans. The holders of obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral will generally control the liquidation of and be entitled to receive proceeds from any realization of the collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of the collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from the sale or sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the debt obligations secured by the second priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral. If such proceeds are not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the debt obligations secured by the second priority liens, then we, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, will only have an unsecured claim against such company's remaining assets, if any.

We may also make unsecured debt investments in portfolio companies, meaning that such investments will not benefit from any interest in collateral of such companies. Liens on any such portfolio company’s collateral, if any, will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under its outstanding secured debt and may secure certain future debt that is permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under its secured debt agreements. The holders of obligations secured by such liens will generally control the liquidation of, and be entitled to receive proceeds from, any realization of such collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of such collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from sales of such collateral would be sufficient to satisfy our unsecured debt obligations after payment in full of all secured debt obligations. If such proceeds were not sufficient to repay the outstanding secured debt obligations, then our unsecured claims would rank equally with the unpaid portion of such secured creditors’ claims against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.

The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing the debt investments we make in our portfolio companies with senior debt outstanding may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor agreements that we enter into with the holders of senior debt. Under such an intercreditor agreement, at any time that obligations that have the benefit of the first priority liens are outstanding, any of the following actions that may be taken in respect of the collateral will be at the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first priority liens: the ability to cause the commencement of enforcement proceedings against the collateral; the ability to control the conduct of such proceedings; the approval of amendments to collateral documents; releases of liens on the collateral; and waivers of past defaults under collateral documents. We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights are adversely affected.

We do not expect to control most of our portfolio companies, even though we may have board representation or board observation rights, and our debt agreements with such portfolio companies may contain certain restrictive covenants. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company in which we invest may make business decisions with which we disagree and the management of such company, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors. Due to the lack of liquidity for our investments in non-traded companies, we may not be able to dispose of our interests in our portfolio companies as readily as we would like or at an appropriate valuation. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value, in accordance with policies and procedures approved by our board of trustees. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity) and impairments of the market values or fair market values of our investments, even if unrealized, must be reflected in our financial statements for the applicable period as unrealized depreciation, which could result in a significant reduction to our net asset value for a given period.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value in accordance with policies and procedures approved by our board of trustees. There is not a public market for the securities of certain of the companies in which we invest. Many of our investments are not publicly-traded or actively-traded on a secondary market but are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated over-the-counter secondary market for institutional investors or are not traded at all. As a result, FS/EIG Advisor, with oversight from our board of trustees, will value these securities quarterly at fair value.

Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, our board has designated FS/EIG Advisor to perform, subject to board oversight, fair value determinations of our investments. Certain factors that may be considered in determining the fair value of our investments include dealer quotes for securities traded on the secondary market for institutional investors, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s earnings and its ability to make payments on its indebtedness, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to comparable companies, discounted cash flows and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations may cause our net asset value on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize upon the sale of one or more of our investments.

We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments, investment opportunities and cost of capital and, accordingly, may have a material adverse effect on our investment objectives, our rate of return on invested capital and our ability to service our debt and make distributions to our shareholders. Any reduction in the level of interest rates on new investments relative to interest rates on our current investments could also adversely impact our net investment income. In addition, an increase in interest rates would make it more expensive to use debt for our financing needs, if any.

Our investment portfolio primarily consists of senior secured debt with maturities typically ranging from three to seven years. The longer the duration of these securities, generally, the more susceptible they are to changes in market interest rates. As market interest rates have increased, those securities with a lower yield-at-cost have experienced a mark-to-market unrealized loss. An impairment of the fair market value of our investments, even if unrealized, must be reflected in our financial statements for the applicable period and may therefore have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for that period.

We have and may continue to structure the majority of our debt investments with floating interest rates to position our portfolio more favorably for rate increases. However, there can be no assurance that this will successfully mitigate our exposure to interest rate risk. For example, in rising interest rate environments, payments under floating rate debt instruments generally will rise and there may be a significant number of issuers of such floating rate debt instruments that will be unable or unwilling to pay such increased interest costs and may otherwise be unable to repay their loans. Rising interest rates could also cause portfolio companies to shift cash from other productive uses to the payment of interest, which may have a material adverse effect on their business and operations and could, over time, lead to increased defaults. Investments in floating rate debt instruments may also decline in value in response to rising interest rates if the interest rates of such investments do not rise as much, or as quickly, as market interest rates in general. Similarly, during periods of rising interest rates, our fixed rate investments may decline in value because the fixed rate of interest paid thereunder may be below market interest rates.

Following their publication on June 30, 2023, no settings of the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, continue to be published on a representative basis and publication of many non-U.S. dollar LIBOR settings has been entirely discontinued. On July 29, 2021, the U.S. Federal Reserve System, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, formally recommended replacing U.S.-dollar LIBOR with SOFR, a new index

In addition, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, which regulates the publisher of LIBOR (ICE Benchmark Administration), has announced that it will require the continued publication of the one-, three- and six-month tenors of U.S.-dollar LIBOR on a non-representative synthetic basis until the end of September 2024, which may result in certain non-U.S. law-governed contracts and U.S. law-governed contracts not covered by the federal legislation remaining on synthetic U.S.-dollar LIBOR until the end of this period. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined (e.g. the LIBOR Act now provides a uniform benchmark replacement for certain LIBOR-based instruments in the United States), the transition process is complex, and it could cause a disruption in the credit markets generally and could have adverse impacts on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that continue to rely on LIBOR or which have been transitioned away from LIBOR to a different rate like SOFR and, in any case, could result in a reduction in the value of certain of our investments.

Furthermore, because a rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments, an increase in interest rates would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the incentive fee hurdle rate in the investment advisory agreement and may result in a substantial increase of the amount of incentive fees payable to FS/EIG Advisor with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income.

A portfolio company's failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize a portfolio company's ability to meet its obligations under the debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company.

Some of our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged, which may have adverse consequences to these companies and to us as an investor. These companies may be subject to restrictive financial and operating covenants and the leverage may impair these companies' ability to finance their future operations and capital needs. As a result, these companies' flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions and to take advantage of business opportunities may be limited. Further, a leveraged company's income and net assets will tend to increase or decrease at a greater rate than if borrowed money were not used.

Certain investments that we may make may include equity related securities, such as rights and warrants that may be converted into or exchanged for shares or the cash value of the shares. In addition, we may make direct equity investments in portfolio companies. The equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. We may also be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We may be unable to exercise any put rights we acquire which grant us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

Our investments are primarily in privately-held companies. Investments in private companies pose significantly greater risks than investments in public companies. First, private companies have reduced access to the capital markets, resulting in diminished capital resources and the ability to withstand financial distress. As a result, these companies, which may present greater credit risk than public companies, may be unable to meet the obligations under their debt and equity securities that we hold. Second, the investments themselves often may be illiquid. The securities of most of the companies in which we invest are not publicly-traded or actively-traded on the secondary market and are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated over-the-counter secondary market for institutional

We invest in certain companies whose securities are not publicly-traded or actively-traded on the secondary market and are, instead, traded on a privately-negotiated over-the-counter secondary market for institutional investors, and whose securities are subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or are otherwise less liquid than publicly-traded securities. The illiquidity of certain of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell these investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments. The reduced liquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to dispose of them at a favorable price or at all, and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies. After our initial investment in a portfolio company, we may be called upon from time to time to provide additional funds to such company or have the opportunity to increase our investment through the exercise of a warrant to purchase common stock. There is no assurance that we will make, or will have sufficient funds to make, follow-on investments. Any decisions not to make a follow-on investment or any inability on our part to make such an investment may have a negative impact on a portfolio company in need of such an investment, may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation or may reduce the expected return on the investment.

