Allianz Investment Unit to Buy U.K.’s John Laing for $1.8 Billion

Although Germany’s Allianz AG is selling off many of its long-held positions in German companies, it is still interested in making good investments outside the insurance industry. On Friday, Oct. 27 one of the Group’s investment units, Allianz Infrastructure Holdings, announced that its £957.5 ($1.8177 billion) offer for the U.K.-based infrastructure group John Laing PLC had been preliminarily accepted.

Allianz Infrastructure is part of Allianz Alternative Assets Holding (AAA-Holding), which the company described as being “newly created to coordinate and expand the Alternative Investments activities within Allianz Group. As a first step, AAA-Holding will take management responsibility for Allianz Capital Partners (LBO, Mezzanine), Allianz Private Equity Partners (indirect Private Equity), Aequitas (alternative Public Equities), Allianz Immobilien GmbH (German Real Estate) and KGAL (Leasing).”

“Over the last few years we have built-up significant activities in these various asset classes and it is now time to leverage them by taking a more integrated approach. Given the rising importance of alternative assets this will allow us to bring a better risk/return profile to our internal and external investors,” explained Paul Achleitner, Allianz board member responsible for Group Finance.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions