Hiroko Takanashi

Nikko Citigroup Ltd. (Broker) (NC-BR) is the brokerage operating division of Nikko Citigroup Ltd., the Tokyo-based wholesale brokerage arm of Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C). Established in 2007, the firm was previously known as Nikko Citigroup Securities Co. Ltd. and can trace their origins back to 1944 when Nikko Securities Ltd. was founded. In 1999 Nikko Cordial Corp. (TSE: 8603) and Citigroup combined operations to become a global wholesale investment bank offering. NC-BR offers asset management consulting and investment advice to retail and corporate clients. They operate in close relationship with Nikko Citigroup for underwriting, M&A advisory services, and fixed-income and equity trading.

SMBC Nikko Securities, Inc. is the securities brokerage subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (TYO: 8316) in Japan. Headquartered in Tokyo, the firm was founded in 2009 and provides stockbroking services to Japanese individuals and corporate clients.

Citigroup Global Markets Japan, Inc. (CGM-JP) is a wholly-owned broker/dealer subsidiary of Citigroup Japan Holdings GK, ultimately held by Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C) in the US. Previously known as Nikko Citigroup Ltd., the firm was founded in 1999 as a joint venture between US-based Citigroup and Nikko Securities, based in Japan. Headquartered in Tokyo, CGM-JP provides brokerage services to governmental institutions, financial institutions, multinational corporations and institutional investors. Their sales and trading, distribution and research capabilities span a broad range of asset classes, currencies, sectors and products including equities, commodities, credit, futures, foreign exchange (FX), emerging markets, G10 rates, municipals, prime finance and securitized markets.