We are subject to the risk that the investments we make in our portfolio companies may be repaid prior to maturity. When this occurs, we will generally reinvest these proceeds in temporary investments, pending their future investment in new portfolio companies. These temporary investments will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt being prepaid and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. Any future investment in a new portfolio company may also be at lower yields than the debt that was repaid. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us. Additionally, prepayments, net of prepayment fees, could negatively impact our return on equity.

We may from time to time enter into total return swaps, credit default swaps or other derivative transactions that seek to modify or replace the investment performance of a particular reference security or other asset. These transactions are typically individually negotiated, non-standardized agreements between two parties to exchange payments, with payments generally calculated by reference to a notional amount or quantity. Swap contracts and similar derivative contracts are not traded on exchanges; rather, banks and dealers act as principals in these markets. These investments may present risks in excess of those resulting from the referenced security or other asset. Because these transactions are not an acquisition of the referenced security or other asset itself, the investor has no right directly to enforce compliance with the terms of the referenced security or other asset and has no voting or other consensual rights of ownership with respect to the referenced security or other asset. In the event of insolvency of a counterparty, we will be treated as a general creditor of the counterparty and will have no claim of title with respect to the referenced security or other asset.

A total return swap is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the referenced security or other assets underlying the total return swap during a specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate.

A total return swap is subject to market risk, liquidity risk and risk of imperfect correlation between the value of the total return swap and the debt obligations underlying the total return swap. In addition, we may incur certain costs in connection with a total return swap that could in the aggregate be significant.

A credit default swap is a contract in which one party buys or sells protection against a credit event with respect to an issuer, such as an issuer’s failure to make timely payments of interest or principal on its debt obligations, bankruptcy or restructuring during a specified period. Generally, if we sell credit protection using a credit default swap, we will receive fixed payments from the swap counterparty and if a credit event occurs with respect to the applicable issuer, we will pay the swap counterparty par for the issuer’s defaulted debt securities and the swap counterparty will deliver the defaulted debt securities to us. Generally, if we buy credit protection using a credit default swap, we will make fixed payments to the counterparty and if a credit event occurs with respect to the applicable issuer, we will deliver the issuer’s defaulted securities underlying the swap to the swap counterparty and the counterparty will pay us par for the defaulted securities. Alternatively, a credit default swap may be cash settled and the buyer of protection would receive the difference between the par value and the market value of the issuer’s defaulted debt securities from the seller of protection.

Credit default swaps are subject to the credit risk of the underlying issuer. If we are selling credit protection, there is a risk that we will not properly assess the risk of the underlying issuer, a credit event will occur and we will have to pay the counterparty. If we are buying credit protection, there is a risk that we will not properly assess the risk of the underlying issuer, no credit event will occur and we will receive no benefit for the premium paid.

A fixed price swap is a contract between two parties in which settlements are made at a specified time based on the difference between the fixed priced specified in the contract and the referenced settlement price. When the referenced settlement price is less than the price specified in the contract, one party receives an amount from the second party based on the price difference multiplied by the

A fixed price swap is subject to commodity risk of the underlying commodity. If we are purchasing fixed price swaps for oil, there is a risk the fixed price we paid to enter the contract for oil will be more than the price of oil at the specified settlement date, and we will owe the counterparty the difference in price multiplied by the volume of the contracted volume.

A derivative transaction is also subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations thereunder or that we will not be able to meet our obligations to the counterparty. In some cases, we may post collateral to secure our obligations to the counterparty, and we may be required to post additional collateral upon the occurrence of certain events such as a decrease in the value of the reference security or other asset. In some cases, the counterparty may not collateralize any of its obligations to us.

Derivative investments effectively add leverage to a portfolio by providing investment exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. In addition to the risks described above, such arrangements are subject to risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage. See “—Risks Related to Debt Financing.”

We may co-invest with third parties through partnerships, joint ventures or other entities, such as SIIJV, thereby acquiring jointly-controlled or non-controlling interests in certain investments in conjunction with participation by one or more third parties in such investment. We may have interests or objectives that are inconsistent with those of the third-party partners or co-venturers. Although we may not have full control over these investments, and therefore may have a limited ability to protect our position therein, we expect that we will negotiate appropriate rights to protect our interests. Nevertheless, such investments may involve risks not present in investments where a third party is not involved, including the possibility that a third-party partner or co-venturer may have financial difficulties, resulting in a negative impact on such investment, may have economic or business interests or goals which are inconsistent with ours, or may be in a position to take (or block) action in a manner contrary to our investment objectives or the increased possibility of default by, diminished liquidity or insolvency of, the third party, due to a sustained or general economic downturn. Third-party partners or co-venturers may opt to liquidate an investment at a time during which such liquidation is not optimal for us. In addition, we may in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of our third-party partners or co-venturers. In those circumstances where such third parties involve a management group, such third parties may receive compensation arrangements relating to such investments, including incentive compensation arrangements.

Prior to September 29, 2023, our investment objectives were to generate current income and long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in privately-held U.S. companies in the energy and power industry. On May 15, 2023, we announced that our board of trustees approved our transition from an investment policy of investing primarily in Energy companies to a diversified credit investment policy of investing across private and public credit in a broader set of industries, sectors and sub-sectors. We notified our shareholders of the new policy, which became effective on September 29, 2023.

We commenced transitioning our portfolio holdings away from Energy investments in May 2023, while remaining in compliance with our then-current investment policy. Our allocation to Energy investments is expected to decline over time through the natural course of maturities, repayments and sales activity and by growing the total size of the portfolio through leverage facilities. The pace of the portfolio rotation is dependent upon a number of factors, including the turnover of concentrated illiquid Energy investments, performance of underlying portfolio companies, high yield and energy market conditions, our access to borrowings and the amount and pace of the payment of enhanced distributions to shareholders, among others.

As there can be a correlation in the valuation of the securities in our portfolio, a decline in value of the securities of one company may be accompanied by a decline in the valuations of the securities of other companies within the Energy industry that we may hold in our portfolio. A decline in value of the securities of such issuers or a downturn in the Energy sector might have a more severe impact on us than on an entity that is more broadly allocated among various industries.

A decrease in the production of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, coal or other energy commodities, a decrease in the volume of such commodities available for transportation, mining, processing, storage or distribution, or a sustained decline in demand for such commodities may adversely impact the financial performance or prospects of Energy companies in which we may invest. Energy companies are subject to supply and demand fluctuations in the markets they serve which will be impacted by a wide range of factors, including fluctuating commodity prices, weather, increased conservation or use of alternative fuel sources, increased governmental or environmental regulation, depletion of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil or coal production, rising interest rates, declines in domestic or foreign production of natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, accidents or catastrophic events, economic conditions and economic sanctions, among others.

The return on our prospective investments in Energy companies will be dependent on the margins received by those companies for the exploration, development, production, gathering, transportation, processing, storing, refining, distribution, mining, generation or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products, coal or power. These margins may fluctuate widely in response to a variety of factors including global and domestic economic conditions, weather conditions, natural disasters, the supply and price of imported energy commodities, the production and storage levels of energy commodities in certain regions or in the world, political instability, terrorist activities, transportation facilities, energy conservation, domestic and foreign governmental regulation and taxation, the availability of local, intrastate and interstate transportation systems and economic sanctions. Volatility of commodity prices may also make it more difficult for Energy companies in which we may invest to raise capital to the extent the market perceives that their performance may be directly or indirectly tied to commodity prices.

Industries within the Energy sector are cyclical with fluctuations in commodity prices and demand for commodities driven by a variety of factors. The highly cyclical nature of the industries within the Energy sector may lead to volatile changes in commodity prices, which may adversely affect the earnings of Energy companies in which we may invest.

Prices for oil and natural gas, which historically have been volatile and may continue to be volatile, may be subject to large fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas. A prolonged continuation of depressed oil and natural gas prices would adversely affect the credit quality and performance of certain of our debt and equity investments in Energy companies. A decrease in credit quality and performance would, in turn, negatively affect the fair value of these investments, which would consequently negatively affect our net asset value. Should a prolonged period of depressed oil and natural gas prices occur, it is likely that our Energy portfolio companies’ abilities to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders will be adversely affected, thereby negatively impacting their financial condition and their ability to satisfy their debt service and other obligations to us. Likewise, should a prolonged period of depressed oil and natural gas prices occur, it is likely that our Energy portfolio companies’ cash flow and profit generating capacities would also be adversely affected thereby negatively impacting their ability to pay us dividends or distributions on certain of our investments.

Energy companies are subject to significant international, foreign, federal, state and local government regulation, including how facilities are constructed, maintained and operated, environmental and safety controls, and the prices they may charge for the products and services they provide. Various governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with these regulations and the permits issued under them, and violators are subject to administrative, civil and criminal penalties, including civil fines, injunctions or both. For example, many state and federal environmental laws provide for civil penalties as well as regulatory remediation, thus adding to the potential liability an Energy company may face. More extensive laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may adversely affect the financial performance of Energy companies in which we may invest.

In particular, changes to laws and increased regulations or enforcement policies as a result of oil spills may adversely affect the financial performance of Energy companies. Additionally, changes to laws and increased regulation or restrictions on the use of hydraulic fracturing may adversely impact the ability of Energy companies to economically develop oil and natural gas resources and, in turn, reduce production for such commodities. Any such changes or increased regulations or policies may adversely affect the performance of Energy companies in which we may invest.

Energy companies are subject to various operational risks, such as failed drilling or well development, unscheduled outages, disruption of operations, mining, drilling or installation accidents, inability to timely and effectively integrate newly acquired assets, unanticipated operation and maintenance expenses, lack of proper asset integrity, underestimated cost projections, inability to renew or increased costs of rights of way, failure to obtain the necessary permits to operate and failure of third-party contractors to perform their contractual obligations. Thus, some Energy companies may be subject to construction risk, acquisition risk or other risks arising from their specific business strategies.

Exploration and production businesses are subject to overstatement of the quantities of their reserves based upon any reserve estimates that prove to be inaccurate, the possibility that no commercially productive oil, natural gas or other energy reservoirs will be discovered as a result of drilling or other exploration activities, the curtailment, delay or cancellation of exploration activities as a result of unexpected conditions or miscalculations, title problems, pressure or irregularities in formations, equipment failures or accidents, adverse weather conditions, compliance with environmental and other governmental requirements and cost of, or shortages or delays in the availability of, drilling rigs and other exploration equipment, and operational risks and hazards associated with the development of the underlying properties, including natural disasters, blowouts, explosions, fires, leakage of crude oil, natural gas or other resources, mechanical failures, cratering and pollution.

The Energy companies in which we may invest face substantial competition in acquiring assets, expanding or constructing assets and facilities, obtaining and retaining customers and contracts, securing trained personnel and operating their assets. Many of their competitors may have superior financial and other resources.

The ability of Energy companies in which we may invest to grow and, where applicable, to increase dividends or distributions to their equity holders can be highly dependent on their ability to make acquisitions of infrastructure assets that result in an increase in free cash flow. In the event that such companies are unable to make such accretive acquisitions because they are unable to identify attractive acquisition candidates or negotiate acceptable purchase contracts, because they are unable to raise financing for such acquisitions on economically acceptable terms, or because they are outbid by competitors, their future growth and ability to make or raise dividends or distributions will be limited and their ability to repay their debt and make payments to preferred equity holders may be weakened. Furthermore, even if these companies do consummate acquisitions that they believe will be accretive, the acquisitions may instead result in a decrease in free cash flow.

The operations of Energy companies in which we may invest are subject to many hazards inherent in the transporting, processing, storing, distributing, mining, generating or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, coal, refined products, power or other commodities, or in the exploring, managing or producing of such commodities, including: damage to pipelines, storage tanks, vessels or related equipment and surrounding properties caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and other natural disasters or by acts of terrorism; inadvertent damage from construction or other equipment; leaks of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products or other commodities; cyber attacks; and fires and explosions. Further, since the September 11th terrorist attacks, the U.S. government has issued warnings that energy assets and facilities, specifically U.S. pipeline infrastructure, may be targeted in future terrorist attacks. These risks could result in substantial losses due to personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to and destruction of property and equipment and pollution or other environmental damage and may result in the curtailment or suspension of their related operations. Not all Energy companies are fully insured against all risks inherent to their businesses. If a significant accident or event occurs that is not fully insured, it could adversely affect the Energy company's operations and financial condition. In addition, any increased governmental regulation to mitigate such risks (including regulations related to recent oil spills or hydraulic fracturing), could increase insurance premiums and other operating costs for Energy companies in which we may invest.

Energy reserves naturally deplete as they are produced over time. Many Energy companies are either engaged in the production of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil or coal, or are engaged in transporting, storing, distributing and processing these items or their derivatives on behalf of shippers. To maintain or grow their revenues, these companies or their customers need to maintain or expand their reserves through exploration of new sources of supply, through the development of existing sources or through acquisitions. The financial performance of Energy companies in which we may invest may be adversely affected if they, or

Certain Energy companies in which we may invest are dependent on their parents or sponsors for a majority of their revenues. Any failure by an Energy company's parent or sponsor to satisfy its payments or obligations would impact the Energy company's revenues and cash flows and ability to make debt service payments and/or distributions.

Changing economic, regulatory and political conditions in some countries, including political and military conflicts, have from time to time resulted in attacks on vessels, mining of waterways, piracy, terrorism, labor strikes, boycotts and government inspections or requisitioning of vessels. These types of events could impact the delivery of commodities or impact pricing of commodities.

A portion of the cash flow received by us may be derived from investments in the equity securities of MLPs. The amount of cash that an MLP has available for distributions and the tax character of such distributions depend upon the amount of cash generated by the MLP's operations. Cash available for distribution will vary from quarter to quarter and is largely dependent on factors affecting the MLP's operations and factors affecting the Energy industry in general. In addition to the risk factors described above, other factors which may reduce the amount of cash an MLP has available for distribution in a given quarter include increased operating costs, maintenance capital expenditures, acquisition costs, expansion, construction or exploration costs and borrowing costs.

