London, 27 July, 2017, DC Advisory (DC), a leading European corporate finance advisor, today announced the significant strengthening of its US business following the acquisition of Sagent and Signal Hill by Daiwa, DC’s parent and a premier global financial services company. Daiwa has entered into definitive merger agreements to acquire both Sagent and Signal Hill, by combining operations to form a new North American-focused M&A advisory firm to be called DCS, which will be the result of the anticipated post-closing integration and combination of Sagent and Signal Hill. Under the agreements, an affiliate of Daiwa will acquire the remaining equity interests of Sagent which are not already owned by Daiwa. This acquisition will strengthen the 10-year strategic partnership between the two companies. Daiwa will separately and in conjunction with this agreement acquire Signal Hill, a leading advisory boutique serving the growth economy. "Daiwa’s M&A teams across Asia and DC have developed a strong track record of advising clients on international M&A opportunities, in Asia, Europe and the US," said Richard Madden, CEO, DC, UK. "With these acquisitions, we are confident that we’ll be able to increase our relevance in the world’s largest M&A market in sectors that seek cross-border activity, and will be able to provide our clients with greater opportunity." Sagent and Signal Hill will combine operations to represent the North American portion of Daiwa’s global advisory business as a single firm to be known as DCS which will focus on providing quality M&A advice and private capital raising for companies powering the growth economy. DCS will operate out of eight offices in the US including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Nashville, New York, Northern Virginia and San Francisco, led by senior bankers with deep sector knowledge over a wide breadth of industry verticals. President and CEO of Daiwa Securities Group, Seiji Nakata, said: "Expanding our company’s M&A advisory business continues to be core to our strategic growth. Cross-border M&A involving Japanese corporates has grown significantly over the past 10 years and we believe that this transaction is an excellent opportunity to bolster our global advisory capabilities with two strong and distinguished North American investment banks."  

-ENDS-

Notes to editors About Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Daiwa is one of the leading, comprehensive financial service firms in Asia. Daiwa operates through five core businesses: Retail, Global Markets, Global Investment Banking, Asset Management, and Investment. Under its unity within the group, the company provides a broad range of services to various clients. About DC Advisory DC Advisory is a leading European corporate finance adviser with specific expertise in cross-border transactions. We provide tailored independent advice on Mergers & Acquisitions, Debt Raisings and Restructurings. The firm employs over 200 staff across six European offices and is a subsidiary of Daiwa Capital Markets, the investment banking arm of Japan’s Daiwa Securities Group. We are present in Asia, the US and Nordic region through our partners Daiwa Capital Markets, Sagent Advisors and Danske Bank Corporate Finance.  About Sagent Advisors Sagent Advisors is a leading independent investment bank focused on providing strategic and financial advice on mergers, acquisitions, sales, divestitures and private capital solutions. Sagent's clients include leading domestic and multi-national corporations, middle market and emerging growth companies, private equity sponsors and family-owned and entrepreneur-led businesses. Sagent has completed nearly 200 transactions exceeding $60 billion in aggregate value across a broad range of industries and transactions types. Sagent provides broad industry and execution expertise through its three offices in New York, Chicago and Tysons Corner. About Signal Hill Signal Hill LLC, along with its affiliate Signal Hill Capital Group (together, "Signal Hill"), is a leading investment banking and advisory boutique serving the M&A and private capital raising needs of growth companies and was named 2016 Boutique Technology Investment Bank of the Year by the Global M&A Network. Signal Hill's experienced bankers provide deep domain expertise and an unyielding commitment to clients in Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) and Services. With more than 600 completed transactions and offices in Baltimore, Bangalore, Boston, Mumbai, Nashville, New York, Reston and San Francisco, Signal Hill leverages deep strategic industry and financial sponsor relationships to help our clients achieve Greater Outcomes.