Stifel & Everbright Sun Hung Kai Establish cross-border partnership

ST. LOUIS and HONG KONG, Sept. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) and Hong Kong's Everbright Sun Hung Kai Company Limited ("Everbright Sun Hung Kai") today announced a strategic partnership designed to help U.S. and Chinese clients with advisory and capital markets needs across global markets.

The arrangement, which extends to all Stifel-owned companies, will focus on cross-border cooperation on everything from private capital raising, to new issue listings, and mergers and acquisitions.

"The pace of both capital raising in Asia and cross-border M&A is rapidly accelerating," noted Brad Raymond, Global Head of Investment Banking at Stifel. "As companies increasingly think more globally, being able to leverage the local market expertise of Everbright Sun Hung Kai in Asia makes our value proposition to clients that much stronger."

According to Thomson Reuters data, the value of M&A deals announced globally in the first half of 2018 was US$2.5 trillion, up 64% compared to the same period a year ago. Deals involving companies based in different countries accounted for more than 40% of total transactions.

The market for initial public offerings during the same time period was also among the strongest on record. From January through June, there were an industry leading 97 IPOs in Hong Kong alone, capturing nearly 15% of all global new offerings. Asia Pacific, as a region, accounted for nearly half (46%) of global IPOs.

"This partnership is especially timely given The Hong Kong Stock Exchange's ongoing effort to ease restriction requirements on the local listing of technology and biotechnology companies, sectors of particular focus for Stifel," noted Li Bingtao, Executive Director and CEO of Everbright Sun Hung Kai. "It is also an extension of our international footprint, enabling us to fulfill our commitment to serve our clients' needs globally."

The capabilities of Stifel and Everbright Sun Hung Kai are highly complementary. Since 2010, Stifel has been the leading advisor on all public deals valued under US$1 billion and among the 10 largest equity deal managers. Everbright Sun Hung Kai ranked first amongst all Chinese backed advisors in Hong Kong, having completed six IPOs in the first half of this year.

Stifel Company Information

Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel's broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, including its Eaton Partners business division; Keefe Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; Century Securities Associates, Inc., and in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited. The Company's broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities.  Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company's website at www.stifel.com.

Everbright Sun Hung Kai Information

Everbright Sun Hung Kai Company Limited ("EBSHKCL") is a leading financial institution with four core businesses, Wealth Management and Brokerage, Corporate Finance and Capital Markets, Asset Management, Investment and Structured Financing. Operating under the Everbright Sun Hung Kai brand ("EBSHK") as well as the EBSHK Direct and EBSHK Private sub-brands, EBSHKCL is a subsidiary of Everbright Securities Company Limited ("Everbright Securities", SSE: 601788, HKEX: 6178), with Sun Hung Kai & Co. Limited (HKEX: 86) as its substantial shareholder, serving individual, corporate and institutional clients in Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China and the U.K.

Backed by Everbright Securities and China Everbright Group member companies, coupled with its heritage in the financial industry beginning in 1969, EBSHK has emerged to be a full-fledged financial platform providing excellent cross-border and global financial services with Moody's "Baa3" long-term issuer and "Prime-3" short-term issuer credit ratings. EBSHKCL, through its subsidiaries, currently has over HK$143 billion* in assets under management, custody and/or advice. For more information, please visit www.ebshk.com.

*As of June 30, 2018