Investohills Helianthus Investment Fund founded by Emso Asset Management Limited (USA, UK) and APartners Capital Investment Management Limited (Italy, Malta) international groups made a deal with Investohills Vesta Financial Company to buy out the company’s portfolio of distressed assets that its Ukrainian investors bought from the Deposit Guarantee Fund in 2018-2020.
It is the first large-scale corporate NPL portfolio purchase deal with foreign investors in Ukraine.
As of 2022, Emso Asset Management Limited and APartners Capital Investment Management Limited manage a global asset portfolio of about US$ 10 billion. Once Investohills Vesta’s assets are bought out, the foreign investors will control a diversified distressed assets portfolio to the tune of more than UAH 50 billion.
“In spite of a complex economic and geopolitical situation, this deal demonstrates foreign investors’ credit of trust in Ukraine as a state and the Ukrainian economy. We managed to find strategic partners focused on the long-term cooperation and the development of financial markets in Ukraine”, Mykhailo Bakunenko, Investohills Group partner and one of its major Ukrainian investors, said.
According to him, foreign investors are willing to invest $100 million more in 2022.
Accordingly, the influx of investments would enable banks, including those state-owned, to clean up their balance sheets effectively and efficiently.
“We’ve sold all of our corporate NPL portfolios, except for a few minor ones, in all industries and all regions of Ukraine, other than in Crimea. However, Investohills Group will stay on the NPL market as a result of this deal, albeit in a different format—we committed to managing the existing portfolios and engaging into new corporate deals under the auspices of Helianthus investment fund only”, Andriy Volkov, Investohills Group’s managing partner, said.
Investohills Helianthus is a closed-end non-diversified venture corporate investment fund set up in Ukraine in 2020 to buy out and collect distressed debt in the interests of foreign investors. The Fund is 100% owned by Helianthus Investments DAC (Ireland) managed by EMSO Asset Management Ltd. (USA, UK). Helianthus Investments’ bonds are listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange.
Investohills Group has engaged in investment and asset management in the Ukrainian and international markets for more than 12 years; the group is Ukraine’s NPL market leader. Established in 2009 as an investment company specializing in distressed assets and special situations, Investohills became the largest debt management operator in Ukraine.
Emso Asset Management Limited is an investment company with offices in the US and UK investing in high yield assets in emerging markets. The company manages over $7 billion in assets.
APartners Capital Investment Management Limited is an investment company licensed in the EU as an alternative investment fund manager. The company invests in distressed assets, real estate, and renewable energy. The company manages assets worth about $3 billion.