BlackRock Inc. is nearing a deal to buy HPS Investment Partners, a purchase that would vault the firm into the top ranks of private credit as it seeks to become a major force in alternative assets.An agreement could be announced as early as this week and value HPS at $12 billion or more,

BlackRock , oddly enough, is looking a lot more like a streaming service. The index-fund goliath agreed to buy private lender HPS for $12 billion, to get its hands on the hottest new content to push through its formidable pipes.