(Corrects to say the sale of the property made up 40% of the pretax profits of Nomura's four business segments rather than total pretax profits in paragraph 8)

TOKYO (Reuters) -Nomura Holdings ( NMR ) reported on Tuesday a 52% rise in first-quarter net profit thanks to a strong showing in trading and investment banking despite volatile global markets.

Japan's top investment bank and brokerage firm booked a profit of 104.6 billion yen ($705.71 million) in the April-June period, compared to a profit of 68.9 billion yen in the same period a year prior.

The results come on the back of Nomura's highest ever annual profit in the year to March 2025, advancing its leading position in the Japanese market as well as its multi-year effort to become a global financial player.

Nomura's global markets division recorded 7% growth in revenue as volatility triggered by the proposed tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in April boosted demand for macro and spread products.

While global M&A dealmaking was held up by tariff-related uncertainty over the quarter, Nomura benefitted from major domestic deals, including the privatisations of listed subsidiaries by NTT and Toyota Motor.

Nomura has had some success in raising its global profile, ranking 11th in worldwide M&A advisory fees in the first six months of 2025, LSEG data showed.

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.

It is now Japan's leading wealth management firm, capitalising on Japanese households' move from savings to investment, and the division made nearly 40% of its four business segments' pretax profits over the quarter.

Alongside, assets under management in Nomura's asset management division reached a record high of 94.3 trillion yen.

Nomura also generated pre-tax net income of 56 billion yen from the sale of a Tokyo property by one of its subsidiaries during the quarter.

In April, Nomura announced the acquisition of Macquarie Group's asset management business, adding approximately $180 billion in client assets. The Japanese company has had a troubled history in its attempts to expand overseas, including the acquisition of assets from the collapsed Lehman Brothers in 2008 which it later wrote down.

($1 = 148.2200 yen)