Overview
Babcock & Brown is an international investment and specialised fund and asset management group with longstanding capabilities in the creation, syndication and management of asset and cash flow-based investments. Babcock & Brown was founded in 1977 and in the ensuing years has consistently built upon its expertise in asset-based finance to expand its activities both functionally and geographically into areas where these core strengths continue to provide the Group with a competitive advantage.
Babcock & Brown operates from 32 offices worldwide, anchored by administrative hub offices in Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Munich and London. Babcock & Brown's corporate headquarters are in Sydney.
One of the most significant aspects of Babcock & Brown's recent development has been its continuing expansion from being purely an advisor and arranger to also being a principal in the majority of the transactions in which it is involved. This is usually in conjunction with co-investors or on behalf of investment vehicles it has established. Experience has demonstrated that combining Babcock & Brown's knowledge of certain asset classes and industries with its financial structuring expertise can lead to attractive returns for Babcock & Brown and its investor clients.
While parts of Babcock & Brown (primarily in Australia) have utilised the Group's capital since the early 1990s, this expansion into investment-related activities only began in earnest on a firm-wide basis after HVB invested US$120 million to acquire a 20% interest in Babcock & Brown in early 2000. In addition to the capital from Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank (HVB), Babcock & Brown utilised third-party funds to finance its principal investment transactions.
The company has established a specialist funds and asset management platform. Assets and funds under management was A$72bn at 31 December 2007.
The platform is spread across listed, unlisted and private equity funds.