Ackermans & van Haaren

What Ackermans & van Haaren does

Ackermans & van Haaren (AvH) is an independent Belgian diversified investment holding company founded in 1876 by Nicolaas van Haaren and Hendrik Willem Ackermans and listed on Euronext Brussels since 1984 (ticker ACKB; member of BEL20, BEL ESG and DJ Stoxx 600). It creates shareholder value through long-term strategic participations across five segments: Marine Engineering & Contracting (DEME 100%, CFE 62.12%, Deep C Holding, Green Offshore), Private Banking (Delen Private Bank and Bank Van Breda), Real Estate (Nextensa, 80.31% following the October 2025 acquisition), Energy & Resources (SIPEF, Verdant Bioscience, Sagar Cements) and Growth Capital (approximately 20 companies with a ~€600-675 million consolidated book value, including Mediahuis, OMP, V.Group, Turbo's Hoet Group, VKC Nuts, Agidens and Biolectric, plus Life Sciences and India & Southeast Asia sleeves). AvH acts as an active shareholder, supporting strategy, M&A, internationalization and senior management selection across majority and minority positions under balanced shareholder agreements, with its ultimate control resting through Stichting Administratiekantoor 'Het Torentje' and Scaldis Invest NV (33.34%).

Name

Ackermans & van Haaren

Legal name

Ackermans & van Haaren NV

Website

https://www.avh.be/

Company type

Public

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Ackermans & van Haaren is a Belgian diversified investment holding company (founded 1876, listed on Euronext Brussels as ACKB) that creates long-term shareholder value through active ownership of around 30 portfolio companies across marine engineering, private banking, real estate, energy and resources, and growth capital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diversified Investment Holding

NAICS

Offices of Other Holding Companies (551112), Management of Companies and Enterprises (551), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Investment Management (Acquisitions & Dispositions) (BPAJAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate Development Asset Management (Project/Construction-to-Stabilization) (BPAJAMAL)

Keywords

• Diversified investment group
• Private banking services
• Marine engineering contracting
• Growth capital investing
• Real estate investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerpen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns and Dividends: As a diversified investment holding company, AvH generates returns through dividends, capital appreciation, and value creation in its portfolio companies across Marine Engineering & Contracting, Private Banking, Real Estate, Energy & Resources, and Growth Capital segments.
2. Portfolio Company Results: FY2025 net profit of 593 million euros (+29% YoY), driven by strong performance at portfolio companies DEME, Delen Private Bank, Bank Van Breda, and SIPEF. Return on equity of 10.3% with equity base of 5.7 billion euros.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ackermans & van Haaren is an independent and diversified investment holding company that creates shareholder value through long-term investments in a select number of portfolio companies with strong growth potential across five segments: Marine Engineering & Contracting (DEME, CFE), Private Banking (Delen Private Bank, Bank Van Breda), Real Estate (Nextensa), Energy & Resources (SIPEF, Verdant Bioscience, Sagar Cements), and Growth Capital (approximately 20 companies including OMP, Mediahuis, V.Group).