Although common units of some MLPs may trade on public exchanges, certain of these securities may trade less frequently, particularly those with smaller capitalizations. Securities with limited trading volumes may display volatile or erratic price movements. As a result, these securities may be difficult to dispose of at a fair price at the times when we believe it is desirable to do so. These securities are also more difficult to value, and our judgment as to value will often be given greater weight than market quotations, if any exist. Investment of our capital in securities that are less actively-traded, or over time experience decreased trading volume, may restrict our ability to take advantage of other market opportunities. In addition, many MLP units are privately held.

Interest rate risk is the risk that securities will decline in value because of changes in market interest rates. The yields of equity and debt securities of MLPs are susceptible in the short-term to fluctuations in interest rates and, like treasury bonds, the prices of these securities typically decline when interest rates rise. Accordingly, our net asset value may be impacted by an increase in interest rates. Further, rising interest rates could adversely impact the financial performance of MLPs in which we invest by increasing their costs of capital. This may reduce their ability to execute acquisitions or expansion projects in a cost-effective manner.

MLPs are not subject to tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the MLP’s income, gains, losses, deductions, and expenses. A change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business of a given MLP could result in the MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes, which would result in such MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. Such treatment also would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the affected MLP.

MLPs are subject to additional fees, some of which are paid regardless of the performance of its assets. We will pay certain management fees to the adviser entity of any MLP in which we invest. FS/EIG Advisor will also earn its base management fee from us based on our gross assets, including our investment in any such MLP; therefore, we will be paying both FS/EIG Advisor's base management fee and any management fees charged by an MLP. As a result, our investment returns attributable to MLPs in which we invest may be lower than other investments we select. In addition, because the fees received by an MLP adviser are typically based on the managed assets of the MLP, including the proceeds of any leverage it may incur, the MLP adviser has a financial incentive to utilize leverage, which may create a conflict of interest between the MLP adviser and us as a shareholder in the MLP.

The use of borrowings and other types of financing, also known as leverage, magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increases the risks associated with investing in our common shares. When we use leverage to partially finance our investments, through borrowing from banks and other lenders or issuing debt securities, we, and therefore our shareholders, will experience increased risks of investing in our common shares. Any lenders and debt holders would have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are senior to the claims of our shareholders. If the value of our assets increases, then leverage would cause the net asset value attributable to our common shares to increase more sharply than it would have had we not utilized leverage. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leverage would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not utilized leverage. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of interest payable on our indebtedness would cause our net investment income to increase more than it would without leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not utilized leverage. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to shareholders. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

Similarly, assuming (i) approximately $2,062,055 in total assets, (ii) a weighted average cost of funds of approximately 8.79% and (iii) $500,000 in debt outstanding, our assets would need to yield an annual return (net of expenses) of approximately 2.13% in order to cover the annual interest payments on our outstanding debt.

The agreements governing certain of our debt financing arrangements contain, and agreements governing future debt financing arrangements may contain, certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants require us and our subsidiaries to, among other things, maintain certain financial ratios, including asset coverage and minimum shareholders’ equity. Compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our and their control. In the event of deterioration in the capital markets and pricing levels subsequent to this period, net unrealized depreciation in our and our subsidiaries’ portfolios may increase in

There can be no assurance that we and our subsidiaries will continue to comply with the covenants under our financing arrangements. Failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default which, if we and our subsidiaries were unable to obtain a waiver, consent or amendment from the debt holders, could accelerate repayment under any or all of our and their debt instruments and thereby force us to liquidate investments at a disadvantageous time and/or at a price which could result in losses, or allow our lenders to sell assets pledged as collateral under our financing arrangements in order to satisfy amounts due thereunder. These occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a more detailed discussion of the terms of our debt financings.

We must satisfy these tests on an ongoing basis in order to maintain RIC tax treatment, and may be required to make distributions to shareholders at times when it would be more advantageous to invest cash in our existing or other investments, or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Compliance with the RIC tax requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits and the value of our shareholders’ investments. Also, the rules applicable to our qualification as a RIC are complex, with many areas of uncertainty. If we fail to qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions. Such a failure may have a material adverse effect on us and on any investment in us. The Code provides certain forms of relief from RIC disqualification due to failures of the 90% Income Test or any of the Diversification Tests, although there may be additional taxes due in such cases. We cannot assure you that we would qualify for any such relief should we fail either the 90% Income Test or any of the Diversification Tests.

We may invest in certain debt and equity investments through taxable subsidiaries and the taxable income of these taxable subsidiaries will be subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. We may invest in certain foreign debt and equity investments which could be subject to foreign taxes (such as income tax, withholding and value added taxes).

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash. For example, our investments may include debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with PIK interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or debt obligations that were issued with warrants). To the extent original issue discount or PIK interest constitutes a portion of our income, we must include in taxable income each tax year a portion of the original issue discount or PIK interest that accrues over the life of the instrument, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same tax year. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan or are paid in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock. We anticipate that a portion of our income may constitute original issue discounts or other income required to be included in taxable income prior to receipt of cash. Further, we may elect to amortize market discounts and include such amounts in our taxable income in the current tax year, instead of upon disposition, as not making the election would limit our ability to deduct interest expenses for tax purposes.

Because any original issue discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the tax year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our shareholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code. We may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax.

Furthermore, we may invest in the equity securities of non-U.S. corporations (or other non-U.S. entities classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that could be treated under the Code and U.S. Treasury regulations as “passive foreign investment companies” and/or “controlled foreign corporations.” The rules relating to investment in these types of non-U.S. entities are designed to ensure that U.S. taxpayers are either, in effect, taxed currently (or on an accelerated basis with respect to corporate level events) or taxed at increased tax rates at distribution or disposition. In certain circumstances, these rules also could require us to recognize taxable income or gains where we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash and, unless the income and gains are related to our business of investing in stocks and securities, all or a portion of such taxable income and gains may not be considered qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test.

Our ability to meet our investment objectives will depend on the level of taxable income and distributions and dividends we receive from the MLPs and other Energy company securities in which we may invest, a factor over which we have no control. The benefit we derive from an investment in MLPs is largely dependent on the MLPs being treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a partnership, an MLP has no tax liability at the entity level. If, as a result of a change in current law or a change in an MLP's business, an MLP is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such MLP would be obligated to pay U.S. federal income tax on its income at the corporate tax rate. If an MLP were classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the amount of cash available for distribution would be reduced and distributions received by us would be taxed under U.S. federal income tax laws applicable to corporate distributions (as dividend income, return of capital or capital gain). Therefore, treatment of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would result in a reduction in the after-tax return to us, likely causing a reduction in the value of our common shares. In addition, if we receive a Schedule K-1 from an MLP after having mailed a Form 1099-DIV to our shareholders, and our estimates with respect to the applicable MLP are determined to have been materially incorrect, we may be required to mail an amended Form 1099-DIV to our shareholders.

