Desjardins leaves no room for interpretation as it seeks greater market share

The Gist: Canadian co-op financial group Desjardins is seeking deals up to $2.2 billion. According to Bloomberg, the company is looking to acquire insurers, wealth managers and payments firms as it seeks a stronger presence outside Quebec. And yet this isn’t new. The company’s Inorganic growth strategies includes: (1) the C$443 million purchase of Western Financial Group in 2011, (2) its 40% acquisition of Vancouver-based online brokerage Qtrade Financial Group in 2013, and (3) its acquisition of State Farm Canadian operations in 2015. In one word. Aggressive.