Jefferies’ Clients, Employees and Shareholders Donate $1.5 Million AUD to Tonga Relief

NEW YORK & LONDON & HONG KONG & SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jefferies announced today that it will donate $1.5 million AUD to five charities that provide critical aid and support to those affected by the recent volcanic eruption and related tsunami near Tonga.

The firm’s Doing Good Trading Day, held February 10, raised contributions from net trading commissions for Asia Pacific securities and voluntary donations from Jefferies’ more than 4,500 employees.

Rich Handler, CEO, and Brian Friedman, President, of Jefferies commented:

“Our hearts go out to the people of Tonga, where homes and entire villages have been destroyed and critical power, water and communications infrastructure must be restored. This all occurred during a pandemic which only makes relief efforts even more complicated. Our hope is that the immediate donation of $1.5 million AUD will have an outsized impact on the relief efforts as this beautiful Pacific Island nation begins the long process of rebuilding their communities. We are proud of our entire Jefferies family, consisting of clients, employee-partners and shareholders, for once again making a difference by giving back to those most in need. We also are grateful for the charities we selected who have given their word that the funds will go to immediate, smart and impactful initiatives.”

We are honored to support the following respected charitable organizations:

Charitable Organization	Charity Description	Amount Donated
UNICEF New Zealand	Protects and promotes the rights of women and children all over the world, contributes to the improvement of their living conditions and delivers sustainable access to lifesaving supplies where they are most needed.	$500,000 AUD
The Sir Michael Jones Foundation	Focused on providing community support in the Pacific Islands.	$500,000 AUD
Habitat for Humanity New Zealand	Provides housing and shelter solutions for low to mid-income people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to achieve home ownership.	$200,000 AUD
Red Cross New Zealand	Improves the lives of vulnerable people by providing urgent relief during international disasters.	$150,000 AUD
World Central Kitchen	Supplies meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. They build resilient food systems with locally led solutions.	$150,000 AUD

Jefferies (NYSE: JEF) is the largest independent, global, full-service investment banking firm headquartered in the U.S. Focused on serving clients for 60 years, Jefferies is a leader in providing insight, expertise and execution to investors, companies and governments. Our firm provides a full range of investment banking, advisory, sales and trading, research and wealth management services across all products in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Jefferies’ Leucadia Asset Management division is a growing alternative asset management platform.