As a limited partner in the MLPs in which we seek to invest, we will receive our share of income, gains, losses, deductions and credits from those MLPs. Historically, a significant portion of income from MLPs has been offset by tax deductions. As a result, this income has been significantly lower than cash distributions paid by MLPs. We will incur a current tax liability on our share of an MLP's income and gains that is not offset by tax deductions, losses, and credits, or our net operating loss carryforwards, if any. The percentage of an MLP's income and gains which is offset by tax deductions, losses, and credits will fluctuate over time for various reasons. A significant slowdown in acquisition activity or capital spending by MLPs held in our portfolio could result in a reduction of accelerated depreciation generated by new acquisitions, which may result in an increase in our net ordinary income that we are required to distribute to shareholders to maintain our status as a RIC and to eliminate our liability for U.S. federal income tax. If our

Investments in below-investment grade debt instruments and certain equity securities may present special tax issues for us. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when we may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless debt in equity securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and interest income, as well as whether exchanges of debt instruments in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. Such matters could cause us to recognize taxable income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, even in the absence of cash or economic gain, and require us to make taxable distributions to our shareholders to maintain our RIC status or preclude the imposition of either U.S. federal corporate income or excise taxation.

A “publicly offered regulated investment company” is a RIC whose shares are either (i) continuously offered pursuant to a public offering, (ii) regularly traded on an established securities market or (iii) held by at least 500 persons at all times during the tax year. If we do not qualify as a publicly offered regulated investment company for any tax year, a noncorporate shareholder’s allocable portion of our affected expenses, including our management fees, will be treated as an additional distribution to the shareholder and will be deductible by such shareholder only to the extent permitted under the limitations described below. For noncorporate shareholders, including individuals, trusts, and estates, significant limitations generally apply to the deductibility of certain expenses of a non-publicly offered regulated investment company, including management fees. In particular, these expenses, referred to as miscellaneous itemized deductions, are deductible to an individual only to the extent they exceed 2% of such a shareholder’s adjusted gross income for the taxable years after 2025 and are entirely not deductible against gross income before 2026, are not deductible for alternative minimum tax purposes and are subject to the overall limitation on itemized deductions imposed by the Code. Although we believe that we are currently considered a publicly offered regulated investment company, as defined in the Code, there can be no assurance, however, that we will be considered a publicly offered regulated investment company in the future.

At any time, the federal income tax laws governing RICs or the administrative interpretations of those laws or regulations may be amended. Any of those new laws, regulations or interpretations may take effect retroactively and could adversely affect the taxation of us or our shareholders. Therefore, changes in tax laws, regulations or administrative interpretations or any amendments thereto could diminish the value of an investment in our shares or the value or the resale potential of our investments.

Our common shares are illiquid assets for which there is not a secondary market and it is not expected that any will develop in the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that we will complete a liquidity event. A liquidity event could include (1) a listing of our common shares on a national securities exchange, (2) the sale of all or substantially all of our assets either on a complete portfolio basis or individually followed by a liquidation or (3) a merger or another transaction approved by our board of trustees in which our shareholders likely will receive cash or shares of a publicly-traded company, including potentially a company that is an affiliate of us.

In addition, any shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program may be purchased at a price which may reflect a discount from the purchase price a shareholder paid for the common shares being repurchased. If our common shares are listed, we cannot assure shareholders that a public trading market will develop. In addition, a liquidity event involving a listing of our common

A liquidity event could include (1) a listing of our common shares on a national securities exchange, (2) the sale of all or substantially all of our assets either on a complete portfolio basis or individually followed by a liquidation, or (3) a merger or another transaction approved by our board of trustees in which our shareholders likely will receive cash or shares of a publicly-traded company, including potentially a company that is an affiliate of us. However, there can be no assurance that we will complete a liquidity event by a specified date or at all. If we do not successfully complete a liquidity event, liquidity for an investor's common shares will be limited to our share repurchase program, which we have no obligation to maintain.

Our share repurchase program includes numerous restrictions that limit shareholders' ability to sell their common shares. Historically, we limited the number of common shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program as follows: (1) we limited the number of common shares to be repurchased during any calendar year to the number of common shares we could repurchase with the proceeds we received from the issuance of our common shares under our distribution reinvestment plan, although at the discretion of our board of trustees, we could also use cash on hand, cash available from borrowings and cash from the liquidation of securities investments as of the end of the applicable period to repurchase common shares; (2) we limited the number of common shares to be repurchased in any calendar year to 10% of the weighted average number of common shares outstanding in the prior calendar year, or 2.5% in each calendar quarter (though the actual number of common shares that we offered to repurchase could be less in light of the limitations noted above); (3) unless shareholders tendered all of their common shares, shareholders must tender at least 25% of the number of common shares they have purchased and generally must maintain a minimum balance of $5,000 subsequent to submitting a portion of their common shares for repurchase by us; and (4) to the extent that the number of common shares tendered for repurchase exceeded the number of common shares that we were able to repurchase, we would repurchase common shares on a pro rata basis, not on a first-come, first-served basis. Furthermore, the maximum number of common shares to be repurchased for any repurchase offer could further be limited by the terms of our financing arrangements. See Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the terms of our financing arrangements. In addition to the historical limitations described above, which we intend to apply in the future, we will have no obligation to repurchase common shares if the repurchase would violate the restrictions on distributions under federal law or Delaware law, which prohibits distributions that would cause a trust to fail to meet statutory tests of solvency. Any of the foregoing limitations may prevent us from accommodating all repurchase requests made in any year.

Our share repurchase program is currently suspended. In addition, in the future, our board of trustees may amend, suspend or terminate the share repurchase program upon 30 days' notice. In March 2020, our board of trustees determined to suspend for an indefinite period of time our share repurchase program and will reassess our ability to recommence such program in future periods. We will notify shareholders of such developments (1) in our quarterly reports or (2) by means of a separate mailing to shareholders, accompanied by disclosure in a current or periodic report under the Exchange Act. In addition, although we have adopted a share repurchase program generally, we have discretion to not repurchase common shares, to suspend the share repurchase program and to cease repurchases. Further, the share repurchase program has many limitations and should not be relied upon as a method to sell common shares promptly or at a desired price. Our distribution reinvestment plan was terminated effective September 15, 2023.

We may fund distributions from the uninvested proceeds of our continuous public offering and borrowings, and we have not established limits on the amount of funds we may use from such sources to make any such distributions. We have paid and may continue to pay distributions from the sale of assets to the extent distributions exceed our earnings or cash flows from operations.

If and when we make quarterly repurchase offers pursuant to our share repurchase program, we may offer to repurchase common shares at a price that is lower than the price that investors paid for common shares in our offering. As a result, to the extent investors have the ability to sell their common shares to us as part of our share repurchase program, the price at which an investor may sell common shares may be lower than what an investor paid in connection with the purchase of common shares in our offering.

In addition, in the event an investor chooses to participate in our share repurchase program, the investor will be required to provide us with notice of intent to participate prior to knowing what the repurchase price will be on the repurchase date. Although an investor will have the ability to withdraw a repurchase request prior to the expiration date of such tender offer, to the extent an investor seeks to sell common shares to us as part of our share repurchase program, the investor will be required to do so without knowledge of what the repurchase price of our common shares will be on the repurchase date.

Our investors do not have preemptive rights to any common shares we issue in the future. Our declaration of trust authorizes us to issue 700,000,000 common shares. Pursuant to our declaration of trust, a majority of our entire board of trustees may amend our declaration of trust to increase the number of authorized common shares without shareholder approval. After an investor purchases common shares, our board of trustees may elect to sell additional common shares in the future, issue equity interests in private offerings or issue share-based awards to our independent trustees or employees of FS/EIG Advisor. To the extent we issue additional equity interests after an investor purchases our common shares, an investor's percentage ownership interest in us will be diluted. In addition, depending upon the terms and pricing of any additional offerings and the value of our investments, an investor may also experience dilution in the book value and fair value of their common shares.

