Jefferies and SBG Securities have entered into a research distribution agreement that will see SBG Securities distribute co-branded Jefferies Equity Research to its South African domiciled institutional client base.

"We are excited to partner with SBG Securities in South Africa,” commented Peter Forlenza, Global Head of Equities at Jefferies.

“Continuing to meet the needs of Jefferies’ global institutional client base is our top priority, and we remain committed to constantly improving and expanding the firm's longstanding equity research, sales and trading platform. This arrangement will enable Jefferies to expand the distribution of our research into South Africa, via SBG Securities, and we believe this partnership will open up further opportunities for us to provide our global clients with best-in-class ideas and strategy, coupled with superior execution and distribution.

Jefferies’ global equity research business consists of nearly 150 publishing analysts covering more than 1,900 stocks from research centres in New York, London, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Mumbai, Singapore, Tokyo, Boston, Houston, Nashville and San Francisco. 

The firm’s global coverage includes Economics & Strategy, Business Services, Consumer, Energy, Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Industrials, Internet and Interactive Entertainment, Maritime, Media, Metals & Mining, MLPs, REITs, Technology, Telecommunications, Travel & Leisure and Utilities.

SBG Securities, a subsidiary of Standard Bank Group, is a distribution platform for African equities and the go-to platform for institutional investors and corporates investing and doing business in Africa.

SBG Securities has fully dedicated sales teams across Africa, providing un-rivalled in-depth expertise and understanding of local market dynamics.

In South Africa, Jefferies’ global research will be co-branded as Jefferies/SBG Securities Global Research marketed and distributed locally by SBG Securities only to its SA Clients.

The co-branded content and related value-added service offering will initially focus on large developed markets with a potential expansion across 50 markets. 

The co-branded content will include in-depth economic, market, sector and stock research.

“We are delighted to be working with Jefferies, bringing leading research-driven global insight to our SA Clients,” said Marc Ter Mors, Head of Equity Research at SBG Securities. 

“In South Africa, we have seen a rapid growth in the insourcing of research as the size of offshore savings and investments being managed by South African institutions has grown.”

Jefferies has formed alliances with leading firms in Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam to broaden the firm’s equity research offering to its global client base. 

These alliances now include over 100 analysts covering more than 800 companies.

Luke Middlewick, Global Head of Equities at Standard Bank, said: “This timely partnership with Jefferies enables SBG Securities to support and guide our SA clients with best-in-class global analysis and insight.”