UBS has hired investment banker Evan Raine as Head of Media and Telecommunications Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) for the Americas, as the Swiss banking giant strengthens its presence in a sector experiencing a renewed wave of consolidation and strategic dealmaking.
According to sources familiar with the appointment, Raine joins UBS from Raine Group, the merchant bank he co-founded in 2009, where he advised on numerous high-profile deals in the entertainment, sports, and digital media industries. His move underscores UBS’s ambition to grow its M&A advisory footprint in North America by tapping into complex, high-value transactions across rapidly evolving media and tech landscapes.
As reported by UBS executives, Raine will focus on driving M&A activity among large-cap and growth-stage companies across streaming, telecommunications, gaming, and content creation, areas where demand for scale and monetization continues to fuel deal pipelines. His deep network and experience advising firms at the intersection of media and finance are seen as valuable assets to the firm’s investment banking division.
Raine’s appointment comes as the media and telecom sectors undergo transformation driven by shifting consumer behavior, increased digitalization, and rising interest from private equity investors. UBS aims to capitalize on these dynamics by expanding its advisory capabilities and reinforcing its relationships with strategic clients and institutional investors.
UBS has been actively building out its investment banking talent in the U.S., particularly following its acquisition of Credit Suisse. The hiring of Raine is part of a broader push to enhance sector-specific expertise and compete more aggressively with Wall Street rivals in high-growth verticals.
Raine will be based in New York and report to the co-heads of global M&A at UBS. His track record includes advisory roles in deals involving major sports leagues, streaming platforms, and telecom giants—experience that is expected to play a central role in UBS’s deal strategy moving forward.
