Los Angeles has emerged as a major financial center in the US, with the presence of major global investment banks as well as boutique investment banks. Investment banks provide advisory services on mergers & acquisitions, IPOs, debt financing etc. for corporations and institutional clients. While bulge bracket banks like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley dominate the market, elite boutique investment banks are gaining prominence in recent years. The top investment banks in Los Angeles include Moelis & Company, boutique banks like Evercore, Centerview Partners as well as leading divisions of larger banks.
Moelis & Company leads among boutique investment banks in LA
Moelis & Company is considered one of the top boutique investment banks in Los Angeles and globally. It was founded by Ken Moelis, a veteran investment banker from UBS. Moelis has advised on over $4 trillion worth of transactions since its founding in 2007. It is strong in M&A advisory and restructuring services. In 2019, Moelis advised on the record $25.6 billion Aramco IPO. It has around 1300 employees globally in 20 offices. Moelis has been ranked among the top investment banks by Vault and has high employee satisfaction.
Evercore’s M&A expertise
Evercore is a leading global independent investment bank founded in 1995. It is especially strong in M&A advisory services and has advised on over $2 trillion worth of transactions. Evercore has advised on many of the largest M&A deals in history. It has grown rapidly to over 1800 employees and has expanded beyond M&A into equity research, debt advisory etc. Evercore has been named the top independent investment bank by Vault.
Centerview Partners’ restructuring focus
Centerview Partners is a boutique investment bank founded in 2006 by senior investment bankers from UBS. It specializes in M&A advisory and restructuring services. Centerview has advised on over $1 trillion worth of transactions. It advised Kraft Heinz on the famous merger deal with Heinz. Centerview also has expertise in activist defense, hostile takeovers etc. It has around 190 employees in 5 global offices.
Los Angeles is home to top global investment banks, with increasing prominence of boutique banks like Moelis, Evercore, Centerview which provide customized advisory services.