Janus Henderson and the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America have entered a strategic partnership, whereby Janus is set to become Guardian’s investment grade public fixed income asset manager.
Ali Dibadj
The partnership is set to close by Q3 2025.
The move will see Janus Henderson manage the $45 billion investment grade public fixed income portfolio for Guardian’s general account, as well as more than $147 billion in fixed income assets globally.
The portfolio will include investment grade corporates and securitised credit.
As part of the partnership, Guardian is also set to commit up to $400 million in seed capital to accelerate the firm’s innovation in securitised credit and high quality active fixed income products.
Ali Dibadj, chief executive of Janus Henderson, said: “This multifaceted, innovative partnership, founded on a shared set of client-focused values, leverages our complementary strengths, creates alignment for mutual growth, and intends to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for policyholders, our clients, shareholders, and employees.
“This strategic partnership also supports the execution of Janus Henderson’s client-led vision of amplifying our strengths in fixed income, multi-asset solutions, and model portfolios, while greatly expanding our presence in the institutional market and insurance space.”
This move will allow Guardian to leverage Janus’ presence in active fixed income ETFs and increase Janus Henderson’s institutional reach and insurance presence.
Similarly, continuity in the management of assets is a focus, with Guardian’s existing investment professionals focused on in-scope asset classes set to be offered the opportunity to join Janus Henderson.
The joint venture is also expected to broaden investment opportunities for Park Avenue Securities’ (PAS) clients, Guardian’s dually registered broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, through the co-development of proprietary, multi-asset solution model portfolios.
Andrew McMahon, Guardian chair and chief executive, said: “This strategic partnership with Janus Henderson enhances Guardian’s investment and solutions capabilities and aligns our organisations for long-term, mutual growth.
“Our shared culture of collaboration and dedication to our clients make them a natural partner for Guardian. By combining Guardian’s exceptional experience with Janus Henderson’s market-leading investment strategies, resources, and capabilities, we will be able to offer innovative investment and wealth management strategies that will benefit customers and policyholders for years to come.”
The move follows other similar deals, wherein asset managers are looking to expand their remits through key partnerships.
In January, Assicurazioni Generali and BPCE signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will see them combine their respective asset management operations – Generali Investments Holdings and Natixis Investment Managers. Through this partnership, the entity would become the leading asset management player in Europe by revenue, with more than €1.9 trillion assets under management.
More recently, in February, Kepler Cheuvreux and Unigestion unveiled a strategic partnership wherein the firms will launch a joint public equities asset management company. Once approved, the new entity – Kepler Cheuvreux Unigestion Equities – is set to focus on quantitative strategies and together will manage more than €3 billion in assets.