Van Lanschot Kempen and the shareholders in Belgian investment adviser Accuro have reached agreement on the acquisition by Van Lanschot Kempen of Accuro NV. Established in 2006, Accuro has an attractive client base, focuses on investment advice and has over €0.7 billion in assets under management (AuM).
This latest acquisition is a further step in Van Lanschot Kempen’s growth strategy – both organic and through bolt-on acquisitions – in Belgium as its second home market. In 2023, Van Lanschot Kempen completed the acquisition of Belgian wealth manager Mercier Vanderlinden. From 1 January 2024, Mercier Van Lanschot is the new name for the Mercier Vanderlinden and Van Lanschot Belgium combine.
Upon completion of the transaction, Accuro’s clients and employees will be integrated into Mercier Van Lanschot, further expanding its offering and expertise for clients in Belgium, in particular in terms of investment advice. Accuro’s founders will continue to be affiliated to Mercier Van Lanschot until 2030 at least.
Thomas Vanderlinden, CEO of Mercier Van Lanschot, said: “We’re delighted about our collaboration with Accuro on the eve of the launch of Mercier Van Lanschot. We share the same vision of service: for the long haul, with the best experts and always personal. Following integration, our clients can rely on receiving investment advice from their trusted advisers, supported by the knowledge and experience of the Mercier Van Lanschot team. We’re extending a very warm welcome to our Accuro colleagues, whose founders’ continued engagement reflects the confidence we share in our joint future.”
Hans De Schouwer, co-founder of Accuro, added: “Since inception, Accuro has grown into a prominent investment advice company in Belgium’s financial industry. To continue offering our clients the best possible care and continuity in an increasingly complex world, we’ve been searching for a strong partner that shares our standards and values, and we’re happy to have found them in Mercier Van Lanschot. We look forward to providing an even better service to our clients in this new set-up and with the scale it brings. Within our new alliance, we’ll be putting our weight behind the advisory department and build it into the benchmark for investment advice in the Belgian market.”
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to have a negative impact of 0.4 percentage points on Van Lanschot Kempen’s capital ratio. Van Lanschot Kempen will pay 60% in cash and 40% in existing shares for the acquisition, locked up until 2030. Upon completion of the acquisition, Accuro is expected to be fully integrated into Mercier Van Lanschot from early 2025.
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