Becoming the number one mid-cap adviser in the world seems like a peculiarly modest aspiration in an industry defined by titanic ambitions. But nearly two years after acquiring a pair of boutique firms in Europe, gaining market share and landing key mandates, US independent investment bank Houlihan Lokey is evidently moving up in the world.
The Los Angeles-based adviser acquired London consumer retail boutique McQueen in September 2015, and in November, it bought investment banking operations in Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain from European boutique Leonardo, with whom it invested in a joint venture in Italy.
