Jarden (Investment Bank)

Jarden (formerly First New Zealand Capital, FNZC) is a New Zealand multinational investment banking, wealth management and financial services company. Founded in 1961, Jarden is headquartered in Auckland, with regional offices across New Zealand and a growing investment banking presence in Australia.
Jarden is also a registered NZX market participant and advising firm.
==History==
===Foundation and establishment: 1961–1980s===
Jarden was founded in 1961 as R.A. Jarden & Company by Ron Jarden, a former rugby union footballer and an influential figure in New Zealand finance. Initially focused on stockbroking, the firm quickly expanded into corporate finance, investment research, and wealth management services to support New Zealand’s growing financial market.
===1980–2018===
In the 1980s, the firm operated under the name Jarden Morgan and broadened its reach into fixed-income sales and trading. By 1990, Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) acquired a controlling stake in Jarden’s corporate finance and research operations for NZ$7m, integrating the firm into its international investment network.
However, in 1995, local management led a buyout, securing a 75% stake while CSFB retained the remaining 25%, renaming the firm First New Zealand Capital (FNZC).
In 2002, the firm achieved full independence when CSFB sold its stake to New Zealand management. This era saw FNZC rise in New Zealand’s financial sector while also creating an alliance with Credit Suisse that granted access to global investment resources.
In 2017, FNZC agreed to buy Direct Broking, a retail share trading platform from ANZ.
===2019–present===
In March 2019, FNZC rebranded to Jarden to honour its original founder, Ron Jarden.
Since renaming, Jarden has completed major IPOs, capital raises for top NZX and ASX listed firms. 
In 2022, Jarden signalled an interest in acquiring Kiwi Wealth, a default provider for New Zealand’s KiwiSaver retirement savings scheme. While Kiwi Wealth was ultimately acquired by Fisher Funds, Jarden’s bid underscored its ambition to expand its asset management capabilities.
In late 2023, Jarden formed a strategic alliance to establish FirstCape, a joint venture with BNZ, JBWere, and Harbour Asset Management to manage over NZ$44 billion in funds. The new merged entity was valued at NZ$700m during the transaction.
====Australian expansion====
In May, 2020, Jarden announced its expansion into the Australian market by appointing four leading corporate finance and markets specialists to spearhead Jarden Australia's growth. The appointments included big names who were recruited from top firms UBS and Goldman Sachs.
In May, 2021, Jarden entered into a strategic alliance with Nomura, a Japanese investment bank and financial services firm to provide greater balance sheet support towards dealmaking.
According to the Australian Financial Review, as of April 2024 Jarden's Australian business turned its first profit of A$18.4m. Along with an NZ$84m profit on revenues of NZ$306m for wider Jarden Group.
==Notable transactions==
* Feb 2021 – Jarden co-led a NZ$449m My Food Bag NZX listing and IPO.
* Jul 2022 – Jarden advises on Spark New Zealand deal to sell stake in its cell phone tower assets for NZ$900m, alongside Forsyth Barr.
* Feb 2024 – Jarden raises NZ$55m for Lodestone Energy, a solar generation company.
* Sep 2024 – Underwriting Fletcher Building's emergency NZ$700m equity raise.
* Sep 2024 – Auckland Airport NZ$1.4b capital raise.
Category:Financial services companies of New Zealand
Category:Companies based in Auckland
Category:Privately held companies of New Zealand