Our declaration of trust and bylaws, as well as certain statutory and regulatory requirements, contain certain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging a third party from attempting to acquire us. Our board of trustees may, without shareholder action, authorize the issuance of shares in one or more classes or series, including preferred shares; and our board of trustees may, without shareholder action, amend our declaration of trust to increase the number of our common shares, of any class or series, that we have authority to issue. In addition, a trustee may be removed only by vote of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast. These anti-takeover provisions may inhibit a change of control in circumstances that could give the holders of our common shares the opportunity to realize a premium over the value of our common shares.

From time to time, the global capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability, which could be prolonged and which could materially and adversely impact the broader financial and credit markets, have a negative impact on the valuations of our investments and reduce the availability to us of debt and equity capital. For example, between 2008 and 2009, instability in the global capital markets resulted in disruptions in liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market and the failure of major domestic and international financial institutions. In particular, the financial services sector was negatively impacted by significant write-offs as the value of the assets held by financial firms declined, impairing their capital positions and abilities to lend and invest. While market conditions have recovered from the events of 2008 and 2009, there have been continuing periods of volatility. For example, continued uncertainty surrounding the negotiation of trade deals between Britain and the European Union following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union and uncertainty between the United States and other countries with respect to trade policies, treaties, and tariffs, among other factors, have caused disruption in the global markets. There can be no assurance that market conditions will not worsen in the future.

While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity) and impairments of the market values or fair market values of our investments, even if unrealized, must be reflected in our financial statements for the applicable period, which could result in significant reductions to our net asset value for the period. With certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities if our asset coverage, as calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing. Equity capital may also be difficult to raise during periods of adverse or volatile market conditions because, subject to some limited exceptions, as a BDC, we are generally not able to issue additional shares of our common shares at a price less than net asset value without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our shareholders and our independent trustees. If we are unable to raise capital or refinance existing debt on acceptable terms, then we may be limited in our ability to make new commitments or to fund existing commitments to our portfolio companies. Significant changes in the capital markets may also affect the pace of our investment activity and the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. Thus, the illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments to access capital if required, and as a result, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments if we were required to sell them for liquidity purposes.

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans or meet other obligations during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets are likely to increase, and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease during these periods. Adverse economic conditions may also decrease the value of any collateral securing our debt investments and the value of our equity investments. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to losses of value in our portfolio and a decrease in our revenues, net income, net worth and assets. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us on terms we deem acceptable. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results. Economic downturns or recessions may also result in a portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders. This could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the time when the loans are due and foreclosure on its assets representing collateral for its obligations, which could trigger cross defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt that we hold and the value of any equity securities we own. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company. In addition, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, even though we may have structured our interest as senior debt or preferred equity, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt or equity holding and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to those of other creditors.

Periods of market volatility have occurred and could continue to occur in response to pandemics or other events outside of our control. We, FS/EIG Advisor, and the portfolio companies in which we invest in could be affected by force majeure events (i.e., events beyond the control of the party claiming that the event has occurred, such as acts of God, fire, flood, earthquakes, outbreaks of an infectious disease, pandemic or any other serious public health concern, war, terrorism, labor strikes, major plant breakdowns, pipeline or electricity line ruptures, failure of technology, defective design and construction, accidents, demographic changes, government macroeconomic policies, social instability, etc.). Some force majeure events could adversely affect the ability of a party

In early 2020, an outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus, or COVID-19, emerged globally. The outbreak of COVID-19 and its variants resulted in closing international borders, enhanced health screenings, healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, as well as general public concern and uncertainty. This outbreak negatively affected the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial health of individual companies and the market in general in significant and unforeseen ways. In May 2023, the World Health Organization declared the end of the global emergency status for COVID-19, and the United States subsequently ended the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration effective May 11, 2023. Although vaccines for COVID-19 are widely available, it is unknown how long certain circumstances related to the pandemic will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future, and what additional implications may follow from the pandemic. The impact of these events and other epidemics or pandemics in the future could adversely affect the performance of the Advisor, us, and our portfolio companies.

The success of our activities is affected by general economic and market conditions, including, among others, interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws, and trade barriers. These factors could affect the level and volatility of securities prices and the liquidity of our investments. Volatility or illiquidity could impair our profitability or result in losses. These factors also could adversely affect the availability or cost of our leverage, which would result in lower returns. In addition, the U.S. capital markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruption including, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain regional bank failures, and an inflationary economic environment. Disruptions in the capital markets have increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets.

These and future market disruptions and/or illiquidity would be expected to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Unfavorable economic conditions also would be expected to increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events have limited and could continue to limit our investment originations, limit our ability to grow and have a material negative impact on our operating results and the fair values of our debt and equity investments.

In the past, our board of trustees has suspended declaring regular cash distributions to shareholders until such time that our board of trustees and FS/EIG Advisor believe that market conditions and our financial condition support the resumption of such distributions. Our future ability to pay regular distributions consistent with our historical range or to pay distributions fully in cash rather than in common shares might be adversely affected by the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this annual

A prolonged continuation of depressed oil and natural gas prices would adversely affect the credit quality and performance of certain of our investments in Energy companies. A decrease in credit quality and performance would, in turn, negatively affect the fair value of these investments, which would consequently negatively affect our net asset value. Should a prolonged period of depressed oil and natural gas prices or other disruptions in the energy markets occur, it is likely that the ability of our portfolio companies to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders will be adversely affected, thereby negatively impacting their financial condition and their ability to satisfy their debt service and other obligations to us. Likewise, should a prolonged period of depressed oil and natural gas prices or other disruptions in the energy markets occur, it is likely that our portfolio companies’ cash flow and profit generating capacities would also be adversely affected thereby negatively impacting their ability to pay us amounts owed or dividends or distributions, as applicable. Moreover, any decline in oil and natural gas prices and other disruptions in the energy markets could have a material adverse impact on our or our portfolio companies’ business, results of operations or financial condition.

The current global financial market situation, as well as various social and political tensions in the United States and around the world (including the current conflict in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict) may contribute to increased market volatility, may have long-term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets and may cause economic uncertainties or deterioration in the U.S. and worldwide. For example, the impact of downgrades by rating agencies to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness as well as potential government shutdowns and uncertainty surrounding transfers of power could adversely affect the U.S. and global financial markets and economic conditions. Since 2010, several EU countries have faced budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. There is concern about national-level support for the Euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among European Economic and Monetary Union member countries. In addition, the fiscal policy of foreign nations, such as Russia and China, may have a severe impact on the worldwide and U.S. financial markets. The U.K.’s decision to leave the EU (the so-called “Brexit”) led to volatility in global financial markets. The longer term economic, legal, political and social implications of Brexit remain unclear. Brexit has led to ongoing political and economic uncertainty and periods of increased volatility in both the U.K. and in wider European markets for some time. Brexit could lead to calls for similar referendums in other European jurisdictions, which could cause increased economic volatility in the European and global markets. This mid- to long-term uncertainty could have adverse effects on the economy generally and on our ability to earn attractive returns. In particular, currency volatility could mean that our returns are adversely affected by market movements and could make it more difficult, or more expensive, for us to execute prudent currency hedging policies. Potential decline in the value of the British Pound and/or the Euro against other currencies, along with the potential further downgrading of the U.K.’s sovereign credit rating, could also have an impact on the performance of certain investments made in the U.K. or Europe.

We cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. and global economies and securities markets or on our investments. We monitor developments in economic, political and market conditions and seek to manage our investments in a manner consistent with achieving our investment objective, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so.

The ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia and related sanctions have increased global political and economic uncertainty. In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and, in response, the United States and many other countries placed economic sanctions on certain Russian entities and individuals. Sanctions on Russian energy exports have disrupted crude oil markets, reducing supply and

There is also the risk of retaliatory actions by Russia against countries which have enacted sanctions, including cyberattacks against financial and governmental institutions, which could result in business disruptions and further economic turbulence. Although we have no direct exposure to Russia or Ukraine, the broader consequences of the invasion may have a material adverse impact on our portfolio and the value of an investment in us. Moreover, sanctions and export control laws and regulations are complex, frequently changing, and increasing in number, and they may impose additional legal compliance costs or business risks associated with our operations.

There have been significant changes to United States trade policies, treaties and tariffs, and in the future there may be additional significant changes. These and any future developments, and continued uncertainty surrounding trade policies, treaties and tariffs, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between the impacted nations and the United States. Any of these factors could depress economic activity and restrict our portfolio companies’ access to suppliers or customers and could have material adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Economic sanction laws in the United States and other jurisdictions may prohibit us or our affiliates from transacting with certain countries, individuals and companies. In the United States, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control administers and enforces laws, executive orders and regulations establishing U.S. economic and trade sanctions, which prohibit, among other things, transactions with, and the provision of services to, certain non-U.S. countries, territories, entities and individuals. These types of sanctions may significantly restrict or completely prohibit investment activities in certain jurisdictions, and if we, our portfolio companies or other issuers in which we invest were to violate any such laws or regulations, we may face significant legal and monetary penalties.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other anti-corruption laws and regulations, as well as anti-boycott regulations, may also apply to and restrict our activities, our portfolio companies and other issuers of our investments. If an issuer or we were to violate any such laws or regulations, such issuer or we may face significant legal and monetary penalties. The U.S. government has indicated that it is particularly focused on FCPA enforcement, which may increase the risk that an issuer or we become the subject of such actual or threatened enforcement. In addition, certain commentators have suggested that private investment firms and the funds that they manage may face increased scrutiny and/or liability with respect to the activities of their underlying portfolio companies. As such, a violation of the FCPA or other applicable regulations by us or an issuer of our portfolio investments could have a material adverse effect on us. We are committed to complying with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws and regulations, as well as anti-boycott regulations, to which it is subject. As a result, we may be adversely affected because of its unwillingness to enter into transactions that violate any such laws or regulations.

We have processes in place to identify, assess and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats. Our business is dependent on the communications and information systems of FS/EIG Advisor, as an affiliate of FS Investments. We also rely on the communications and systems of other third-party service providers. FS Investments has implemented a cybersecurity program that applies to all of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us and our operations.

FS Investments has instituted a cybersecurity program designed to identify, assess and manage cybersecurity risks applicable to us. The cybersecurity risk management program involves, among other things, risk assessments, implementation of security measures, and ongoing monitoring of systems and networks, including networks on which we rely. FS Investments actively monitors

We rely on FS Investments to engage external experts, including cybersecurity assessors, consultants and auditors to evaluate cybersecurity measures and risk management processes, including those applicable to us. We are also included in the FS Investments risk management program and processes, which include cybersecurity risk assessments.

We depend on and engage various third parties, including suppliers, vendors and service providers, to operate our business. We rely on the expertise of the third-party risk management, legal, information technology and compliance personnel of FS/EIG Advisor and FS Investments, including the Chief Information Security Officer, or the CISO, of FS Investments, when identifying and overseeing risks from cybersecurity threats associated with our use of such entities.

The audit committee of the board of trustees, or the Audit Committee, provides strategic oversight on cybersecurity matters, including risks associated with cybersecurity threats. The Audit Committee receives periodic updates from the FS Investments CISO and our Chief Compliance Officer, or the CCO, regarding the overall state of the FS Investments cybersecurity program, information on the current threat landscape, and risks from cybersecurity threats and cybersecurity incidents impacting us.

Our management, including our CCO, is responsible for assessing and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. The CCO oversees our risk management function generally and relies on the FS Investments CISO to assist with assessing and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. The CISO has over 10 years of experience in actively managing cybersecurity and information security programs for financial services companies with complex information systems. The CCO has been responsible for this oversight function as our CCO for over 10 years and has worked in the financial services industry for over 40 years, during which the CCO has gained expertise in assessing and managing risk applicable to us.

Management is informed about and monitors the prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of cybersecurity incidents impacting us, including through the receipt of notifications from service providers and reliance on communications with risk management, legal, information technology and/or compliance personnel of FS/EIG Advisor and FS Investments.

The potential impact of risks from cybersecurity threats on us are assessed on an ongoing basis, and how such risks could materially affect our business strategy, operational results, and financial condition are regularly evaluated. During the reporting period, we have not identified any impact from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of previous cybersecurity incidents, that we believe have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy, operational results, and financial condition.

There is currently no market for our common shares, and we do not expect that a market for our common shares will develop in the foreseeable future. In November 2016, we closed our continuous public offering of common shares to new investors. Following the closing of our continuous public offering, we continued to issue shares pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan until it was terminated effective September 15, 2023.

Set forth below is a chart describing the classes of our securities outstanding as of March 1, 2024:

As of March 1, 2024, we had 86,701 record holders of our common shares.

In March 2020, in light of difficult market conditions and in an effort to preserve our liquidity, our board of trustees determined to suspend for an indefinite period of time our share repurchase program and will reassess our ability to recommence such program in future periods. As a result, no common shares were purchased pursuant to our share repurchase program and there were no de minimis account liquidations during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Subject to applicable legal restrictions and the sole discretion of our board of trustees, we expect to provide enhanced quarterly distributions to shareholders until the achievement of a long-term liquidity event. On October 18, 2023, our board of trustees declared the initial enhanced cash distribution of $0.0683 per share for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, the distribution amount per share was $0.0643, comprised of an initial distribution per share of $0.0609 declared in December 2023 and the remaining distribution per share of $0.0034 declared in January 2024, representing an annualized distribution rate to shareholders of 7.5% based on the net asset value of $3.43 per share as of December 31, 2023. The enhanced distributions are expected to be paid quarterly and increase in subsequent years until the achievement of a long-term liquidity event, subject to a maximum cap of 15.0% of our then-current estimated net asset value beyond 2026. We expect a portion of the distributions may represent a return of investor capital, helping to accelerate liquidity for shareholders in the near-term. There can be no assurance that we will be able to pay distributions in the future. The timing and amount of any future distributions to shareholders are subject to applicable legal restrictions and the sole discretion of our board of trustees.

The following table reflects the cash distributions per share that we have declared on our common shares during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:

Some of the statements in this annual report on Form 10-K constitute forward-looking statements because they relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. The forward-looking statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K may include statements as to:

Words such as ‘‘anticipate,’’ ‘‘believe,’’ ‘‘expect’’ and ‘‘intend’’ indicate a forward-looking statement, although not all forward-looking statements include these words. The forward-looking statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth in ‘‘Item 1A. Risk Factors.’’ Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include changes relating to those set forth above and the following, among others:

We have based the forward-looking statements included in this annual report on Form 10-K on information available to us on the date of this annual report on Form 10-K. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Shareholders are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to shareholders or through reports that we may file in the future with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements and projections contained in this annual report on Form 10-K are excluded from the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act.

