Allianz's Pursuit of Insurance Targets Keeps Market Guessing

Europe’s largest insurer, Allianz SE, is in the early stages of evaluating a variety of potential acquisition targets as deal-hungry Chief Executive Officer Oliver Baete scans the market for growth, people with knowledge of the matter said. Allianz is working with a few advisers informally in exploring options, but deliberations are at an early stage and may not result in a deal, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are confidential. A spokeswoman for the firm said Allianz would consider acquisitions where the target is a “fit” on strategy, culture and price, with its board jointly taking the decisions.