Cinven, La Caisse agree to jointly acquire MGA Optio

• Optio underwrites across six business lines: profession and specialty; transportation, property and energy; healthcare; transactional liability; surety and credit
• Deal builds on Cinven’s past investments in Compre, Miller and Policy Expert
• Optio is currently backed by Preservation Capital Partners

Cinven and La Caisse have agreed to jointly acquire Optio Group, a specialty insurance managing general agent (MGA) headquartered in the UK, from Preservation Capital Partners. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Optio originates, underwrites and manages specialty risk on behalf of more than 60 third-party capacity providers across six business lines, spanning more than 30 products. The company has an established European core alongside an international footprint of 18 offices across 15 countries spanning the UK, Europe, the US, the Middle East and Asia. Cinven and La Caisse have been tracking Optio for more than two years, with Cinven’s team building a relationship with the company’s management over that period.

The transaction builds on Cinven’s track record of investing in the specialty underwriting and broader financial services sector, including past investments in Compre, Miller and Policy Expert. For La Caisse, the deal reflects a long-standing focus on insurance and insurance-related platforms across Europe, North America and Australia.

“Specialty insurance is a market where technical underwriting expertise, disciplined risk selection and scale increasingly matter,” said Martin Longchamps, executive vice-president and head of private equity and private credit at La Caisse, in a statement. “Optio is well positioned in that environment, with a differentiated platform serving complex insurance markets, a strong European base and clear international growth potential. Our investment reflects La Caisse’s conviction in the long-term fundamentals of the sector, our experience across the insurance value chain, and our focus on backing high-quality businesses alongside sophisticated, like-minded partners.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Editor’s note: This news brief was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence.