Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan's largest brokerage, may hire as many as 35 bankers in the U.S. this year, part of a push to become a global securities firm rivaling Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Credit Suisse Group AG.
The firm plans to have about 100 bankers in the U.S. by the end of 2010, from about 65 currently, Glenn Schiffman, Nomura's head of Americas investment banking, said this week at the firm's New York headquarters at the World Financial Center. It has already recruited 50 bankers, he said.
Nomura is investing ¥250 billion to expand in the U.S. after it bought Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s Asian and European units in 2008. Chief Executive Officer Kenichi Watanabe said in April he aims to transform Nomura, which generates most of its revenue in Japan, into a global financial firm.