Nomura receives licence to provide corporate finance and capital markets services from Qatar Financial Centre

Philip Lynch, Chief Executive Officer, Middle East and Africa, Nomura, commented:

"Qatar is among the fastest growing economies in the world, with attractive long-term fundamentals, vast hydrocarbon reserves and major government initiatives to modernise, liberalise, diversify and regulate the economy. Nomura brings a differentiated offer to clients, and can play a meaningful role in strengthening the links between Qatar and global capital markets."

Nomura's office in the QFC will offer corporate finance and capital markets advisory and arranging services to institutional clients. The bank provides access to major markets worldwide.

Saleh Etrad Faraj, Executive Director and Country Head for Qatar commented, "This is a very important milestone for us as we continue to grow the Nomura business in the Middle East. We have longstanding relationships with a number of institutions in Qatar, and will look to assist them in their corporate finance advisory needs and offer tailored capital market solutions. We look forward to developing our business within the Qatar Financial Centre's first-class legal and regulatory framework."

Stuart Pearce, CEO and Director General, QFC Authority said, "We welcome Nomura as our newest licensed firm in the QFC and their presence will serve to further strengthen established links between Qatar and Japan. It comes as no surprise to us that 3 out of the past 6 firms licensed to operate in the QFC are headquartered in Asia."

"Our recent visits to the leading Asian financial markets have shown an increasing interest among banks, insurance firms and other institutions that support the financial sector in establishing operations in the Middle East, and in particular in Qatar. Nomura's arrival only serves to underline the growing attraction that Qatar's economy and the QFC continue to have for leading international financial institutions," Stuart added.

Nomura, which has had a presence in the region since 1974, also has offices in Dubai and Bahrain. Last year, Nomura was awarded a licence to operate in Saudi Arabia by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and is expected to open for business there shortly.