The Board of Directors of Nomura Holdings, Inc. (the "Company") has adopted this Code of Ethics (the "Code") to guide all Directors, Executive Officers, Senior Managing Directors, Corporate Auditors and employees (Nomura People) of Nomura Group.
Nomura Group aims to enrich society with due regard to the integrity of the securities business for the purpose of promoting efficient money flow in the financial markets.
Nomura People must act in the best interests of their customers.
Nomura People must understand how confidence in Nomura Group could be undermined by any misconduct and how hard it could be to restore it. Therefore, Nomura People must promote proper understanding and compliance with the letter and spirit of all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including those concerning insider trading, money laundering and bribery.
Nomura People owe a duty to Nomura Group to advance its legitimate interests whenever the opportunity arises. Nomura People are prohibited from taking for themselves personally opportunities that are discovered through the use of corporate property, information or position.
Nomura People should not take any actions that could have their private interests interfere in any way (or even appear to interfere) with the interests of Nomura Group. Neither Nomura People nor their family members should receive improper personal benefits as a result of their positions in Nomura Group, including loans, or guarantees of obligations, from Nomura Group.
Nomura People must maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to them by Nomura Group or its customers in the conduct of its business, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated.
| (a) | Nomura People must respect fair business practices in jurisdictions where they operate and endeavor to deal fairly with Nomura Group's customers, suppliers, competitors and employees. Nomura People should not take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of confidential information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other unfair-dealing practice. |
| (b) | Nomura Group must reject all contacts with criminal or unethical organizations involved in activities in violation of applicable laws. |
| (c) | Nomura People may give or accept from non-government employees gifts or entertainment in accordance with specified guidelines of the relevant company of Nomura Group. In addition, Nomura People may not give gifts to or entertain government officials without specified approval by the relevant company of Nomura Group. |
All Nomura Group assets should be used for legitimate purposes. Nomura People should protect Nomura Group's assets and ensure their efficient use.
Nomura People must prepare documents relating to the business or accounting of Nomura Group and retain such documents for specified periods in accordance with applicable laws and internal rules of the Company or the relevant company of Nomura Group. In connection with litigation or examinations by any regulatory body, Nomura People shall not make false statements or intentionally conceal or destroy any relevant documents.
Nomura Group is committed to acting in an environmentally responsible manner and should therefore approach environmental issues positively.
Nomura Group as a good corporate citizen is committed to the pursuit of activities of social benefit.
| (a) | Prohibition against Discrimination Nomura Group shall respect human rights. Nomura Group shall prohibit discriminatory practices or harassment because of nationality, race, ethnicity, sex, age, religion, creed, social status or disability. |
| (b) | Equal Employment Opportunities and Comfortable Workplace Nomura Group shall promote equal employment opportunities and maintain safe and comfortable workplaces for Nomura People. |
Nomura People must respect the culture and customs of all the countries where they operate and strive to manage their activities in such a way as to consider the societies and economies of such countries.
If Nomura People externally publish information relating to Nomura Group business in publications, lectures and interviews, they must follow the guidelines promulgated by the relevant company of Nomura Group.
If Nomura People buy or sell securities (including the stock of the Company) for their personal accounts, they must comply with all applicable securities laws and follow specified procedures in accordance with the guidelines promulgated by the Company or the relevant company of Nomura Group.
| (a) | If Nomura People become aware of any conduct, including accounting, and auditing matters, that they believe is illegal or unethical, they must promptly notify an appropriate contact specified in the guidelines promulgated by each of Nomura Group. |
| (b) | The contact above of Nomura People must take appropriate steps to investigate whether and how such misconduct occurred and, when necessary, to correct it and prevent its recurrence. |
Nomura People are prohibited from retaliating against any individual who reports in good faith illegal or unethical conduct.
| (a) | All Financial Professionals must, in addition to the foregoing:
|
||||||||||
| (b) | Financial Professionals are prohibited from directly or indirectly taking any action to fraudulently influence, coerce, manipulate, or mislead any independent public or certified accountant in the performance of an audit of the financial statements of any of Nomura Group for the purpose of rendering such financial statements materially misleading. | ||||||||||
| (c) | "Financial Professional" means any professional employee of Nomura Group in the area of finance, controllers, tax, treasury, risk management or investor relations and also includes the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and a chairman of the Disclosure Committee of the Company and all Division CEOs, all Business Line Heads and Regional Managements of Nomura Group. |
The Company shall disclose amendments to, and any waivers from, this Code of Ethics in accordance with applicable laws. For this reason, Nomura People shall promptly inform their senior management in the event they become aware of circumstances that may require an amendment or waiver under the Code so that the Company may comply in a timely fashion.
Established:March 5, 2004
Amendment Date: October 1, 2008