The asset manager Bantleon continues its growth path and acquires the former NORD/LB Asset Management AG, which has been operating under the name Warburg Invest AG since 2018. A corresponding agreement was signed with the owner M.M. Warburg & CO (AG & Co.) KGaA, Hamburg, on 11 January 2023. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The takeover, which is still subject to approval by the regulatory authorities BaFin and FINMA, will create an asset manager with assets under management of more than EUR 23 billion and assets under administration of more than EUR 24 billion as well as more than 140 employees. NORD/LB Asset Management AG had been acquired by M.M. Warburg & CO (AG & Co.) KGaA in 2018 and is not involved in Cum-Ex/Cum-Cum transactions. Bantleon had already sought to acquire the company from the previous owner NORD/LB.
»With the acquisition of the former NORD/LB Asset Management AG, we are further expanding our strong bond management and are also growing in equity management. Moreover, we will be able to offer our customers first-class Master KVG services,« explains Stephan Kuhnke, Chairman of the Executive Board of Bantleon AG. »In addition, we will have a wide range of investment funds that comply with Article 8 plus or Article 9 and that are FNG-certified – from bond funds to multi-asset and equity funds. This puts us in a leading position in Germany.«
Business models complement each other
Bantleon had already selectively expanded its product and competence range with additional credit, equities and alternative strategies in previous years. »We are convinced that together we will reap the fruits of our labour«, explains Kuhnke. »This is all the more true as one of our core competences – the management of high-quality investment grade bond portfolios – has become highly important again in light of the upcoming capital market environment.«
Both companies primarily serve institutional clients. Bantleon specialises more in active management, whereas the new subsidiary manages its portfolios more closely to the capital markets based on individual customer requirements while furthermore providing first-class KVG services. Only recently, the company was named the best Master KVG in the German market by the TELOS Satisfaction Survey 2022. Therefore, the business areas complement each other perfectly.
»With more than 30 portfolio managers, three of the world's best economic analysts and the most client-friendly Master KVG in Germany, we can serve the fundamental demands of institutional investors at the highest level and from a single source,« Kuhnke notes. »Both as a manager for sophisticated bond, equity and multi-asset portfolios and as a high-performance medium-sized Master KVG.« Wholesale partners will also benefit from the merger, as the number and the total assets of investment funds available will increase significantly, especially in the ESG area. In addition, Bantleon will also become a solution provider for partners who want to launch their own funds.
Warburg Invest AG also sees itself strengthened by the acquisition: »Bantleon has an excellent reputation in institutional asset management,« says Dr. Dirk Rogowski, member of the Executive Board of Warburg Invest AG. »Together we can continue our growth course. This is all the more true as no compulsory redundancies are planned, so that our clients and employees can rely on the continuation of the proven operational structures.«
For Jörg Bantleon, owner of the asset manager Bantleon, the takeover also has great personal significance: »I am very pleased that we will have such a large presence in my home city of Hanover, where I laid the foundations for Bantleon in 1991. We are a great fit not only business-wise, but also culture-wise.«
