AEW Europe has confirmed that it has completed the acquisition of Natixis Investment Managers International’s private debt business, which originates and structures infrastructure and private debt real asset investments.
The acquisition is in line with AEW’s strategy to establish an international, multi-product private debt platform which offers its existing and future clients with a broader range of investments products, including commercial real estate debt, infrastructure, aviation and corporate debt.
AEW’s newly expanded private debt platform has achieved significant growth over the past five years and comprises €7.4 bn of client commitments of which €3.3 bn has been invested across a range of funds and separate account mandates, as at 31 December 2023.
In a statement, AEW said that 'the combination of this scale and the experienced team of 30 professionals based in Paris and Hong Kong, including Chief Investment Officer Denis Prouteau, as well as the positive market backdrop for private debt, will enable AEW to provide its clients with further opportunities for diversification'.
The platform will be led by Jonathan Stevens, Head of Private Debt, who joined the business from Blackrock in October last year.
'The completion of this acquisition represents a key opportunity for our business, complementing our existing foothold in real estate debt, which has grown rapidly over the past 11 years, and creating an enlarged private debt platform,' said Rob Wilkinson, European CEO at AEW. 'Private debt is a strategic growth area for us, with strong appeal and an attractive risk profile for our clients in a changing interest rate environment.'
