Optio Group, a UK-based specialty managing general agent (MGA) platform focused on complex and niche insurance risks, has agreed to acquire full ownership of Italian managing general agent Heca S.r.l., continuing a rapid expansion streak that now spans five transactions in the past year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Heca is an Italian managing general agent (MGA) specializing in professional liability and surety insurance.
Founded in 2010 in Ortona, in the province of Chieti in Abruzzo, Heca has grown rapidly to become one of Italy’s leading MGAs. Its team of approximately 30 employees delivers a multi-product portfolio through a fully digital platform, positioning the business to continue increasing market share and provide innovative solutions to clients across Italy and Europe.
It operates a technology-driven platform for brokers and intermediaries, with a strong focus on digital processes and blockchain-based policy verification in the Italian and wider European market.
Optio combines underwriting expertise with data and technology, and has grown via acquisitions across Europe and the Middle East to become one of the larger independently owned specialty MGAs
The deal gives Optio the remaining 75% stake in Heca, completing a buyout that began with an initial minority investment made in late 2024.
The move tightens Optio’s grip on its European footprint rather than adding a new geography.
Optio’s initial investment in Heca was announced in October 2024. Today’s announcement marks Optio Group’s fifth investment in the past 12 months, following the successful acquisitions of Netherlands- and Brussels-based MGA Den Hartigh, Luxembourg-based Circles Group, Norwegian specialist MGA S Insurance and UK based Custodian Management LTD.
These transactions reflect the group’s continued strategy of expanding globally through carefully selected partners.
Chief executive Deepak Soni said Heca has already demonstrated strong execution through prior collaboration, citing innovation, local market understanding, and client focus as decisive factors.
Full ownership, he said, represents a logical next step in Optio’s European strategy.
Soni pointed to Heca’s established position in the Italian market and its digital-first operating model as a close match with Optio’s direction.
The group continues to emphasise specialist underwriting supported by technology and local expertise rather than volume-driven growth.
Optio’s initial investment in Heca formed part of its broader push into Europe. Taking full control signals confidence in the Italian platform and suggests Optio is shifting from entry mode to consolidation as it builds a multi-jurisdictional MGA network.
