Aquarian Holdings, a diversified global holding company with a strategic portfolio of insurance and asset management solutions, announced the formation of Aquarian Real Estate Partners (AREP).
AREP will invest in commercial real estate and real estate-related investments across various asset types, geographies and tiers of the capital structure. The investment arm will provide equity and debt financing to borrowers for the construction, acquisition and refinancing of commercial real estate, seeking to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns to Aquarian’s insurance portfolio company and third-party clients. The team will provide its sponsors with funding reliability, capital structure flexibility and timely execution.
Kevin Holmes, partner and head of AREP, brings over a decade of experience in originating, executing and monitoring real estate investments in development, value-add, and operating real estate projects. Prior to joining Aquarian, Holmes served as a founding partner at Iviron Capital Partners and was a vice president at Athos Capital Partners and 54 Madison Capital, both precedent funds of Iviron principals.
Earlier in his career, he worked within the Investment Banking Division at Deutsche Bank, where he advised clients on capital markets and M&A, participating in the execution of over $10 billion in domestic and cross-border transactions. Holmes earned an MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business and a B.A. in Political Science from Bucknell University.
Since its founding in 2017, Aquarian has grown to approximately $25.6 billion in assets under management. Aquarian houses multiple investment teams, including Aquarian Strategic Opportunities, Aquarian Credit Partners and Aquarian Private Credit.
“Aquarian has always had a strong track record in real estate, and the formalization of Aquarian Real Estate Partners is a natural next step in providing our clients with thoughtfully structured opportunities,” said Rudy Sahay, founder and managing partner of Aquarian Holdings. “The addition of Kevin and team positions us for long-term growth and enhances the company’s ability to generate competitive returns.”
