Prime Services

Prime Services is an amalgamation of different products that share a common client base. This is largely made up of hedge funds but also covers asset managers and investors in hedge funds.

The business cuts across equities and fixed-income asset classes and also extends geographically across the US, Europe and Asia.

Unlike other areas of the capital markets, the prime services business is almost entirely driven by client orders, rather than proprietary trading on behalf of Nomura.

It also differs in terms of the intensity of client support, which covers every aspect of market activity. Core services include:

• providing finance to leverage trades;
• reporting on trading positions;
• asset servicing - this includes the collection of dividends and interest payments, processing corporate actions and applying for tax relief on behalf of customers. 

The financial crisis has created an opportunity for us, as a new player in prime services, to build a platform that fits the new financial and regulatory landscape.

Our strong Asian franchise will also help us to serve the region's fast-growing hedge fund industry.