The latest mergers, acquisitions and other corporate actions in the wealth management sector.

DWS
Yesterday, DWS signed binding agreements to acquire 100 per cent of Peakside Capital Advisors AG from shareholders, led by its founders and managing partners, Stefan Aumann and Boris Schran. Peakside is a specialist real estate asset manager that provides value-add and opportunistic investments in Germany and Central and Eastern Europe. 

The transaction is expected to close by year-end 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Peakside operates throughout Germany, Luxembourg and Poland. The firm, which has expertise in office, retail, logistics and residential real estate, manages more than €1.7 billion in assets mainly on behalf of institutional investors. The PREF fund series reflects Peakside’s investment experience, the firm said in a statement.

The acquisition will strengthen DWS’ alternatives platform by adding opportunistic investment expertise and a strong track record to its European real estate business which is led by Clemens Schaefer. It will broaden DWS’ European real estate offering, particularly in Germany, while adding relevant capabilities in Central and Eastern Europe.

Peakside’s owners Stefan Aumann, Boris Schran and Simon Lutz, together with the other members of Peakside’s senior management team, Frank Schäfer and Karol Maziukiewicz, will remain with the business when the transaction is completed to support continuity and deveop the business within DWS. This continuity is expected to extend across the wider Peakside team.

“The acquisition of Peakside is an important step in strengthening our alternatives platform. Peakside will add established capabilities and a strong track record in value-add and opportunistic real estate investing in Europe,” Stefan Hoops, chief executive officer of DWS, said. “It sends a clear signal that real estate is a core part of our alternatives offering and an exciting asset class that we want to grow.”

Hawksford
Jersey-headquartered, Hawksford, a provider of corporate, private client and funds services, has expanded its specialist offering for corporates and private clients in the EU by acquiring two Netherlands-based businesses.

After receiving regulatory approval, the firm completed the acquisitions of Liberation Management and the United Group’s Netherlands business last week (1 October).

These acquisitions, which reflect Hawksford’s commitment to growth in the European market, will strengthen and scale its corporate services and capital markets capabilities, bringing the firm’s headcount in the Netherlands to more than 80 professionals. To support the expansion, Hawksford is investing in its client service, compliance and operational infrastructure, to ensure that clients continue to benefit from consistent, efficient and high-quality support as the business grows. 

The acquisitions will provide clients across Europe with additional opportunities to reach new markets globally, benefiting from Hawksford’s longstanding expertise and experience working across its own global office network, the firm said in a statement.

As one of the industry’s first adopters of the ‘one source of truth and one client services platform’ strategy, the firm said that it is well positioned to leverage emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence responsibly, to enhance service delivery while maintaining the importance of trusted client relationships.

Regulated by the Dutch Central Bank (DNB), Liberation Management, based in Breda, provides corporate, secretarial, administrative and family office services to corporate and private clients. The team is led by its two founding partners, Hans Jansen and Lucas Bagchus. Hawksford will benefit from having a presence in the commercially vital Rotterdam-Breda area, which covers among others, one of the world’s largest ports and European gateways (Rotterdam) and the world’s quintessential chip manufacturing technology provider (ASML in Eindhoven). 

Also regulated by the DNB, Amsterdam-based United Netherlands, led by Marius de Groot, specialises in supporting companies with their operational and strategic growth objectives through a comprehensive range of corporate administration services and management solutions. 

The acquisitions form part of Hawksford’s growth strategy, with the group having completed ten acquisitions since 2022 with the support of STAR Capital.