Fresh off its recent purchase of Bank of America Merrill Lynch interests, AXA Private Equity is extending its reach into Central and Eastern Europe through an affiliation agreement with Poland’s Resource Partners. The agreement will give Axa access to Poland and the Baltic States where the firm has pledged €50 million for investment in mid-sized agricultural and food companies.
The deal also gives Axa a Warsaw base in addition to its current base in Vienna. The experience and connections Resource Partners already has in the region are expected to be of great benefit to Axa in seeing the company take on larger and more strategic investments, especially in Poland.
Resources Partners
Based in Warsaw, Resource Partners is a private equity investment group active in the food and agricultural, consumer goods, health care, and manufacturing sectors in Central and Eastern Europe.
Resource Partners typically invests in small and mid-sized companies at a minimum of €5 million, gaining either a minority or majority stake. Investment horizons are typically 2 to 5 years.
Backed by several partners like Axa Private Equity, the EBRD, and Rabobank, Resource Partners currently manages more than €100 million in assets.
AXA Private Equity
Paris-based AXA Private Equity is an international private equity firm and subsidiary of AXA Investment Managers. Since its founding in 1996 Axa has raised and invested nine funds, worth billions of euros, in opportunities in Europe, Asia, and North America. Today the firm has approximately USD 25 billion in assets under management. Axa maintains offices in Paris, London, Frankfurt, Milan, Vienna, Singapore, and New York.
28/05/2010
Central & Eastern Europe, Financial Services, Fundraising, Poland