AXA IM Alts to buy Capza
AXA IM Alts has announced its acquisition of Capza, increasing its position from majority shareholder to full ownership by 2026.
Capza is a private debt and private equity fund manager, focused on mid-market corporates in the EMEA region. It has more than €9bn (£7.6bn) of assets under management.
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AXA IM Alts said that the acquisition provides it with global expertise in mid-market direct lending, as well as entry into the private equity leveraged buyout (LBO) market.
It has been an investor and shareholder in Capza for the past 20 years.
Capza founder Christophe Karvelis-Senn will remain a member of the relevant investment committees and take the role of chairman of the supervisory board of Capza.
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Maxence Radix will assume the role of chief executive of Capza and will lead the management of the private equity LBO franchise, which will become the fifth business line of AXA IM Alts, alongside real estate, alternative credit, infrastructure and natural capital and impact investments, with Benoit Choppin supporting the development of the flex equity strategy.
Radix will also join AXA IM Alts’ management board.
Guillaume de Jongh and Jean-Marc Fiamma will continue to co-lead Capza’s private debt franchise, which will complement the AXA IM Alts’ alternative credit platform led by Christophe Fritsch.
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The completion of the deal is expected to take place in the fourth quarter of this year.
“Adding the entire Capza business, a pioneering European private investment platform dedicated to small and mid-cap companies, to AXA IM Alts’ platform is a major milestone,” said Isabelle Scemama, global head of AXA IM Alts.
This acquisition sees AXA IM Alts complete its product range through the addition of an established and scalable LBO private equity and corporate mid-market private debt capabilities to the current offering for the benefits of our clients and teams, further cementing our position as the European leader in the alternative investments.”
AXA IM Alts has €184bn of assets under management.
Its parent company, AXA Investment Managers, is set to be sold to BNP Paribas Asset Management.
