Athene (Apollo)

Athene was built as a modern annuity writer during the post-2008 era, when low interest rates and heightened capital expectations reshaped the retirement market.[3] The company (Athene Holding) was founded in 2009 and grew rapidly by combining institutional investment capabilities with a focus on fixed annuities and pension-style liabilities, a strategy often associated with Apollo Global Management.[3] Distribution commonly includes independent agents and institutional partners.

A defining early expansion move was Athene's acquisition of Aviva USA in 2013. Athene announced the deal as a $1.55 billion transaction that would add significant scale in fixed annuities and bring additional U.S. insurance subsidiaries into the group.[1] Aviva also announced completion of the sale of Aviva USA to Athene, confirming the change in ownership from Aviva plc to Athene.[2]

That acquisition illustrates Athene's playbook: grow by purchasing established books and platforms, then manage long-duration liabilities using disciplined asset-liability management. The opportunity is investment scale and steady spread income; the challenge is maintaining conservative risk management and policyholder protection through volatile markets and changing regulation.

Sources: [1] Athene - Investor Relations press release announcing agreement to acquire Aviva USA (2013): https://ir.athene.com/news-releases/news-release-details/athene-holding-ltd-announces-agreement-acquire-aviva-usa. [2] Aviva plc press release - Completion of sale of Aviva USA to Athene (2013): https://www.aviva.com/newsroom/news-releases/2013/10/completion-of-sale-of-aviva-usa-to-athene-12607/. [3] Wikipedia - Athene Holding: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athene_Holding.