Maples Group Advises Desjardins Group on Acquisition of Guardian Capital Group Limited

Maples and Calder, the Maples Group’s law firm, is pleased to have advised Desjardins Group (“Desjardins”) on a due diligence and change of control application that was filed with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (“CIMA”) in connection with its acquisition of Guardian Capital Group Limited (“Guardian”). The transaction, announced in August 2025 and closed on 23 March 2026, marks a substantial regulatory mandate undertaken by our Cayman Islands team.

Following completion of the transaction, Desjardins Global Asset Management and Guardian collectively manage approximately C$280 billion in assets under management and advisement. This transaction significantly scales their capabilities and expands the scope of the investment solutions they can provide to members, clients and partners, to better meet their needs.

A team of regulatory and finance lawyers based in the Group’s Cayman Islands office acted as Cayman Islands counsel to Desjardins, and was led by Partners Chris Capewell, Patrick Head and John Dykstra, with assistance from Consultant Anthony Mourginos and Associate Lisa Page.

“A change of control application requires close coordination with CIMA and careful navigation of the Cayman Islands’ regulatory framework, and we are delighted to have assisted Desjardins throughout this process and the associated due diligence,” commented Chris Capewell, global head of Regulatory & Financial Services. “This transaction underscores the depth of our regulatory and transactional expertise and our ability to collaborate seamlessly across our teams to support major financial institutions on landmark cross-border mandates. We look forward to continuing to work with Desjardins in the future.”