# Merchant Investment Management

Merchant Investment Management is a Private Equity based in New York, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** New York, NY, United States
- **Founded:** 2016
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** www.merchantim.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/merchant-investment-management

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Merchant is a strategic and capital partner to thriving financial services companies that are run by founders and entrepreneurs focused on growth. Since its inception in 2016, Merchant has partnered with industry-leading wealth management firms and service providers, focusing team and capital on driving growth, operational scale, and new opportunities. It makes equity investments as a non-controlling and collaborative growth partner and also offers flexible private financing and business infrastructure solutions to the independent wealth industry.

## Sectors

- FinTech
- Private Credit
- Asset Management

## Offices

- Australia
- Canada

## People

- Tim Bello — Managing Partner
- Matt Brinker — Managing Partner
- Marc Spilker — Executive Chairman
- Rick D'Amico — Managing Partner, Merchant Credit Partners
- Tim Bello

## Questions

### Is Merchant structured as a fund or a permanent-capital vehicle?

Merchant invests off its own balance sheet using permanent capital rather than raising traditional closed-end funds. This structure allows it to hold stakes indefinitely and removes the pressure to exit investments on a fund clock, which the firm argues aligns it more closely with the long-term objectives of the independent wealth management firms it backs.

### Does Merchant take controlling stakes in the firms it invests in?

No. Merchant explicitly takes non-controlling, minority positions. Its equity partnerships are designed to provide growth capital and operational resources while leaving the founding teams in control of day-to-day operations and strategic direction.

### What does Merchant's credit business do differently from a traditional bank?

Merchant Credit Partners provides private financing tailored to the independent wealth management industry, focusing on M&A, succession, and growth needs. Unlike banks, it underwrites based on the specific revenue and cash-flow patterns of financial services firms and couples the loan with access to the Merchant ecosystem's operational expertise and best practices.

### What geographic markets does Merchant operate in?

Merchant's partnership ecosystem spans 46 US states and six countries total. The firm has dedicated offices and managing directors in the United States, Australia, and Canada, reflecting a deliberate push beyond its New York headquarters into English-speaking wealth markets.

### What type of operational support does Merchant provide to partner firms?

Merchant maintains an in-house services division that offers regulatory and compliance support, CFO services, business and asset transition assistance, and operations and technology consulting. The firm also provides co-sourced CIO and model portfolio services, tactical fixed income management, and access to alternative investment opportunities with a focus on lending and yield enhancement.

## Related profiles

- [MercerPrev](https://altss.com/profile/mercerprev)
- [Merchant Partners Securities](https://altss.com/profile/merchant-partners-securities)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:07:26.757Z

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