Merchant House Group, the AIM-listed merchant banking and financial services group, has launched an expanded corporate finance business under the brand Merchant Pensum.
The business will trade as a division of Merchant Capital, a wholly-owned, FSA-authorised subsidiary of Merchant House Group.
Merchant Pensum acted as introducer for Craig Whyte on his potential acquisition of a majority shareholding in Rangers Football Club from Murray International Holdings.
Merchant Pensum has been created through a merger of the corporate finance division of Merchant Capital and the business of Pensum Partners, a cross-border corporate advisory and consulting firm.
The new business will offer advice and solutions on debt and equity fundraising for private companies (including angel, venture turnaround and expansion capital), restructurings, mergers and acquisitions (both private and public) and IPOs.
Merchant Pensum is in the process of preparing to open offices in Hong Kong and is looking to expand to New York. It is also in preliminary discussions about establishing a presence in mainland China.
The key figures at Merchant Pensum are Thordur Hlynsson, Andrew Homewood and Steinar Kristjansson, who will be working closely with Christopher Day, chief executive of Merchant House Group.
Day says: “We are excited by the potential for business offered by partnering with Pensum and creating Merchant Pensum. Our work for Craig Whyte is indicative of Merchant Pensum’s pragmatic, creative approach towards finding solutions for our clients.”
Kristjansson adds: “I am delighted to join the team at Merchant. Merchant Pensum will offer a unique opportunity for mid-market companies to access an international network of advisers and financiers and I am looking forward to working with an expert team to deliver the best possible corporate finance solutions for our clients.”
