Advising lenders on billion-euro acquisition of Viridium

With EUR67bn in assets under management, 3.4 million policies and about 900 highly specialized employees, Viridium is Germany’s leading life insurance consolidator. Viridium consists of four life insurance companies: Proxalto Lebensversicherung, Entis Lebensversicherung, Heidelberger Lebensversicherung, and Skandia Lebensversicherung. Viridium will remain an independent stand-alone platform, led by the current management team. It will continue to specialize exclusively in consolidating and managing life insurance portfolios and operate as a long-term partner to the European insurance industry.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025. The completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory and merger-control approvals and other customary closing conditions.

The international A&O Shearman team was led by partner Dr. Walter Uebelhoer and senior associate Nils Holzgrefe (both Banking & Finance, both Munich) and comprised furthermore partners Greg Brown (Banking & Finance, London), Andreas Hommel (Banking & Finance, Luxembourg) and Dr. Heike Weber (Tax, Frankfurt), senior associates Dominique Crowley (Banking & Finance, London), Samara Hiscock (Tax, Luxembourg) and Maximilian Steinhoff (Corporate/M&A, Munich), as well as associates Niklas Kniess (Tax, Frankfurt), Arnaldo Mitola (Banking & Finance, Luxembourg) and Chiara Wolf (Tax, Luxembourg).