Aquila Asset Management comes under the control of a listed Swedish group

Catella is adding another string to its bow as it continues to grow its pan-European platform. The Swedish real estate specialist has acquired a 60% stake in Aquila Asset Management from Jean-Marc Sabiani and Gilles Barbieri, founders and managing partners of the Aquila group, for a purchase price of approximately €9.6 million, financed entirely through equity. The sellers, advised by Edmond de Rothschild, retain a minority stake in the French real estate asset manager founded in 2010. They also hold a call option on additional shares valued at approximately €1 million. The closing of the transaction, subject to regulatory approval, is expected in the second half of the year.

The Aquila group comprises Aquila Asset Management (€1.4 billion in assets under management) as well as the real estate investment fund manager Axipit Real Estate Partners, launched in 2021. "The acquisition of the majority of Aquila will bring strong synergies with our existing operations in France and across Europe," said Christoffer Abramson, Chief Executive Officer of Catella. Positioned across real estate investment, fund management — and brokerage in France — Catella, listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in the mid-cap segment, manages over €13 billion in assets and is present in twelve countries. In 2021, the Swedish group sold its French subsidiary Catella Asset Management to Arkéa IS. This investment signals its intention to remain active in France.