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Global markets division revenue climbs 7% year-on-year

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Major domestic deals lift investment banking revenue

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Results boosted by sale of subsidiary's Tokyo property

(Recasts and writes through)

By Anton Bridge

TOKYO, July 29 (Reuters) - Japan's Nomura Holdings ( NMR )

said first-quarter profit surged 52% with its trading

and investment banking divisions putting in a solid showing amid

volatile global markets, while it also benefited from a one-off

gain on a property sale.

The results follow Nomura's highest-ever annual profit

in the year ended March 2025 and underscore some progress in its

efforts to become a global financial player.

The country's top investment bank and brokerage booked a net

profit of 104.6 billion yen ($705 million) in April-June, its

highest first-quarter profit since 2021.

The sale of a Tokyo property belonging to a subsidiary

generated 56 billion yen in pretax net income.

Nomura's global markets division recorded 7% revenue growth

as volatility triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's

proposed tariffs on trading partners in April boosted demand for

macro and spread fixed-income products.

"In markets, the fog has cleared somewhat, which is

reflected in favourable current trading conditions, so we're

expecting good results in the future," Chief Financial Officer

Hiroyuki Moriuchi told a press briefing.

Nomura's investment banking business saw revenue climb 2%,

benefiting as NTT and Toyota group firms went private.

It has had some success in raising its global profile,

ranking 11th in worldwide M&A advisory fees in the first six

months of 2025, up from 35th in the same period a year earlier,

LSEG data shows.

Nomura has expanded its wealth and asset management

businesses as a means of generating stable income that is less

subject to market volatility after years of choppy returns.

Assets under management in its asset management division

reached a record high of 94.3 trillion yen, up from 89.3

trillion yen at the end of March, helped by a shift by Japanese

households from savings to investment.

In April, Nomura stepped up its global ambitions by

acquiring Macquarie Group's U.S. and European public asset

management businesses for $1.8 billion, its largest-ever

acquisition.

The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.

Previous attempts at overseas expansion fared poorly.

Nomura's acquisition of assets from the collapse of Lehman

Brothers in 2008 later had to be written down.

($1 = 148.22 yen)