Office address: 437 Madison Ave Floor 40, New York, NY 10022
Website: www.aquiline.com
Year established: 2005
Company type: private equity firm
Employees: 75+
Expertise: venture capital, financial investments, enterprises, banking and credit, insurance, investment management, financial technology, asset management, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, compliance solutions, regulatory advisory, corporate finance
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Vincenzo La Ruffa and Igno van Waesberghe (managing partners), Jeff Greenberg (chair), Geoff Kalish (vice chair), Ezra Berger (CCO), Stewart Koenigsberg (CFO), Richard Rosenbaum (CIO), Edward (managing director)
Financing status: N/A
Aquiline Capital Partners is a private investment company that provides leaders in financial solutions with private capital and other services, focusing on business growth. Now approaching 20 years in the industry, the firm has amassed over $10 billion in assets under management. Aquiline has more than 75 employees who operate across additional offices in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Philadelphia, creating investment opportunities across a global network.
Aquiline Capital Partners was founded in 2005 by Jeff Greenberg and Geoff Kalish after years of experience in the financial services industry. In 2010, Aquiline invested $225 million in CRT Capital Group to strengthen its balance sheet and build a full-service broker-dealer. The firm continued expanding in 2015 by acquiring a majority stake in Virtus Partners, focusing on improving operational efficiency in asset management.
In 2018, Aquiline emphasized digitalization by purchasing RIA in a Box, a compliance software provider for registered investment advisers. To capitalize on HR outsourcing demand, the firm took a majority stake in CoAdvantage in 2019 and also acquired Relation Insurance Services that same year. By 2021, the firm secured a majority stake in SageView to drive growth in retirement services through acquisitions and technology investment.
Aquiline Capital Partners offers a range of investment strategies across various opportunities. These services target firms at different stages of growth within specific industries:
Aquiline Capital Partners’ strategies build strong industry relationships and introduce advanced technologies to companies ready for growth, offering deeper market insights across its portfolio. This approach enables the firm to develop tailored solutions that benefit both portfolio companies and their broader industry ecosystem.
Aquiline Capital Partners values the deep financial sector experience of its team, leveraging it to offer specialized guidance and insights to portfolio companies. The firm provides a fast-paced, performance-driven environment typical of private equity, with a focus on financial services and technology. Employees are directly involved in significant deals and work closely with senior management, gaining exposure to leadership and decision-making processes within portfolio firms.
The company emphasizes results, with career growth closely linked to successful deals and operational achievements. Like many private equity firms, work-life balance can be demanding, but the opportunities for career growth and professional development in Aquiline Capital Partners are significant.
Vincenzo La Ruffa is a managing partner at Aquiline Capital Partners and serves on multiple investment committees. Prior to this, he co-founded Susquehanna Growth Equity and held a directorial position there. La Ruffa holds a BA in classics and a BS in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Igno van Waesberghe is the organization’s managing partner, overseeing the firm's operations in London. He previously held leadership roles at Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan. Van Waesberghe earned an LLM in international tax law from Erasmus University and completed the GMP program at Harvard Business School.
Aquiline Capital Partners' leadership team consists of experienced professionals who play pivotal roles in the firm's growth and operations:
Aquiline’s recent acquisition of a majority stake in the UK-based Isio Group reflects its focus on expanding in the global retirement and wealth management sectors. This move builds on Aquiline’s existing investments in firms like Smart Pension and Wealth at Work, aimed at fueling growth through innovation and strategic acquisitions. By supporting Isio's continued development, Aquiline Capital Partners strengthens its position in the UK retirement advisory market, enhancing services and attracting top talent.
Aquiline Capital Partners recently agreed to sell Quintes Holding B.V. to Brown & Brown, Inc., with the deal expected to close by late 2024. Since investing in Quintes in 2020, Aquiline supported its rapid expansion, including over 80 acquisitions and growth in pensions and health services. This sale aligns with their aim for strategic growth before a successful exit, freeing up capital for future investments and new opportunities in key sectors.
After GTCR's 2020 deal for a portion of the RIA, additional private equity money will help the firm continue its buying streak.
The firm is expanding its focus on wealth management and retirement plan advisory.
There will likely be at least 70 deals for retirement adviser firms before the end of the year, according to Wise Rhino Group.
The acquisition marks the third deal for ComplySci in the fourth quarter, in the wake of a strategic investment from K1 Investment Management, a private-equity firm focused on enterprise software companies.
Aquiline is buying the unit, while Alight Solutions is buying Aon's Retiree Health Exchange business. The sales are aimed at winning government approval for Aon's merger with Willis Towers Watson.
The investment firms are buying the company from backers including Genstar Capital, Aquiline Capital and Atlas Merchant Capital.
In the first week of the new year, eight significant deals involving advisory firms were announced and a total of $159.6 billion in assets changed hands. Among the buyers and sellers — including Hightower, Sageview Advisory Group and Aquiline Capital Partners — were some of the most significant names in the burgeoning RIA industry.
Consolidation has been a theme of late in the retirement plan adviser world, and private equity has increasingly poured money into the space, which has helped push valuations to high points, leading to ample selling opportunities for adviser firms
Jerry Bramlett helped build FuturePlan into the country’s largest third-party administrator, according to the firm
Stifel Financial Corp. is in exclusive talks to buy Regions Financial Corp.'s Morgan Keegan brokerage after prevailing over private-equity bidders, said people with knowledge of the matter.
Executives at Genworth Financial took another step in their downsizing with the announcement of the much-anticipated sale of its wealth management unit. Who bought it? Darla Mercado has the details.
The 1,200 or so Morgan Keegan financial advisers waiting to see what kind of acquirer parent Regions Financial can find for the broker may get a lump of coal in their stockings this Christmas.
MF Global's collapse into bankruptcy last week threw yet another monkey wrench into the sale of regional brokerage firm Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc., which declines in value as time passes, industry recruiters said
