Best Groups at Nomura (NYC IBD)
Hey guys, the title says it all. I recently received an IBD summer analyst offer from here. How would you rank its groups in the US (deal flow, culture, reputation)?
Also, where do you see Nomura in the next 5 years? I'm a little worried that a Japanese bank in the US won't have the best deal flow, but I've been seeing good things about the firm in the news lately.
Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!
None. Get out ASAP.
The flak Nomura catches from students who just regurgitate finmeme memes is a bit overblown in my opinion. While there are most definitely better banks, the hardest part is getting that first foot in the door (which you successfully did) and then the rest is up to you and what you make of it
Nomura's US IBD platform has always ebbed and flow without much consistent success. They have a tendency to commit to an "expansion" by poaching a bunch of bankers from BBs on lucrative packages, who end up leaving after 3-5 years. Then rinse and repeat. That being said, they do have some decent bankers on the platform and they get cross-border flow from their Japanese colleagues and some legacy Lehman groups in EMEA. I cant comment specifically on which groups are "strong", but would agree that financial sponsors and leverage finance have historically been their most active because, in addition to what other posters already commented on, sponsors care more about a bank's execution capabilities than its "brand". When Nomura does work on M&A transactions, they tend to be advising a Japanese client. Anyone who's worked with Japanese clients can tell you they're quite frustrating - they take forever to make decisions and are full of bureaucracy and politics. They also never pay market M&A fees
The bank is well known enough that having "Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Nomura" will get you looks from other firms (BBs, EBs etc) if you decide to recruit for full time. I personally suggest you do