Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMR) is a major global financial services group with roots dating back to 1925. The firm operates as an integrated platform spanning three primary business lines: (1) Wealth Management, which provides investment consultation and client-oriented wealth solutions; (2) Investment Management, which delivers investment management services and ...Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMR) is a major global financial services group with roots dating back to 1925. The firm operates as an integrated platform spanning three primary business lines: (1) Wealth Management, which provides investment consultation and client-oriented wealth solutions; (2) Investment Management, which delivers investment management services and manages or supports a range of investment vehicles and investment trusts/discretionary services for institutional investors; and (3) Wholesale, which focuses on capital markets activities including sales and trading of debt and equity securities, foreign exchange contracts and derivatives, and investment banking such as underwriting, distribution, mergers and acquisitions, and financial advisory.
From a business-model perspective, Nomura earns revenues through capital markets and advisory fees (e.g., underwriting, M&A advisory, distribution), management and performance-related fees in asset/investment management, and client service/product economics in wealth management. This structure supports diversification across market cycles: wholesale activities can benefit from trading and deal activity, while wealth and investment management can offer recurring or semi-recurring fee streams tied to client assets under management and distribution networks.
Nomura’s global footprint is reflected in the breadth of its client coverage and operational reach across regions. It is headquartered in Tokyo and operates internationally, serving clients worldwide. The group’s network and product capabilities typically include equities and fixed income distribution, FX and derivatives, investment advisory, and structured/vehicle-based investment services—activities that require strong risk management, market connectivity, and regulatory compliance.
In terms of cost drivers, financial institutions like Nomura generally incur significant expenses related to compensation, technology and trading infrastructure, risk management and compliance, capital and liquidity requirements, and funding costs for market activities. While exact bill-of-materials style cost breakdowns are not provided here, the company’s operating model implies substantial investment in people and systems that enable order execution, research, custody/settlement workflows, compliance controls, and client servicing.
Key leadership includes Kentaro Okuda, President and Group CEO (Representative Director and President of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.). Overall, Nomura’s focus is on delivering access to and within global markets, combining advisory and capital markets capabilities with client solutions across wealth and investment management. The company’s competitive position depends on execution quality, balance-sheet and funding strength, client relationships, and the ability to adapt its product and service offerings to changing market and regulatory conditions.
Operator: Good day, everyone, and welcome to today's Nomura Holdings First Quarter Operating Results for Fiscal Year ended March 2027 Conference Call. Please be reminded that today's conference call is being recorded at the request of the hosting company. Please note that this telephone conference contains certain forward-looking statements and other projected results which involve known and unknown risks, delays, uncertainties and other factors not under the company's control, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from the results, performance or other expectations implied by these projections. Such factors include economic and market conditions, political events and investor sentiments, liquidity of secondary markets, level and volatility of interest rates, currency exchange rates, security valuations, competitive conditions and size, number and timing of transactions. With that, we'd like to begin the conference. Mr. Hiroyuki Moriuchi, Chief Financial Officer, please go ahead.
Hiroyuki Moriuchi: This is Moriuchi , CFO, speaking. I would like to start right away to report the results from Q1 year ending March 2027. In this quarter, all divisions achieved higher revenue and income before income taxes than in the previous quarter and ROE reached 15.4%. We believe the result of the structural reforms implemented over the past few years are now steadily being reflected in our performance and that we are making good progress further 2030 management vision. I would like to highlight 3 key points. First, growth in our recurring revenue business contributed to the steady strengthening of our stable revenue base. Second, our international businesses saw sharp growth, particularly in our priority areas. Income before income taxes in our 3 overseas regions reached a record high since disclosure began in fiscal year 2008, '09 adding greater depth to profits. Third, we launched deposit sweep service to strengthen our banking business, and we are still laying the groundwork for future growth. Through these initiatives, we feel confident that heading towards 2030, the stability of our earnings base has steadily improved and our ability to generate profit has also been enhanced. We now look at first quarter results for each division. Please turn to Page 7. All percentage discussed from now on are based on quarter-on-quarter comparison. On the top left, you can see the Wealth Management net revenue increased 9% to JPY 145.4 billion, while income before income taxes increased 16% to JPY 71.1 billion. Thus, revenue and income increased for the fifth consecutive quarter as asset management business transformed the division's revenue structure. On the bottom left, you can see the recurring revenue rose to an all-time high of JPY 59.2 billion. Net inflows of recurring revenue assets also remained strong, reaching an all-time high of JPY 539.6 billion. Flow revenue was strong, too. Accurate …