Press release
Principal® Partners With Barings on New $1 Billion Portfolio Finance Initiative to Strengthen Private Credit Platform
DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Principal Financial Group® (Nasdaq: PFG), a global financial company, today announced a strategic partnership with
About this update from Principal Financial Group Inc
[{"type":"text","content":" DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nPrincipal Financial Group® (Nasdaq: PFG), a global financial company, today announced a strategic partnership with Barings to expand the general account portfolio at Principal® through an allocation of up to $1 billion in bespoke private investment grade portfolio finance investments. The investments will be in the form of a separately managed account and a co-investment structure. The co-investment structure will be managed by Principal Asset Management®, the dedicated in-house asset manager for Principal, who manages approximately 95% of the Principal general account portfolio.\n\n\n“This announcement is part of our broader approach to private markets at Principal: selectively building partnerships that complement our in-house underwriting and portfolio management expertise in differentiated asset structures and securities,” said Kamal Bhatia, president and chief executive officer, Principal Asset Management.\n\n\nThe partnership will focus on bespoke private investment grade portfolio finance investments, with Barings as the asset originator manager. It furthers the commitment of Principal to enhance the company’s general account through diversified and scalable private credit strategies to offer strong risk-adjusted returns aligned with liabilities. Partnering with Barings Portfolio Finance, a specialist direct originator with extensive experience and scale, and combining it with the strong underwriting and portfolio management expertise of Principal Asset Management creates a win-win structure for the company.\n\n\n“We continue to look for ways to evolve and diversify our private credit portfolio in a value-enhancing manner,” said Ken McCullum, executive vice president, chief risk officer, Principal Financial Group. “This partnership deepens our footprint in the private markets ecosystem, by aligning our strong insurance entity and in-house asset management platform with the strengths of an experienced external manager.”\n\n\n“We are thrilled to partner with Principal and deliver Barings’ Portfolio Finance investment grade direct origination platform for the benefit of Principal’s policyholders and shareholders,” said Dadong Yan, Head of Barings Portfolio Finance. “Across changing market conditions, Barings Portfolio Finance is uniquely positioned to understand the evolving needs of ins...