We were formed as a Delaware statutory trust under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act on September 16, 2010 and formally commenced investment operations on July 18, 2011. We are an externally managed, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and intends to qualify annually, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In November 2016, we closed our continuous public offering of common shares to new investors.

Our investment activities are managed by FS/EIG Advisor and supervised by our board of trustees, a majority of whom are independent. Under the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement, we have agreed to pay FS/EIG Advisor an annual base management fee based on the average weekly value of our gross assets and an incentive fee based on our performance.

The principal measure of our financial performance is net increase or decrease in net assets resulting from operations, which includes net investment income, net realized gain or loss on investments, foreign currency, swap contracts and debt extinguishment, net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments, net change in unrealized gain or loss on foreign currency and net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on swap contracts. Net investment income is the difference between our income from interest, dividends, fees and other investment income and our operating and other expenses. Net realized gain or loss on investments is the difference between the proceeds received from dispositions of portfolio investments and their amortized cost, including the respective realized gain or loss on foreign currency for those foreign denominated investment transactions. Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency is the portion of realized gain or loss attributable to non-investment related foreign currency fluctuations. Net realized gain or loss on swap contracts is the portion of realized gain or loss attributable to the difference between the fixed price specified in the contract and the referenced settlement price. Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments is the net change in the fair value of our investment portfolio, including the respective unrealized gain or loss on foreign currency for those foreign denominated investments. Net change in unrealized gain or loss on foreign currency is the net change in the value of receivables or accruals due to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on swap contracts is the net change in the value of receivables or accruals due to the impact of the difference between the fixed price specified in the contract and the referenced settlement price.

We principally generate revenues in the form of interest income on the debt investments we hold. We also generate revenues in the form of dividends and other distributions on the equity or other securities we may hold. In addition, we may generate revenues in the form of non-recurring commitment, closing, origination, structuring or diligence fees, fees for providing managerial assistance, consulting fees, prepayment fees and performance-based fees.

For information regarding the fee offset with FS/EIG Advisor, see Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K.

We will continue to carefully monitor the energy markets and any other new or ongoing events that may affect our business and the business of our portfolio companies, including the current conflict in Ukraine and government responses thereto. Because the full effects of these events are not capable of being known at this time, we cannot estimate the impacts on our future financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

The following tables present certain selected information regarding our portfolio investment activity for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

The following table summarizes the composition of our investment portfolio at cost and fair value as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:

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The following table presents certain selected information regarding the composition of our investment portfolio as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:

Our estimated gross portfolio yield and annualized distribution rate to shareholders do not represent actual investment returns to shareholders. Our gross annual portfolio yield and distribution rate to shareholders are subject to change and in the future may be greater or less than the rates set forth above. See "Item 1A. Risk Factors" for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements.

In addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, FS/EIG Advisor uses an investment rating system to characterize and monitor the expected level of returns on each investment in our portfolio. FS/EIG Advisor uses an investment rating scale of 1 to 5. The following is a description of the conditions associated with each investment rating:

The amount of the portfolio in each grading category may vary substantially from period to period resulting primarily from changes in the composition of the portfolio as a result of new investment, repayment and exit activities. In addition, changes in the grade of investments may be made to reflect our expectation of performance and changes in investment values.

Our investment income for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was as follows:

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The level of interest income we receive is generally related to the balance of income-producing investments, multiplied by the weighted average yield of our investments. We may experience volatility in the amount of interest income that we earn as the accrual status of existing portfolio investments may fluctuate due to restructuring activity in the portfolio.

The decrease in the amount of interest income and PIK income for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily due to a combination of factors including an overall decrease in the size of the investment portfolio, certain investments being placed on non-accrual and the divestiture of certain investments earning PIK income.

The increase in the amount of interest income for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily due to the rising interest rate environment. The decrease in the amount of PIK income for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily due to certain investments being placed on non-accrual and the divestiture of certain investments earning PIK income.

Fee income is transaction based, and typically consists of prepayment fees and structuring fees. As such, future fee income is generally dependent on new direct origination investments and the occurrence of events at existing portfolio companies resulting in such fees.

The decrease in the amount of fee income for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily due to the decrease in prepayment activity during the period. The increase in the amount of fee income for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily due to an increase in prepayment fees.

Expenses

Interest expense may increase or decrease our expense ratios relative to comparative periods depending on changes in benchmark interest rates such as SOFR, leverage utilization rates and the terms of our financing arrangements, among other factors.

Management Fee Offset

Net Investment Income

Net Realized Gains or Losses

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During the year ended December 31, 2023, the net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on our investments was primarily driven by the performance of our directly originated assets and certain of our upstream equity/other investments. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on our investments was primarily driven by the performance of our directly originated assets and certain of our upstream equity/other investments and the conversion of unrealized appreciation to realized gains. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on our investments was primarily driven by the performance of our directly originated assets and certain of our upstream equity/other investments and the conversion of unrealized depreciation to realized losses.

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations was $(121,183) ($(0.27) per share), $184,502 ($0.41 per share) and $205,875 ($0.46 per share), respectively.

The following table presents a summary of information with respect to our outstanding financing arrangement as of December 31, 2023:

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Our board of trustees is responsible for overseeing the valuation of our portfolio investments at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to FS/EIG Advisor’s valuation policy. As permitted by Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act, our board of trustees has designated FS/EIG Advisor as our valuation designee, with day-to-day responsibility for implementing the portfolio valuation process set forth in FS/EIG Advisor’s valuation policy.

FS/EIG Advisor determines the fair value of our investment portfolio each quarter. Securities that are publicly-traded with readily available market prices will be valued at the reported closing price on the valuation date. Securities that are not publicly-traded with readily available market prices will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by FS/EIG Advisor. In connection with that determination, FS/EIG Advisor will prepare portfolio company valuations which are based on relevant inputs, including, but not limited to, indicative dealer quotes, values of like securities, recent portfolio company financial statements and forecasts, and valuations prepared by independent third-party pricing and valuation services.

See Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding the fair value of our financial instruments.

We have entered into an agreement with FS/EIG Advisor to provide us with investment advisory and administrative services. Payments for investment advisory services under the FS/EIG investment advisory agreement are equal to 1.75% of the average weekly value of our gross assets and an incentive fee based on our performance. Base management fees are generally paid on a quarterly basis in arrears. FS/EIG Advisor is reimbursed for administrative services expenses incurred on our behalf. See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for a discussion of this agreement and for the amount of fees and expenses accrued under this agreement during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

The following table shows the effect over a twelve-month period of changes in interest rates on our interest income, interest expense and net interest income, assuming no changes in the composition of our investment portfolio, including the accrual status of our investments, and our financing arrangement in effect as of December 31, 2023 (dollar amounts are presented in thousands):

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(1) Assumes no defaults or prepayments by portfolio companies over the next twelve months.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of FS Specialty Lending Fund (formerly FS Energy and Power Fund) (the Company), including the consolidated schedules of investments, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations, changes in its net assets, and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the account or disclosures to which it relates.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows of FS Energy and Power Fund (the Company) for the year ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements (collectively, the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the results of the Company's operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

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