Jefferies Financial Group has agreed to buy a 50% stake in Hildene Holding, a credit-focused asset manager with over $18bn in assets under management, as part of a broader strategic expansion, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The transaction involves Jefferies exchanging its revenue share in Hildene’s asset-management business, a stake in a Hildene-managed private fund, and $340m in cash for the equity.

Hildene concurrently signed a deal to acquire Silac Inc, a fixed indexed annuity provider, for $550 in cmash, further broadening its credit and insurance-linked investment platform. Hildene’s management team retains the remaining 50% ownership.

Jefferies described the moves as part of its long-term strategy to expand origination and management of credit investment opportunities.