Italian bank buys RAM AI

The Italian bank Mediobanca has acquired a 69% stake in the Swiss boutique asset manager RAM Active Investments, as part of a strategic drive to make its wealth management activities its “major growth driver”.

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PA Europe

RAM AI’s founding partners Thomas de Saint-Seine, Maxime Botti and Emmanuel Hauptmann will retain significant stakes in the company and will remain with RAM AI for at least ten years. Each partner will also reinvest a “meaningful part” of their proceeds from the transaction in RAM AI’s funds. As the historical seeder and institutional shareholder of RAM AI, the Reyl Group will retain a 7.5% stake.

Acquisition drive

The acquisition is Mediobanca’s first step in its “repositioning through the creation and development of an asset management platform,” said Alberto Nagel, Group CEO of the Italian bank. When it unveiled its new strategic plan last year, Mediobanca said it planned to grow its asset and wealth management business “through acquisitions”, of which RAM, which has assets of CHF4.9bn (€4.2bn), is the first one.

Mediobanca lauded RAM AI’s “complementary investor base, distribution network and geographical reach” as well as its focus on equity strategies. So if you are an asset manager with these qualities and are looking for a buyer, you know who to call.

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