Raymond James Financial to acquire private equity advisor Cebile Capital

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF) announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire Cebile Capital, a leading private fund placement agent and secondary market advisor to private equity (PE) firms. The transaction is subject to certain regulatory and other closing conditions.

The addition of Cebile Capital to the firm’s Investment Banking division deepens relationships with the private equity community and expands the related service offerings to include fund placements, general partner (GP)-led secondaries capabilities and limited partner (LP)-led secondaries advisory, a rapidly expanding market. Based in London and New York City, Cebile will operate as a new business unit within Investment Banking, and will be led by Cebile founder Sunaina Sinha Haldea. It will continue to serve leading middle-market PE and private capital firms and their LPs in the United States, Europe and elsewhere around the world.

“Our similar cultures, commitment to client-first values and shared focus on the middle-market make this an ideal opportunity to add an additional service offering to our PE clients who, like Raymond James, are constantly looking to provide value and growth for their investors,” said Paul Reilly, Raymond James chairman and CEO.

The acquisition reflects Raymond James’ emphasis on growing its investment banking business, and represents the firm’s entrance into providing capabilities such as private fund placements and secondary market advisory to PE firms. With a combined focus on the middle-market, this strategic partnership blends two leading teams to provide even greater expertise and service.

“Cebile offers a unique platform that has a track record of success across fund placement and both GP-led and LP-led secondaries,” said Jim Bunn, president of Raymond James Global Equities & Investment Banking. “Sunaina and the entire Cebile team are trusted partners to their clients who provide them with bespoke solutions. By joining Raymond James, their clients gain access to the expertise of our 450 investment banking professionals and industry experts to further assist them in providing strategic advice to private equity firms and their portfolio companies.”

“In joining Raymond James I’ve found a partner with international capabilities and a robust platform paired with the service level and personal touch of a boutique,” said Sinha Haldea. “Together our strengthened and expanded offerings will deliver the sophisticated solutions for which our clients are accustomed, while continuing to be an industry leader in GP-led secondary advisory and fund placement services.”

The acquisition of Cebile Capital continues the firm’s strategic growth in its Investment Banking capabilities, both domestically and internationally. In December 2020 the firm announced the acquisition of Financo, a consumer-focused boutique investment bank, also with offices in London and New York.

About Raymond James Investment Banking

Raymond James Investment Banking offers highly regarded capital formation and financial advisory services. Since 2015, we have participated in raising nearly $300 billion in capital for our corporate clients and completed over 925 advisory assignments, including nearly 800 M&A buy-side or sell-side advisory assignments.
 
About Raymond James Financial, Inc.
 
Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF) is a leading diversified financial services company providing private client group, capital markets, asset management, banking and other services to individuals, corporations and municipalities. The company has approximately 8,300 financial advisors. Total client assets are $1.13 trillion. Public since 1983, the firm is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RJF. Additional information is available at www.raymondjames.com.
 
Forward-Looking Statements
 
Certain statements made in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include information concerning future strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated savings, financial results (including expenses, earnings, liquidity, cash flow and capital expenditures), industry or market conditions, demand for and pricing of our products, acquisitions and divestitures, anticipated results of litigation, regulatory developments, and general economic conditions.  In addition, words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” “forecasts,” and future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” and “would,” as well as any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, and they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions.  Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.  We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements and urge you to carefully consider the risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are available at www.raymondjames.com and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statement in the event it later turns out to be inaccurate, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.