Mizuho Financial Group Inc. is doubling down on bets in the U.S. capital markets by seeking to expand into more lucrative areas, according to its new CEO.
The firm wants to hire bankers to build its businesses with non-investment grade companies and leveraged buyout financing, where returns are expected to be higher, Masahiro Kihara, CEO of Japan’s third-largest bank, said in an interview. There will be proper risk management for these undertakings, he said.
The U.S. is "a super-important market. It’s the second-biggest revenue and profit generator after Japan,” Kihara said. "There is more room for what we can do in America.”