The opening was marked by an exclusive reception held last night at the Japanese Embassy and hosted by Kenichi Watanabe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nomura Holdings, Inc. and His Excellency Mr. Shigeru Endo, Japanese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Many VIPs attended the event including His Excellency Dr. Abdulrahman A. Al-Tuwaijri, Chairman of the Capital Markets Authority.
Nomura’s operation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia received its commencement letter from Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority in July 2009. Nomura offers corporate finance, capital markets and wealth management services for clients in Saudi Arabia and acts as an agent for overseas securities.
As the first Asian securities firm to provide investment banking services in the Kingdom, Nomura is a gateway to global markets and major institutions in Asia and other financial centres worldwide.
Commenting on the formation of Nomura’s Saudi Arabian operation, Kenichi Watanabe said: “This is an important step in the development of Nomura’s global presence. Since the Company has had a footprint in the region for many years we recognise that Saudi Arabia is the largest market and is emerging and evolving fast. Institutional clients around the world are increasingly interested in the Gulf economies and Saudi Arabia in particular. Consequently, we want to establish our business as both a strong domestic operation and as a channel for investors in major global capital markets especially the Far East, where long established trade relations exist.”
Mr. Takuya Furuya, Chairman, Nomura Saudi Arabia, commented: “Our business in the Gulf has been performing extremely well and the opening of our office in Riyadh is an important next step in our regional development. We have got off to a good start and our team is building its name and capability, and we look forward to being a preferred partner for a growing number of clients in Saudi Arabia.”
With a presence in the region since 1974, Nomura has long-standing relationships with Saudi government bodies, financial institutions, corporates and private investors. Nomura’s Saudi operation is being run by Mr. Takuya Furuya, Chairman of Nomura Saudi Arabia. Nomura is building its team on the ground, and has appointed Mr. Tarek Fadlallah, Head of Investment Banking and Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf Al Saud, Head of Global Market Sales.
