WENDEL: Wendel Completes the Acquisition of ACAMS, the world’s largest membership organization dedicated to fighting financial crime
PRESS RELEASE – MARCH 11, 2022
Wendel Completes the Acquisition of ACAMS,
the world’s largest membership organization dedicated to fighting financial crime
Wendel (Euronext: MF.FP) has completed the acquisition of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (“ACAMS” or the “Company”) from Adtalem Global Education (NYSE: ATGE).
Wendel invested $338 million of equity for a c. 98% interest in the Company, alongside ACAMS’ management and a minority investor.
ACAMS is the global leader in training and certifications for anti-money laundering (“AML”) and financial crime prevention professionals. ACAMS has a large, global membership base with more than 90,000 members in 175 jurisdictions, including over 50,000 professionals who have obtained their CAMS certification-an industry recognized AML qualification- that promotes ongoing education through participation in conferences, webinars, and other training opportunities.
The Company has approximately 275 employees primarily located in the U.S., London and Hong Kong that serve its global customers.
As a mission-driven provider of services that ultimately reduce the funding of terrorism and human trafficking (among other nefarious activities), ACAMS fits well with Wendel’s CSR values. This investment represents a new milestone in Wendel’s 2021-2024 roadmap and its announced target to accelerate the redeployment of capital toward companies with higher growth rates.
Macquarie Capital and Harris Williams served as Wendel’s financial advisors, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as its legal advisor in the acquisition of ACAMS.
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