UK's Centricus to start insurance JV with former Goldman partner

Centricus manages more than $25bn in assets

FILE PHOTO: The ticker symbol and logo for Goldman Sachs is displayed on a screen on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
Powered by automated translation

Centricus, the UK investment firm that helped SoftBank Group raise its $100 billion Vision Fund, is entering the insurance industry by forming a joint venture with former Goldman Sachs Group partner Chris Milner.

The new venture with Mr Milner’s firm, European Insurance Consolidation Group, will focus on acquiring and managing legacy life insurance and annuities portfolios across Europe, Centricus said in an emailed statement. Centricus is targeting for the business to manage about $100bn of assets under management for the unit and is already scouting for deals in Europe, co-founder Dalinc Ariburnu said in a phone interview Thursday.

Centricus is seeking to replicate the model that Apollo Global Management created with Athene Holding, Mr Ariburnu said. Apollo set up Athene in 2009 and built it into one of the top fixed-annuity providers in the US. It has also made Apollo the envy of private equity rivals, who have since tried to build up their own insurance businesses.

Mr Milner, who previously headed Goldman’s Pension and Insurance Strategy Group in Europe, set up EICG in 2017 with a target of acquiring the books of large insurers. It’s been going up against companies like Phoenix Group Holdings, which bought Standard Life Aberdeen's insurance unit last year.

Centricus, which manages more than $25bn in assets, was founded by former Deutsche Bank banker Nizar Al Bassam and Mr Ariburnu, a former partner at Goldman Sachs. The firm focuses on investments in sectors such as financial services and infrastructure, as well as offering advisory services.