Tokyo, May 20, 2022 - Nomura Holdings, Inc. (Nomura) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire shares in New Forests Pty Limited (New Forests), one of the world's leading forestry asset management companies. As a result of the acquisition, Nomura will own 41% of New Forests shares.

Under the agreement, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui), which currently owns 22.98% of New Forests shares, will increase its shareholding to 49%.

New Forests is the second largest unlisted forestry asset management company in the world and the largest one in Asia Pacific, with AUD 7.8 billion in assets under management across over 1.1 million hectares of investments. In addition to investing in sustainable forestry plantations and landscapes through its funds under management, New Forests also supplies certified plantation forest products across Asia including Japan and aims to identify value in other revenue streams such as carbon credits.

While delivering long-term, sustainable returns for institutional investors as an asset manager, New Forests’ vision is to see investment in land use and forestry become central to the transition to a sustainable future. New Forests aims to achieve this by focusing on nature based solutions, the circular bioeconomy and shared prosperity for the communities in which it operates.

The acquisition is part of Nomura’s strategy to expand its client base and product offering through alliances and mergers and acquisitions. As well as contributing to the expansion of Nomura’s real asset business in private areas, the acquisition will enable the firm to offer new asset classes of products to clients through its global platform, including wholly owned subsidiary Nomura Asset Management. Nomura will also acquire industry knowledge and expertise in the fields of forest resources and carbon credits, and will focus on creating related businesses globally to take advantage of growth opportunities.

Nomura will work with Mitsui to closely support New Forests’ future business expansion and increase its assets under management. Through the growth of New Forests, Nomura will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by achieving the stable supply of forest resources.

The acquisition of the shares is subject to regulatory approvals, and is expected to be completed by the end of December 2022.