Bankinter Investment and Plenium Partners merge their investment management firms and acquire a significant stake of Access Capital Partners to drive their expansion in Europe

Bankinter Investment consolidates its position as one of the market’s most prominent alternative investment platforms by taking two strategic steps that expand its capabilities, increase its international reach, and reinforce its direct investment model and sector diversification.

First, it has taken a decisive step to integrate its management team with that of Plenium Partners, a partner since 2017 and a leader in renewable energy, energy transition, and social infrastructure. Second, it has agreed to acquire a significant stake in the European investment manager Access Capital Partners, a partner since 2019 and one of Europe’s most recognized managers of alternative assets, specifically in the areas of infrastructure and buy-out investments.

These two transactions reinforce the platform’s leadership in direct investment in alternative assets in Iberia and accelerate its pan-European expansion.

 

Merger with Plenium Partners: Consolidating Leadership in Direct Investment in Iberia

Bankinter Investment SGIIC has agreed to merge with Plenium Partners SGEIC, a leading independent Spanish asset manager with 19 years of experience and a strong specialization in key sectors such as renewable energy—where it is one of the country’s largest independent operators—the circular economy, and social infrastructure, such as student housing.

The firm boasts an extraordinary team and track record, as well as outstanding market recognition, both during its partnership with Bankinter Investment and in its prior experience as a partner to major international institutional investors.

As a result of the merger, a stronger, larger joint platform has emerged, with an enhanced capacity to lead direct alternative investment in Southern Europe.

This transaction culminates a successful partnership that began in 2017 and allows the teams, assets, and capabilities of both firms to be unified under a single structure, with capital committed by investors totaling more than €5.3 billion and total investments in assets amounting to more than €7.8 billion, featuring broad diversification across 11 sectors and a presence in 14 countries.

As part of the transaction, the parent company of Plenium Partners SGEIC will become a shareholder in Bankinter Investment SGIIC with a 27.5% stake, aligning the interests of both partners in a single shared project.

The closing of the transaction is subject to the necessary regulatory approvals.

 

Acquisition of a significant stake in Access Capital Partners: a pan-European push

In addition, Bankinter Investment SGIIC has reached an agreement to acquire a significant stake of Access Capital Partners (ACP), one of the leading independent alternative investment managers in Europe, specifically in the infrastructure and private equity sectors, with nearly €9 billion in current capital under management and a presence in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

The transaction marks a milestone in the firm´s international expansion strategy and strengthens a strategic relationship that the two firms have maintained since 2019 as partners in infrastructure and private equity vehicles. It also recognizes the track record and talent of the Access Capital Partners team, which has earned such loyalty from its international institutional investor base over many years.

With this investment in ACP, subject to the necessary regulatory approvals, Bankinter Investment is advancing its goal of building a pan-European alternative investment platform capable of competing in terms of scale, specialization, and access to deal flow in Europe. The alliance also enables the accelerated launch of new pan-European investment vehicles and expands the range of available strategies, which will undoubtedly be made available to its domestic investor base and now, to international institutional investors as well.

From a governance standpoint, Access Capital Partners will continue to operate with full management independence with the team holding the majority of voting rights, while having complete support from Bankinter Investment SGIIC. Bankinter Investment SGIIC will hold 64% of the economic rights of ACP.

 

Strategic Vision

Both transactions highlight Bankinter Investment’s distinctive model over the past 10 years, based on co-investment in projects, multisectoral specialization, direct investment in real assets, and rigorous management of the risk-return profile. Over the past decade, this approach has demonstrated its ability to attract investors and offer solid, diversified investment opportunities.

The combination of a leading platform for direct alternative investment in Iberia—at a particularly attractive time as an investment focus given the structural advantages of Spain and Portugal—along with a strengthened presence in Europe, will enable broader access to investment opportunities, greater diversification across strategies and geographies, accelerated growth, and access to a wider range of investors.

Together, these two transactions now represent more than €14 billion in capital committed by investors, over 15,000 clients, and significant diversification across sectors and geographies.

All of this is achieved by bringing together talent and expertise, integrating top-tier teams, and reinforcing a model based on expert knowledge under a shared vision.

With these strategic moves, Bankinter Investment consolidates its structure and reinforces its ambition to continue leading the development of alternative investment, bringing this asset class to an increasingly broad base of investors and contributing to the development of the real economy in Spain, Portugal and Europe.

 

About Bankinter Investment

Bankinter Investment has been active in the alternative investment sector since 2016. Since then, the firm has successfully launched 31 investment vehicles, with capital committed by investors exceeding €5.3 billion; including project financing, this currently represents a portfolio of assets under management exceeding €7.8 billion.

During this time, Bankinter Investment has remained true to its mission of being a multi-sector platform, which has enabled it to co-invest with its clients in renewable energy, sustainability, student housing, the hotel sector, real estate logistics, infrastructure, technology, retail space, residential real estate, and venture capital.

The push toward alternative investment vehicles—an area in which Bankinter Investment is a leader in Spain and Portugal has already enabled more than 15,000 investors to co-invest with Bankinter Investment, with the objective of promoting long-term financial savings, diversifying into real assets, optimizing the risk-return ratio, and generating lasting value for society.

 

About Plenium Partners

Plenium Partners SGEIC is an investment firm specializing in sustainable energy and infrastructure in Europe, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Madrid. It is one of the largest independent renewable energy operators in Spain, as well as an investor in other sectors such as social infrastructure, energy transition, and sustainability, with cumulative investments exceeding 7.5 billion euros. Since 2017, its partnership with Bankinter Investment has resulted in the investment and management of nearly €4 billion.

Prior to its partnership with Bankinter Investment in 2017, the firm partnered with leading international institutional investors such as AIG, Barclays, Warwick, Equitix, and HG Capital, boasting a solid track record of transactions and returns.

About Access Capital Partners

Access Capital Partners is one of the leading and most reputable independent alternative investment managers in Europe.

It has raised in excess of €15 billion since inception and currently has €9 billion in capital under management and a team of 100 professionals specializing in infrastructure and small and mid-market private equity.

With 28 years of experience, offices in six European countries, and a loyal base of top-tier international institutional investors, the firm has built its reputation on a solid track record of transactions and returns achieved over its long history.