Product overview

Ackermans & van Haaren is an independent and diversified investment group focused on creating shareholder value through long-term investments in carefully selected portfolio companies. The company operates across five investment segments: Marine Engineering & Contracting (DEME, CFE, Deep C Holding, Green Offshore), Private Banking (Delen Private Bank, Bank Van Breda), Real Estate (Nextensa), Energy & Resources (SIPEF, Verdant Bioscience, Sagar Cements), and Growth Capital (approximately 20 companies including OMP, Mediahuis, V.Group, and various India/Southeast Asia and Life Sciences investments). The group was founded in 1876 and listed on Euronext Brussels in 1984.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Engineering & Contracting Investment segment comprising DEME (dredging, offshore energy, environmental works), CFE (real estate development, multitechnics, construction), Deep C Holding (greenfield port and industrial zone development in Vietnam), and Green Offshore (Belgian offshore wind farm participations). Represented 69% of pro forma consolidated group revenue in 2025.
• Private Banking Investment segment comprising Delen Private Bank (discretionary private banking services, €76.5 billion assets under management) and Bank Van Breda (advisory bank exclusively serving entrepreneurs and liberal professionals, €30.2 billion entrusted assets). Largest contributor to group results.
• Real Estate Investment segment focused on Nextensa, a listed integrated real estate group on Euronext Brussels. Investment portfolio of €1.2 billion (December 31, 2024) active in Luxembourg (43%), Belgium (42%) and Austria (15%). AvH ownership increased to 80.31% following October 2025 acquisition.
• Energy & Resources Investment segment comprising SIPEF (sustainable palm oil agro-industrial group producing 441,867 tons of palm oil in 2025), Verdant Bioscience (F1 hybrid oil palm varieties development), and Sagar Cements (Indian listed cement manufacturer with 10.5 million tons production capacity per year). Contributed €41M to group result in 2025.
• Growth Capital Growth capital portfolio with consolidated book value of approximately €675 million, comprising about 20 companies including Agidens (automation services), Biolectric (biogas installations), Camlin Fine Sciences (specialty chemicals), GreenStor (battery energy storage), Mediahuis (multimedia), OMP (supply chain planning), Turbo's Hoet Group (truck dealer/leasing), V.Group (ship management), VKC Nuts (nut/dried fruit products), plus Life Sciences and India & South East Asia investments.

Quantifiable outcome

• +29% increase in net profit (593 million euros) for FY2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wendel: French listed investment holding company with long-term (often permanent) capital holding approach. Closely comparable model: long-duration family-influenced holding investing in operating businesses across multiple sectors with active shareholder involvement, generating returns through dividends and capital appreciation.
• Investor AB: Swedish listed investment holding company controlled by the Wallenberg family. Direct comparable given diversified portfolio model, family-controlled governance, long-term value creation philosophy, and similar mix of listed holdings and wholly-owned operating businesses across industrial, financial and growth segments.
• Sofina: Belgian investment holding company investing in diversified portfolio of growth and mature companies. Direct peer given shared Belgian base, similar long-term investment philosophy, comparable size (€8-10B market cap range), and overlapping portfolio approach spanning private banking, consumer and growth capital themes.
• Industrivärden: Swedish listed investment holding company managing a portfolio of significant listed Nordic industrial holdings. Comparable diversified long-term equity portfolio model, focus on active ownership of mature operating businesses, and similar dividend/equity growth orientation to AvH.
• Exor: European investment holding controlled by the Agnelli family (Italy/Netherlands). Closely comparable as a long-duration, family-controlled holding focused on owning operating companies across diverse sectors with active management and patient capital. Listed in Europe with similar portfolio breadth.
• Kinnevik: Swedish listed investment holding focused on long-term growth investments in consumer and digital sectors. Comparable European listed holding model with active ownership approach and similar focus on building a diversified portfolio across multiple sectors over multi-decade horizons.
• Brederode: Belgian/Luxembourg listed investment holding with significant private equity and listed equity exposure. Direct comparable given Belgian base, smaller scale, and similar diversified long-term investment holding model focused on compounding equity over decades.
• HAL Holding: Dutch listed investment holding company controlled by the van der Vorm family. Comparable as a long-duration, family-influenced holding making concentrated long-term investments in operating companies, with similar geographic focus on Benelux and similar diversified sector exposure.
• Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL): Belgian investment holding controlled by the Frère/Pauwels families. Direct peer given shared Belgian domicile, long-term oriented diversified portfolio model, similar family-controlled governance, and comparable holdings in private banking-adjacent and industrial businesses.

Broad incumbents

• Eurazeo: French listed investment company with diversified private equity, private debt, real estate and infrastructure strategies. Comparable as a European listed asset manager/holding with active ownership approach, though more PE-focused and asset-class diverse than AvH's holding structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ackermans-&-van-haaren

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments18 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ackermans & van Haaren