1823 Partners Launches With Multi-Billion-Dollar Asset Mandate From JAB Insurance

Miami, FL – JULY 21, 2025 – 1823 Partners (US) LLC (“1823 Partners”), a differentiated asset management firm focused on insurance-first investment strategies, today announced its official launch. 1823 Partners will initially focus on real estate, asset-backed finance, credit, and insurance solutions, with a multi-billion-dollar asset mandate from JAB Insurance US Holdings, Inc. (“JAB Insurance”). 1823 Partners is a Registered Investment Adviser.

The firm was co-founded by Anant Bhalla, Joachim Creus and Frank Engelen, and is being led by Bhalla as CEO, a seasoned insurance company executive and a pioneer in insurance-focused asset management. 1823 Partners’ approach blends rigorous asset and liability risk management with unique private market opportunities designed to generate enduring value for its clients and their policyholders. The firm will provide asset management services to independent insurance companies as well as to institutional investors, with a mandate to target superior risk-adjusted returns on differentiated assets. The portfolio insurance entities of JAB Insurance will be inaugural clients of 1823 Partners.

Bhalla said, “I am energized to create a platform to support independent insurance companies with tailored investment strategies that back real promises with real assets. By investing long-term insurance company policyholder resources across both public fixed income and bespoke private market opportunities – from real estate to specialty credit and asset-backed lending – we seek to provide predictable, durable cash flows for policyholders with strong risk-adjusted returns. Our asset allocations, anchored in liability-driven investing principles and robust risk management practices, allow us to focus on risk control while maximizing return per unit of risk.”

1823 Partners, with headquarters in Miami and an office in New York, is building a team of investment professionals across real estate, asset-backed finance, credit, and insurance solutions, with the intention to expand into other asset classes and continue growing the team to approximately 60 professionals by year end. These professionals will focus on the direct sourcing and structuring of investments to deliver resilient returns over the long term. Additionally, the firm specializes in providing investment management and risk advisory services to insurance companies. 

Joining Bhalla, certain key hires at the time of launch include:

• James Hamalainen, Partner and Chief Operating Officer; has held leadership roles at American Equity Investment Life Holding Company (AEL), Brighthouse Financial, and Ameriprise Financial;
• Ashok Vishnubhakta, Partner, Head of Commercial Credit; has held senior investing roles at AEL, Allstate Investments, GE Capital, and Macquarie Capital;
• Pankil Doshi, Partner, Head of Commercial Real Estate; has held senior real estate investment roles at Cerberus Capital Management, Deutsche Bank, and Matrix, an affiliate of Colony Capital;
• Chris Bauer, Managing Director, Fixed-Income Trading; has held senior roles in trading and capital markets at Black Diamond Capital Management, Marble Ridge Capital, and Nokota Management;
• Stuart Perowne, Managing Director, Equity Trading; held a senior markets and banking role at Citigroup, and worked in investment banking at Lazard;
• Shawn Pierce, Managing Director, Asset-Backed Finance; has held senior investing roles at AEL, Columbia Threadneedle Investments, UniCredit, and Capital One; and
• Steven Zhou, Managing Director, Hedging and Derivative Strategies; has held senior investing roles at Lord Abbett, Deutsche Asset Management, and J.P. Morgan.

Bhalla concluded, “We get to see remarkable, off-market investment opportunities that come directly to us for two primary reasons – first, the quality of our clients’ insurance capital and second, the high caliber investment talent that we already have and continue to attract. As a long-term investor with a laser focus on attractive asset sectors, we are building a unified team and vibrant culture with the mantra: ‘One Team, One Dream.’ We take enormous pride in bringing together main street insurance policyholder resources with main street borrowers like consumers and commercial businesses for credit, asset backed, and real asset financing.”

About 1823 Partners
1823 Partners is a registered investment adviser conducting business as a differentiated asset management firm focused on long-term, insurance-first investment strategies. The firm supports independent insurance companies with tailored investment strategies that back real promises with real assets. 1823 Partners manages a growing portfolio of private market investments with the objective of generating compelling returns for insurance companies and their policyholders as well as other long-term oriented institutional investors. The firm is headquartered in Miami and has an office in New York. For more information, please visit: www.1823.partners. 

Media Contact
Jared Levy
Jared.Levy@1823.partners