Wilshire to Bolster Alts Capacity with Lyxor US Acquisition

Wilshire, a consultancy and financial services firm based in Santa Monica, CA, has expanded its alternative investment portfolio with the acquisition of Lyxor Asset Management.

Financial terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, were not disclosed.

The acquisition would see Lyxor U.S., based in New York, split from its parent company, European asset management Amundi, and become a unit selling hedge fund managed accounts.

Lyxor U.S. was originally the U.S. division of Lyxor, a large European ETF and liquid alternatives provider that Amundi bought in 2021. Several staff changes were announced in 2022, including the appointment of former Lyxor U.S. CEO Nathanaal Benzaken as CEO of Amundi Alternatives.

“This acquisition furthers our goal of delivering innovative alternative investment solutions to our client base and will provide Lyxor U.S. clients with access to Wilshire’s asset allocation and investment research insights, portfolio construction capabilities, and more” said Jason Schwarz, Wilshire Deputy CEO and President.

Amundi officials are committed to expanding its liquid alternatives business globally outside of the United States, but they also intend to increase asset management and distribution in the Americas, especially Amundi US, which has been in operation since 1928.

Amundi currently manages more than €1.95 trillion in assets. Wilshire advises on over $1.3 trillion in assets and manages $88 billion as of June 30, 2023.