Natixis has bought stakes in three independent M&A boutique advisory firms in the U.K., China and France.
The French firm will acquire a 51% stake in Fenchurch Advisory Partners Ltd., a U.K.-based specialist independent corporate finance advisory firm. Fenchurch, which has advised on more than 200 completed transactions worth more than £150 billion, will continue to be managed by its current partners.
Natixis also agreed to take a majority stake in China-based Vermilion Partners, which focuses on cross-border transactions involving multinational and Chinese private and state-owned companies. Natixis said the partnership with Vermilion will add to its existing capabilities in China, where it has been present since 1994 through its branches in Shanghai and Beijing. Vermilion will continue to be managed by its current team.
The French firm's acquisition of a majority stake in Vermilion comes amid an expected surge in Chinese investments in Europe resulting from the Asian country's Belt and Road initiative.
Natixis also agreed to acquire a minority stake in fellow French firm Clipperton Finance Ltd., an M&A boutique that specializes in high-growth technology, through its subsidiary Natixis Partners.
The deals follow Natixis' acquisitions of Leonardo & Co. France and 360 Corporate
Natixis said the combined impact of the most recent three deals on its common equity Tier 1 ratio — a key measure of a bank's financial strength — is estimated at approximately 8 basis points. Its CET1 ratio stood at 10.65% at 2017-end, up from 10.4% at the end of 2016.
Natixis is a unit of Groupe BPCE.
