Nomura Concludes Exclusive Distribution Agreement for Funds of Hedge Funds with Hedge Fund Research Group
Tokyo, May 9, 2007 – Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NHI) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with HFR Asset Management LLC (HFRAM) under which NHI and its affiliates have exclusive rights to distribute certain funds of hedge funds managed by HFRAM in Japan. NHI's affiliates including Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. and Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd. plan to offer HFR's fund of hedge funds products in retail and institutional markets in Japan. HFRAM belongs to the HFR Group of Companies (HFR Group) located in Chicago.
Nomura Group currently distributes several funds of hedge funds managed by HFRAM as public and private offshore funds. Nomura Group is taking further steps to promote more transparent and liquid hedge fund products in Japan, expecting an increase in needs for hedge fund products by Japanese investors. NHI also announced that it has started discussing further collaboration with HFRAM, among other things, to set up a joint venture in Japan for more active promotion of HFR fund of hedge funds products and for starting a hedge fund advisory business in Japan.
"Collaboration with HFR Group underlines Nomura's commitment to the hedge fund business," said Takumi Shibata, CEO of Asset Management at Nomura. "We chose HFR Group because their hedge fund platform structure improves deficiencies within hedge funds and is well positioned to take advantage of future trends."
Mr. Joseph G. Nicholas, Chairman and CEO of HFR Group, said "By collaborating with Nomura, we can expect to see more investment flow from Asia including Japan, as investors learn of the safer, more transparent, and highly liquid hedge fund investments of HFRAM. We decided to team up with Nomura because of their unparalleled presence across Asia."
Chicago-based HFR Group, founded in 1993, is a global leader in asset management as well as hedge fund data, research and indexation. The HFR Group includes HFRAM, the manager of the HFR Hedge Fund platform, providing a range of asset management products and solutions for professional investors, and Hedge Fund Research, Inc., which produces the HFR Database, considered the definitive source of hedge fund performance and information and distributes the HFRI and HFRX Monthly Performance Indices.
Ends
Notes to editors:
Nomura Group
Nomura is a global financial services group dedicated to providing a broad range of financial services for individual, institutional, corporate and government clients. The Group offers a diverse line of competitive products and value-added financial and advisory solutions through its global headquarters in Tokyo, over 150 branches in Japan, and an international network in 30 countries; with regional headquarters in Hong Kong, London, and New York. The Group's business activities include investment consultation and brokerage services for retail investors in Japan, and, on a global basis, brokerage services, securities underwriting, investment banking advisory services, merchant banking, and asset management. For further information about Nomura please visit our website at www.nomura.com.
