Company history

Look closely at our history and you'll start to see a pattern - it's a series of firsts. Our story really begins on December 25, 1925, when the Nomura Securities Company Limited was incorporated. The firm initially focused on the bond market.

More recently, at the end of 2008, Nomura bought Lehman Brothers' Asian operations, and the equities and investment banking business in EMEA. In addition, we separately hired some 250 former Lehman Brothers' fixed income employees. It was an unprecedented move in banking history. Following the global financial turmoil in 2008, we seized the opportunity to build a new service model for the region while other banks were pre-occupied with cost cutting and defending the status quo. It was a daring plan, which yielded immediate results.

Not long after we were established, in March 1927, we open our New York office. In 1946 our head office moves to Tokyo and Nomura becomes a member of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in April 1949. In November 1969, Nomura Securities International Inc. becomes a registered member of the Boston Stock Exchange and in 1955 Nomura became the first company in Japan to introduce a computer system - a Univac 120.

In 1981 Nomura's American subsidiary, Nomura Securities International Inc., becomes the first Japanese securities company to gain membership on the New York Stock Exchange and in 1986 our presence in Britain follows, when Nomura International Limited becomes a registered member of the London Stock Exchange.

In 2001 Nomura Securities becomes Nomura Holdings, Inc. and lists on the NYSE and a year later in 2002, Nomura Holdings is incorporated on the Shanghai SE as the first special overseas member.

2008

Nomura acquires Lehman Brothers in Asia and EMEA, hiring over 8,000 employees. Since October 2008, Nomura has added more than 1,950 new employees outside Japan, including a number of senior figures.

2009

Nomura achieves a No.1 ranking for customer market share on the London Stock Exchange and still maintains this lead position today (as of February 2012).

2010

In February, Nomura was the #1 trader on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for value of shares traded.

In March, Jesse Bhattal was appointed as President and COO of the Wholesale Division, becoming Nomura's first non-Japanese board member.

2011

• February: Our Australia operation celebrates its 25^th anniversary
• March: Junko Nakagawa is appointed CFO and is the first female to be promoted to the Executive Management Board.
• April: George Osborne officially opens our new EMEA Headquarters in the City of London.  At this same time, Nomura is recognized as one of the Top 50 Places for Women to Work by The Times.
• June: David Benson was appointed to the board of Nomura Holdings, joining other non-Japanese members, Dame Clara Furse and Lord Colin Marshall.
• October: Nomura celebrates 30 years of operating in Korea, 40 years of operating in Germany and also opens a new office in Sweden, cementing our presence in the Nordics. We are also ranked #2 overall in FinanceAsia's Fixed Income Poll. Also this month, Junko Nakagawa is recognized in Fortune Magazine’s ‘50 Most Powerful Women in Business’ and ‘10 Global Women on the Rise’, while Saba Nazar (Global Co-head Financial Sponsors Group) and Michelle Neal (Head of GFI Electronic Markets, Futures and OTC Derivative Clearing) are both named in Financial News’ 100 Most Influential Women list.
• December: Nomura honored with three awards from IFR Asia: High Yield Bond of the Year Asia Pacific, Equity-Linked Deal of the Year Asia Pacific, South Korea Capital Markets Deal of the Year
• November: Nomura scores multiple wins at The Asset’s annual Triple A Awards: Best Korea M&A House, Best China Deal, Best Hong Kong Deal, Best Korea Deal, Best Taiwan Deal, Best Singapore Deal

Senior appointments include: John Phizackerley as EMEA CEO and Benoit Savoret as Joint Head of Global Equities.

2012

• January: Nomura tops Bloomberg's Japan-related M&A league table for fifth straight year
• March: WIN Network hosts International Women's Day celebration in Hong Kong featuring Lord Mervyn Davies of Abersoch, CBE  and Junko Nakagawa is honored as one of Forbes Asia's ‘50 Power Businesswomen’
• April: Nomura tops Institutional Investor All-Japan Research Team rankings for third straight year
• May: Nomura's female managing directors are amongst FinanceAsia's ‘Women to Watch’
• June: Nomura celebrates 40 years in Paris and Singapore and is awarded Volatility House of the Year and Asia Pacific Derivatives House of the Year in the 2012 Global Derivatives Awards
• February: Nomura honored with five Triple A Regional Awards by The Asset: Rising Star M&A House, Best M&A, Japan, Best Securitization Deal, Japan, Best Cross-border M&A, Most Innovative Deal 

Senior appointments include: Koji Nagai as Group CEO, Atsushi Yoshikawa as group COO and Wholesale CEO, Minoru Shinohara as CEO Asia ex-Japan, Steve Ashley as Global Head of Fixed Income, Georges Assi as Deputy Global Head of Fixed Income, Maria Bentley as Global Head of Wholesale HR and Daisuke Mototani as Global Head of Equity Sales.