Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) seeks to acquire Tokyo-based mergers and acquisitions advisory firm GCA Corporation (TSE:2174) in a deal expected to be worth more than $550 million, Nikkei has learned. Houlihan is set to launch a tender offer soon to make GCA a wholly owned subsidiary. It plans to offer a roughly 30% premium to Tokyo-listed GCA's share price, which closed at CNY 1,051 on August 2, 2021.

The investment bank looks to leverage GCA's deep connections to Japan in anticipation of a post-pandemic wave of deal making.