For private retirement provision and Europe's innovative strength: Allianz invests in European growth fund

Allianz has invested in the European growth fund " Scaleup Europe Fund," a multi-billion-euro fund aimed at financing promising European growth companies in strategic technology sectors. Allianz`s investment, managed through Allianz Investment Management, is largely sourced from policyholders' funds held by Allianz Lebensversicherung and Allianz Private Krankenversicherung in Germany, with an additional portion from Allianz France. Already in February, Allianz had signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to participate as a founding investor in the Scaleup Europe Fund. Swedish investment firm EQT has been appointed to manage the fund.

Ludovic Subran, Chief Investment Officer, Allianz SE: “Our investment in the Scaleup Europe Fund aims to generate attractive long-term returns on our customers' retirement savings capital. At the same time, it contributes to Europe's competitiveness: Europe frequently produces world-class innovations, yet many founders lack the growth capital needed to make the leap from start-up to scale-up. The fund thus addresses a strategic capital gap in Europe. We firmly believe that sustainably strengthening future- and growth-oriented industries and sectors in Europe is one of the defining economic policy challenges of our time.”

The fund targets a volume of 5 billion euros. It was launched on the initiative and with the financial participation of the European Commission through the European Innovation Council (EIC) to promote the growth of emerging deep-tech companies in Europe. Companies are expected to benefit from investments of €100 million or more. The objective is to address the scaling challenge faced by European technology start-ups and to close the funding gap for growth companies that currently have limited access to capital markets. The Scaleup Europe Fund focuses on technology sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, semiconductor technology, robotics and autonomous systems, energy technologies, space technology, biotechnology, medical technology, and agricultural technology in Europe.

Allianz Lebensversicherung, one of Germany’s leading life insurers, invests approximately 36% of its policyholder assets, representing nearly EUR 100 billion, in alternative private market investments, including infrastructure, renewable energy, private equity, private debt and growth capital. Through these investments, Allianz enables all customers to participate in professionally managed, high-return asset classes, even through modest savings contributions.

On behalf of its policyholders, Allianz Private Krankenversicherung builds reserves to cover higher healthcare costs in later life. Of these reserves, which currently amount to approximately EUR 37 billion, around EUR 14 billion is invested in alternative private market assets such as infrastructure.

Allianz Vie, Allianz Group’s retail insurance entity in France, allocates approximately 21% of policyholder assets, representing around EUR 12 billion of a total EUR 58 billion, to alternative private market investments, including corporate private debt, infrastructure, renewable energy, private equity and real estate. Through these long-term investments, policyholders gain access to professionally managed private market assets while also supporting the financing of the real economy.

Allianz Retraite, Allianz Group’s life insurance provider in France, invests approximately 14% of policyholder assets, representing around EUR 2 billion of a total EUR 14 billion, in alternative private market investments, including corporate private debt, infrastructure, renewable energy, private equity and real estate. These investments provide retirement savers with access to long-term asset classes that are typically less accessible to individual investors, while also contributing to sustainable economic growth.