Singapore’s largest bank, DBS has announced it will roll out its securities business in Japan next month. The New business will focus on facilitating growing Asia-Japan investment flows.
In a release the bank said that Mana Nabeshima will spearhead DBS’ expansion in Japan. The bank received a license from Japan's Financial Services Agency last week.
Nabeshima joined DBS in 2015 and was tasked to build the bank’s Japan business across all product segments. Prior to joining DBS, she was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in Singapore and Tokyo for 12 years, covering the Japanese institutional segment in the fixed income division. She has also worked in derivatives sales and private banking at Citibank.
With this move, DBS will be able to better support institutional investors and companies in Japan looking to invest and tap the financial markets in Asia.
Intermediary of Investment Flows
Given the domestic growth and rapidly aging population in Japan, institutional investors in Japan are actively seeking yield and investments in overseas markets. At the same time, with rapid economic growth in Asia, there are now more Asian investment-grade companies which offer institutional investors in Japan diversification to their US/European portfolios.
With extensive Asian, and in particular Southeast Asian, business relationships DBS sees an opportunity to introduce strong Asian credits with higher yields to Japanese investors, as an alternative to the prevailing low and negative interest rate environment in Japan.
Japan and Singapore have strong economic ties and are the second-largest foreign direct investors in each other's countries, DBS has been present in Japan since 1977 when it opened a Tokyo branch.
