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Macquarie Group history

Macquarie takes its origins from the merchant bank Hill Samuel Australia (HSA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hill Samuel & Co. Limited, London. Established in Australia in 1969, it began operations in Sydney in January 1970 with only three staff members.

 
Macquarie in Canada

Active in Canada since the late 1990s, Macquarie today has over 1,000 staff in 14 offices across Canada. Macquarie has a significant and growing presence in Canada's capital markets, providing advisory, specialized asset management, lending, financial markets, institutional and retail broking, and now the emergence of a new investment products group, Macquarie Global Investments.

 
Our Holey Dollar

Macquarie takes its name from Australia's most successful governor, Governor Lachlan Macquarie (1761-1824), who was instrumental in the establishment of Australia's first bank and was also responsible for introducing Australia's first coinage, the 'Holey Dollar'.

In 1813, Governor Macquarie overcame an acute currency shortage by purchasing Spanish silver dollars, punching out the centres and creating two new coins, the 'Holey Dollar' and the 'Dump'. This doubled the number of coins in circulation, increased their combined value by 25 percent and prevented the coins from leaving the colony. Governor Macquarie's creation of the Holey Dollar was an inspired solution to a difficult problem. For this reason it was chosen as the symbol of the Macquarie Group.

Today, Macquarie Group is a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services.

 
Key dates in Macquarie history — more than 40 years of growth

Our history of embracing change has enabled our expansion in an ever-changing world through acquisitions and establishing businesses organically.

2010

  • Mexican Infrastructure Fund launched
  • Acquired Sal. Oppenheim’s cash equities, sales and research business1

2009

  • Bank licence received in Korea
  • Acquired: 
    – Sal. Oppenheim's equity-traded derivatives business (Europe)1 
    – Constellation Energy's downstream natural gas trading operations (North America) 
    – Tristone Global Capital Inc (Americas and Europe)   
    – Blackmont Capital (Canada) 
    – Delaware Investments (US) 
    – Fox Pitt-Kelton Cochran Caronia Waller (North America and Europe)
    – Macquarie Allegiance Capital (US)

2008

  • Established a UK bank, Macquarie Bank International Limited
  • Macquarie Renaissance joint venture (Moscow)
  • European cash equities platform launched
  • Stockholm office opened (corporate advisory)
  • Mexico City office opened (corporate advisory)
  • Macquarie Private Wealth Asia established
  • Macquarie, State Bank of India and the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, enter a joint venture
  • Acquired:
    – CIT Systems Leasing (US)
    – Four Corners Capital Management (US)
    – Globalis Investments (US)

2007

  • Established Macquarie Group Limited as a Non-Operating Holding Company
  • Macquarie Bank receives advanced Basel II accreditation
  • US cash equities platform launched
  • First foreign securities company to receive over-the-counter derivatives licence in Korea
  • Acquired:
    – Giuliani Capital Advisors LLC (US)
    – Orion Financial Inc. (Canada)

2006

  • Zurich office opened (financial products)
  • Paris office opened (corporate advisory)
  • Macquarie First South cash equities joint venture between First South Financial Services and Macquarie (South Africa)
  • Acquired:
    – Cervus Financial Corp (Canadian Mortgage Provider)
    – Corona Energy (UK)

2005

  • Acquired Cook Inlet Energy Supply (US)

2004

  • Geneva office opened (cash equities)
  • Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank joint venture (UAE)
  • Acquired Asian cash equities business of ING Group (Asia, Europe, US)

2003

  • Energy trading (London)
  • First North American infrastructure fund established — Macquarie Essential Assets Partnership (Toronto)

2000

  • Corporate advisory (London)
  • Seoul office opened
  • Tokyo office opened

1999

  • Futures, debt markets and agricultural commodities (London)
  • Acquired the Australian assets of Bankers Trust (Australia, US, Brazil)
  • Established the Treasury and Commodities Group (New York)
  • Mumbai office opened

1996

  • Macquarie Bank Ltd publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange
  • Singapore office opened

1995

  • Hong Kong office opened
  • Beijing office opened

1994

  • Macquarie Bank Ltd., London branch established
  • Foreign exchange (London)
  • New York office opened
  • Established institutional equities desk in New York

1992

  • Acquired Security Pacific (Australia)

1990

  • Acquired Boston Australia Ltd (Australia)

1989

  • London and Munich offices opened (institutional stockbroking)

1988

  • Acquired Chemical Australia Ltd (Australia)

1985

  • Obtained an Australian banking licence as Macquarie Bank Limited

1968

  • Established Hill Samuel Australia Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UK merchant bank Hill Samuel & Co Limited

1 Subject to closing / settlement conditions


© 2011 Macquarie Global Investments

No entity within the Macquarie Group of Companies is registered as a bank or an authorized foreign bank in Canada under the Bank Act, S.C. 1991, c. 46 and no entity within the Macquarie Group of Companies is regulated in Canada as a financial institution, bank holding company or an insurance holding company. Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 (MBL) is a company incorporated in Australia and authorized under the Banking Act 1959 (Australia) to conduct banking business in Australia. MBL is not authorized to conduct business in Canada. No entity within the Macquarie Group of Companies other than MBL is an authorized deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Australia), and their obligations do not represent deposits or other liabilities of MBL. MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of any other Macquarie Group company.