Hayfin today announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Samsung Life Insurance (“Samsung Life”). As part of this planned initiative, Samsung Life will acquire a minority stake in Hayfin from Arctos Partners (“Arctos”), a move jointly structured by Arctos and Hayfin to broaden Hayfin’s institutional shareholder base. 

The transaction builds on Hayfin’s recently announced strategic partnership with Mubadala Investment Company (“Mubadala”) and AXA IM Prime, a business unit of AXA IM – part of the BNP Paribas Group (“AXA IM Prime”) – which saw Mubadala and AXA IM Prime each acquire a minority interest in Hayfin. Like Mubadala and AXA IM Prime, Samsung Life will support Hayfin’s investment strategies in tandem with becoming a minority shareholder. The transaction further strengthens Hayfin’s footprint in South Korea, reaffirming its commitment to clients in the region.  

The addition of a third new institutional minority shareholder represents the next stage in a coordinated post-management buyout (“MBO”) plan led by Hayfin and Arctos, with Arctos continuing to provide long-term strategic support through its Keystone platform, which provides bespoke growth capital and liquidity solutions to leading financial sponsors. The resulting shareholding has enabled the Hayfin team to become majority owners of the firm’s common equity. Completion remains subject to customary regulatory approvals. 

Tim Flynn, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer at Hayfin, said: “This strategic partnership with Samsung Life is another strong endorsement of the franchise we have built. It completes our plan to bolster Hayfin’s shareholder base post-MBO through the addition of best-in-class institutions from across the globe onto our platform. Through establishing this partnership with Samsung, we look forward to deepening our commitment to the South Korean market, where we see investor demand for investment strategies continuing to grow.” 

Joonkyu Park, CIO of Samsung Life Insurance, said: “We are very excited to partner with Hayfin, a recognised leader in the European market, and this strategic partnership will play a vital role in the growth and global expansion of Samsung Life’s asset management business. Hayfin has built an excellent long-term historic investment track record and will continue to provide a broad array of attractive investment opportunities, further strengthening our focus on the private capital market. We look forward to supporting Hayfin’s ongoing growth alongside Arctos, Mubadala, and AXA IM Prime.”