Nomura Holdings Inc 's

The financial services industry is intensely competitive and we expect it to continue remain so. We compete globally with other brokers and dealers, investment banking firms, commercial banks, investment advisors and other financial services firms. We also face competition on regional, product and niche bases from local and specialist firms. A number of factors determine our competitive position against other firms, including:

the quality, range and prices of our products and services,
our ability to originate and develop innovative client solutions,
our ability to maintain and develop client relationships,
our ability to access and commit capital resources,

our ability to retain and attract qualified employees, and our general reputation.

Our competitive position is also affected by the overall condition of the global financial markets, which are influenced by factors such as:

the monetary and fiscal policies of national governments and international economic organizations, and economic developments both within and between Japan, the U.S., Europe and other major industrialized and developing countries and regions.

In Japan, we compete with other Japanese and non-Japanese securities companies and other financial institutions. Competition has become more intense due to deregulation in the Japanese financial industry since the late 1990s and the increased presence of global securities companies and other financial institutions. In particular, major global firms have increased their presence in securities underwriting, corporate advisory services (particularly, mergers and acquisitions advisory) and secondary securities sales and trading.

There has also been substantial consolidation and convergence among financial institutions, both within Japan and globally and this trend accelerated further in recent years as the credit crisis caused mergers and acquisitions and asset acquisitions in the industry. The growing presence and scale of financial groups which encompass commercial banking, securities brokerage, investment banking and other financial services has led to increased competition. Through their broadened offerings, these firms are able to create good client relationships and leverage their existing client base in the brokerage and investment banking business as well.

In addition to the breadth of their products and services, these firms have the ability to pursue greater market share in investment banking and securities products by reducing margins and relying on their commercial banking, asset management, insurance and other financial services activities. This has resulted in pricing pressure in our investment banking and trading businesses and could result in pricing pressure in other areas of our businesses. We have also competed, and expect to compete, with other financial institutions which commit capital to businesses or transactions for market share in investment banking activities. In particular, corporate clients may seek loans or commitments in connection with investment banking mandates and other assignments.

Moreover, the trend toward consolidation and convergence has significantly increased the capital base and geographic reach of some of our competitors, hastening the globalization of the securities and financial services markets. To accommodate this trend, we will have to compete successfully with financial institutions that are large and well-capitalized, and that may have a stronger local presence and longer operating history outside Japan.