Brazil M&A Boutique Signs Japan JV, Eyes China

G5 Advisors, the Sao Paulo-based M&A and asset management boutique, has clinched a partnership with Mizuho Securities to cooperate on M&A transactions involving Brazilian and Japanese clients. “The downside of the strategy of most boutiques is that they tend to be geographically focused,” Corrado Varoli, a founding partner at G5, tells LatinFinance. “At some point you may become less relevant over time if you don’t have a global understanding of what’s going on. We want to have [global presence],” he adds. “If you look at our pitchbook, we can claim to have a presence in all the major markets,” notes the former Goldman banker. He points to existing partnerships with US-based M&A boutique Evercore and a more recent venture with Mexico’s Protego. The next announcement for G5 will be a similar agreement a China-focused shop, Varoli adds. With Mizuho, G5 claims to already have several mandates from Japanese companies active in Brazil. Varoli argues that large global investment banks fail to offer consistent service across regions in all products and sectors. Boutiques with focused, locally-based bankers have an opportunity to fill the gaps in coverage, says the banker.