Rothschild widens its net
NEARLY 200 YEARS ago, the Rothschild family established itself as the power broker of Europe by financing the UK and its allies during the Napoleonic wars. The firm maintains its grip on the continent to this day. Last year, Rothschild was the busiest corporate adviser in Europe, working on deals for Xstrata, BMW, Rio Tinto, the German finance ministry and the Dutch government among others.
The bank, however, is also making its mark beyond Europe – in particular in the emerging markets. In the past 18 months, Rothschild has worked on a large number of equity, debt and M&A deals across all regions, as well as restructurings. The firm doesn’t break down its numbers on a regional basis but a good illustration of its reach is that it is present in 36 countries. Over the past five years it has opened nine new offices in emerging markets.
Rothschild’s presence in developing countries is almost as old as its dealings in Europe. It underwrote Brazil’s first sovereign bond in 1824. These days it doesn’t put up its own capital to support deals. Instead the Rothschild model is purely advisory. "There are no plans to get into the underwriting business.