Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, has announced that Jefferies, an independent, global, full-service investment bank, has received its licence from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the independent regulator of financial services conducted in or from DIFC, to establish its Middle East headquarters in DIFC.
Setting up in DIFC, Jefferies has more than 40 offices around the world and ranks amongst the top 10 investment banks globally by market share.
In recent years, Jefferies has advised on several notable advisory transactions in the region. This includes the acquisition of Envirotainer, a global provider of mission-critical cold chain transportation solutions for pharmaceuticals, by EQT Private Equity, a global investment organisation. This is in addition to Mubadala, a sovereign investor.
It also includes the sale of TAQA’s upstream oil and gas business in the Netherlands to Waldorf Energy Netherlands. And finally, it includes the sale of ride-hailing app, Careem to Uber Technologies Inc.
Jefferies also acted as joint global coordinator on the placing of 158.8 million shares in Glencore on behalf of Qatar Investment Authority.
Joining the DIFC
Ed Keen, head of equities EMEA at Jefferies, said:
“Establishing our office in DIFC is an important milestone in Jefferies’ EMEA growth strategy. Also, it underscores our long-term commitment to the region. We anticipate being better positioned to further advise our local clients in the Middle East. All the while, enhancing the breadth of the advisory and execution services we offer to our global clients from DIFC.”
Dominic Lester, European head of investment banking at Jefferies, said:
“We are excited to be growing our operations in the Middle East. This is an opportunity for us to build on Jefferies’ proven track record of advising clients across the MENA region. We look forward to becoming a bigger part of this dynamic region’s financial ecosystem by enabling our clients to achieve their strategic objectives.”
Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, said:
“Jefferies has an enviable reputation for investment banking in the Americas, Europe and Asia. We are delighted that they have chosen DIFC to establish their Middle East business. Having an on-the-ground presence on DIFC’s platform will allow Jefferies to access new opportunities and deepen relationships with clients.”
