J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC Launches SPAC-Focused Equity Trading Platform

NEW YORK and BOCA RATON, Fla., April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC ("JVB"), an indirect, controlled subsidiary of Cohen & Company Inc. (NYSE:COHN) ("Cohen"), a financial services firm specializing in an expanding range of capital markets and asset management services, today announced the launch of a new SPAC-focused equity trading platform.

Based in New York, the new trading group will build on JVB's expertise in capital markets and the SPAC market. The platform creates a synergistic opportunity to leverage insights and capabilities from Cohen & Company Capital Markets ("CCM"), a division of JVB that operates as a full-service boutique investment bank that provides innovative strategic and financial advice in M&A, capital markets, and SPAC advisory services. CCM was established in 2021 to address the coverage gaps and structural shortfalls at leading investment banks. CCM has established itself as a leading SPAC advisor on Wall Street, having advised on 50 announced or closed de-SPAC transactions since 2022, more de-SPAC transactions than any other advisory firm for three consecutive years. In 2024, CCM began underwriting SPAC IPOs and is now one of the leading investment banks in bookrunner volume and number of SPAC IPOs.

The new SPAC-focused equity trading platform will be led by Perry Choset, who will serve as Managing Director and Head of SPAC/Equity Strategy, and Brandon Brenner, who will serve as Managing Director and Head of SPAC Trading. Mr. Choset has spent nearly 30 years working as an analyst, desk analyst, and portfolio manager in special situations/SPAC equities. Most recently, Mr. Choset served as a Managing Director at Seaport Global, an independent credit sales, trading, and capital markets firm with broad global reach to institutional investors, where he played an instrumental role in building its SPAC franchise. Brandon Brenner is a trading veteran with skills in sales, equity trading, equities, SPACs, and capital markets. Prior to joining JVB, Mr. Brenner served as Director of Equity and Sales Trading at StoneX Group, an institutional-grade financial services network that provides global market access, clearing and execution, and trading platforms to clients worldwide. At StoneX Group, Mr. Brenner was responsible for building out and overseeing the SPAC sales and trading desk.

Lester Brafman, Chief Executive Officer of Cohen and JVB, said, "The launch of our new SPAC equity trading platform represents an exciting milestone for JVB and builds on our commitment to provide high-quality financial products and services to our growing roster of clients. Over the last few years, CCM has established itself as a leader in the SPAC space and adding trading capability is the next logical step to best serve our clients." 

Jerry Serowik, Co-Founder and Head of Capital Markets for CCM, added, "The platform will be overseen by two seasoned executives with deep understanding of the SPAC market and track records of successfully building out trading desks. Perry's thought leadership combined with Brandon's trading capabilities will add a tremendous amount of value to our client base and improve execution for our clients, particularly in our IPO underwriting. We are confident that Perry and Brandon are the right people to lead this platform, and we look forward to watching its growth and future success as we strive to be the premier distribution platform."

About J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC

JVB (member FINRA, SIPC), an indirect, controlled subsidiary of Cohen, specializes in securities financing and the sales and trading of fixed income securities. A division of JVB, CCM is a full-service boutique investment bank that focuses on M&A, capital markets, and SPAC advisory services. JVB's mission is to be the premier distribution platform to its customers, providing trusted advice, intelligent solutions, and superior execution.

About Cohen & Company Inc.

Cohen is a financial services company specializing in an expanding range of capital markets and asset management services. Cohen's operating segments are Capital Markets, Asset Management, and Principal Investing. The Capital Markets segment consists of fixed income sales, trading, gestation repo financing, new issue placements in corporate and securitized products, underwriting, and advisory services, operating primarily through Cohen's subsidiaries, JVB in the United States and Cohen & Company Financial (Europe) S.A. in Europe. A division of JVB, CCM is Cohen's full-service boutique investment bank that focuses on M&A, capital markets, and SPAC advisory services. The Capital Markets business segment also includes investment returns on financial instruments received as consideration for advisory, underwriting, and new issue placement services provided by CCM. The Asset Management segment manages assets through collateralized debt obligations, managed accounts, joint ventures, and investment funds. As of December 31, 2024, Cohen had approximately $2.3 billion of assets under management in primarily fixed income assets in a variety of asset classes including U.S. and European bank and insurance trust preferred securities, debt issued by small and medium sized European, U.S., and Bermudian insurance and reinsurance companies, equity interests of SPACs and their sponsor entities, and commercial real estate loans. The Principal Investing segment is comprised primarily of investments Cohen holds related to its SPAC franchise and other investments Cohen has made for the purpose of earning an investment return rather than investments made to support its trading or other capital markets business activity.

For more information, please visit www.cohenandcompany.com, www.jvbfinancial.com, and www.cohencm.com.