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The comeback kings: Former Barclays bosses Bob Diamond and Rich Ricci attack rivals to create a stock market giant
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Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond wants to expand his stock market empire with the acquisition of a rival.
Panmure Gordon, which is controlled by Diamond’s investment vehicle Atlas Merchant Capital and run by a senior lieutenant from his Barclays era, Rich Ricci, is in talks with financial advisory firm FinnCap about a possible partnership.
A deal would bring together one of the oldest and newest stockbrokers in the city and create a giant in an industry specializing in advising small and medium-sized companies.
Takeover bid: City stockbroker Panmure Gordon is in talks with financial advisory firm FinnCap about a potential partnership
And it would crown a remarkable comeback for Diamond and Ricci, who left Barclays in disgrace in the wake of the financial crisis.
A number of well-known City figures appear to be involved in the talks between the two companies.
FinnCap was founded by Sam Smith, the only woman who runs a stockbroker in town, and major backers include venture capitalist Jon Moulton, British tech queen Vin Murria and conservative peer Lord Leigh.
However, it comes at a difficult time for City brokers as the obscuring economic outlook and market volatility put the brakes on takeover deals and stock prices.
This has hit revenue streams at companies like FinnCap and Panmure, as well as rivals Numis and Cenkos, putting jobs at risk.
The talks between Panmure and FinnCap will fuel speculation. The slowdown could spark a wave of takeovers in the sector as companies look to strengthen their operations by joining forces.
FinnCap shares rose 29.6 per cent, or 4p, to 17.5p – giving it a value of around £31m – after it confirmed talks are underway, albeit ‘still at an early stage’.
The stock is still down more than 60 percent since its high last year.
Andrew Monk, chief executive at broker VSA Capital, said a partnership with FinnCap would be “a good deal for Diamond and Ricci” and “Panmure jumped from the first division to the Premier League.”
Founded initially in 1876 as a specialist in government foreign debt, Panmure became one of the industry’s most notable brokerages before coming under the control of Diamond and the Qatari royal family in 2017.
FinnCap was founded in 1998 by Sam Smith (pictured)
FinnCap, on the other hand, was founded in 1998 by Smith. But she stunned the Square Mile in June by announcing that she would be stepping down after 24 years in charge because she wanted some time to herself.
She remains an advisor and the company’s third largest shareholder with a nearly 10 percent stake.
Other top shareholders are Moulton with 11 percent, Murria with 10.3 percent and Leigh, who has a 9 percent stake.
Talks between Panmure and FinnCap are likely to involve Diamond and Ricci and key shareholders. Diamond hired Ricci – his former right-hand man at Barclays – as chief executive of Panmure Gordon in 2020.
The move raised eyebrows in the city as it reunited two controversial figures from the 2007 to 2009 financial crash.
Diamond stepped down as CEO of Barclays in disgrace in 2012, after the bank was fined £290 million for manipulating Libor’s interbank lending rate.