Rothschild

Rothschild Profile & Stats

Rothschild is the investment banking branch of family-owned N.M. Rothschild Group – the largest independent merchant and investment bank. For two centuries, the firm has been providing financial services to governments, corporations, and wealthy individuals through its 49 offices in over 34 countries worldwide.

A Bit of Background

The eponymous founder, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, established the firm in London in 1811, recruiting his five sons to help with its European expansion. In 1814, the brothers bankrolled the Duke of Wellington’s battle against Napoleon, purchased gold coins throughout Europe and secretly sent them to Holland before shipping them into Britain. This was the marquee deal that propelled Rothschild to the upper echelons of European banking. Soon after, other monumental deals began rolling in, such as assisting the British government during its acquisition of a large stake in the Suez Canal and helping finance London’s Tube transportation system. Towards the end of the 20th century in 1996, Rothschild partnered up with Dutch financiers ABN AMRO to launch a global equity capital markets joint venture.

Present-day Rothschild has outposts in 34 countries, with headquarters in both London and New York. Its London base has never moved from New Court, St Swithin's Lane, though it has been rebuilt and expanded over the years. The latest renovation will be a Rem Koolhaas-designed tower, scheduled for occupancy in mid-2011.


A Closer Look at Divisions & Departments

Rothschild has a strong reputation in M&A advising, with its strength centred in Europe. Despite an excellent international reputation, Rothschild has sometimes struggled to keep pace with the larger pace setters and remain independent. The bank went through a notable reshuffle in September 2002 whereby 13 separate private banking units were aggregated into a single worldwide private banking business. Then in December 2002, the retail and institutional asset management businesses were sold to Insight investment management, the fund arm of British bank HBOS. This redistributed the power so that both English and French sides of the family would have an equal stake in the firm. This was effective in mitigating cross border relations throughout Rothschild’s complex private network.

Rothschild offers corporate finance advise across a wide range of sectors including property, financial institutions, consumer products, transportation, health care, natural resources, industrials, business services, oil and gas, infrastructure, media and technology. The business is structured around 3 main areas:

The bank’s investment banking provides financial advice and execution expertise in mergers & acquisitions, debt advisory, restructuring, and equity advisory.

Its Corporate Banking arm includes include lending, treasury, asset finance, offshore banking and investor relations, while private banking and Trust business offers independent advice on strategic planning, trust and fiduciary services, investment management and credit solutions services to wealthy individuals, families, trusts and charities.

Rothschild also has a stake in other business areas including venture capital, asset management, and growth equity.

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