MetLife says it is moving forward with its acquisition of direct lending company Hayfin (NYSE:MET).

Exterior view of MetLife Stadium NX at night - home of the New York Giants and Jets. Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. play here. — NYCstock

MetLife (NYSE:MET) is in talks to acquire Hayfin Capital Management, a London-based private lending firm that, according to media reports, began considering a sale last year.
Discussions may lead to an agreement that will value the direct lender over 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Talks are ongoing and may not necessarily lead to an agreement.
Founded in 2019 by former Goldman Sachs executives Tim Flynn and Mark Tognolini, Hayfin invests in private credit through three strategies – direct lending, special opportunity and high-yield lending.
The reported talks come after MetLife Investment Management, the institutional asset arm of MetLife (MET), merged its fixed income and private equity public offerings into a unified structure in April 2024, and Brian Funk became head of the Privat Capital team at MIM.
Last August, Hayfin closed its Hayfin Direct Lending Fund IV at over €6 billion. According to its website, since its founding the company has invested over EUR 41 billion of capital through its private markets strategy in over 500 companies.
MetLife Stock (MET). increased by 0.9% in Friday afternoon trading.