Anima Alternative is an asset management company wholly owned by the ANIMA Group and focuses on investments in the equity and debt of privately owned companies.
Established at the beginning of 2020, in July 2020 Anima Alternative was authorized by the Bank of Italy to provide asset management services. In December 2020 Consob gave the go-ahead to the marketing of its first direct lending AIF.
The creation of Anima Alternative is a big step forward in our business diversification strategy. It will strengthen the capabilities of the ANIMA Group in offering tailored solutions to institutional investors.
Private markets are an area of great importance when responding to the growing demand for alternative income sources. The area complements the market segments already covered by the ANIMA Group.
In two years, Anima Alternative has successfully launched two direct lending funds:
- In January 2021, the Anima Alternative 1 direct lending fund completed its first closing and soon exceeded its target dimension, reaching €157 million;
- In April 2023, the second direct lending fund, Anima Alternative 2, commenced operations with a budget of €121 million, which in just a few months increased to the current €196 million.
Both funds are investing at a steady pace, demonstrating the soundness of their positioning as a means for institutional investors to access the growing investment opportunities in the private credit sector.
The marketing activity of the third fund, Anima Alternative Growth, a direct lending fund that will invest in loans and hybrid capital instruments, was started in May 2024.
In the future, Anima Alternative will lean on the ANIMA Group infrastructure and the integration of Castello SGR to launch other private debt funds or products specializing in other private market segments.