Marechale buys three firms to form UK digital merchant bank

Marechale Capital, a London-based corporate advisory, announced it has acquired Stanford Capital, Blubird Global and NJC Capital Management as part of a plan to become a publicly listed digital merchant bank in the UK. The company said the deals will combine advisory, technology and fund management under a single group.

The enlarged group will broaden Marechale’s services beyond boutique corporate finance and minority investing into a technology-enabled platform spanning corporate finance, capital markets, tokenisation and asset management across traditional and digital asset markets.

Stanford Capital is a UK SME-focused corporate finance and broking firm that will add advisory and deal-making capability for small and mid-sized businesses. Blubird Global provides a tokenisation platform and related technology. NJC Capital Management is an alternative investment fund that brings asset management expertise to the group.

Blubird’s platform is revenue-generating and its registry lists more than $32 billion of institutional-grade assets. The company reports a pipeline of more than 20 projects and a funded growth plan. Ownership of Blubird’s technology will give Marechale clients access to tokenisation services, smart contracts, registry management and an AI consultancy.

Patrick Booth-Clibborn, Marechale Capital’s chief executive, described the transactions as establishing London’s first listed, full-service digital merchant bank with significant growth prospects and noted the group can now offer an expanded client base a differentiated full-service offering. Patrick Claridge, head of Stanford Capital Partners, said the deal creates a technology platform that will give clients seamless access to digital tokenisation.

On completion of the transactions, Marechale will offer corporate finance and broking alongside capital markets execution, asset management and digital issuance services. Tokenisation converts ownership of assets into digital tokens that can be recorded on a registry and traded; Blubird’s platform supports that process through smart contracts and registry infrastructure. Marechale intends the combination of advisory skills, fundraising capability and tokenisation technology to serve both conventional institutional clients and participants in digital asset markets.