Jefferies Financial Group Inc. was founded in 1962 by Boyd Jefferies in Los Angeles as a brokerage focused on facilitating block trades between institutional investors—an early entrant into what became known as the “third market”. By the 1970s, its headquarters had moved to New York City, and over the next decades, the firm expanded its business through diverse services in equities, fixed income, and derivative trading. It underwent a significant transformation with the 2013 merger into Leucadia National Corporation, which was later rebranded as Jefferies Financial Group, positioning Jefferies as the primary operating company within a diversified financial holding entity.
The firm operates through Jefferies LLC, a major broker-dealer founded in 1962, and Jefferies International Ltd., established in the UK in 1986. Its business is organized around two core segments—Investment Banking & Capital Markets, and Asset Management—complemented by direct investing activities. Jefferies provides advisory services for M&A, restructuring, equity and debt underwriting, institutional brokerage, prime brokerage, and wealth management, supported by global research capabilities.
Jefferies has grown significantly through landmark hires—such as the 1990 influx of talent from Drexel Burnham Lambert—and strategic acquisitions like Quarterdeck (aerospace & defense advisory in 2002) and the Bache institutional business in 2011. Between 2020 and 2022 alone, Jefferies advised on over $1.7 trillion in transactions, demonstrating its depth across IPOs, M&A, and financing deals.
Jefferies continues to evolve its global platform, strengthening its presence in EMEA and Asia-Pacific markets, and building out specialized capabilities in leveraged finance and debt capital markets. It emphasizes an integrated model spanning investment banking, capital markets, asset management, and wealth management, with persistent investment in proprietary insights, research, and global coverage. Maintaining a disciplined expansion mindset and a culture of high-touch service, Jefferies is well-positioned to sustain its momentum in global financial services.