A SERIES of Japanese listings can be expected on the Hongkong stock exchange this year, says Mr Haruyuki Kanda, president and managing director of Nomura International (HK). ''I can see a few companies listing in 1993. Japanese companies take a long time to come to these decisions so I also expect a few more listings in 1994 as well,'' said Mr Kanda yesterday. There are Japanese companies already traded on the local exchange, including retail firm Yaohan and construction group Kumagai Gumi. ''These companies regard it as part of their strategic plans for development of their activities in Hongkong and China,'' said Mr Kanda. The listing candidates would be companies with operating businesses in Hongkong, which would be repackaged into local listings. ''We can expect similar types of listings from companies in Taiwan and Singapore, as they have an interest in listing in Hongkong as well,'' said Mr Kanda. Nomura expected to lead the flurry of local Japanese listings, he said. An approach to stock exchange regulators had been made in relation to these listings, he added. The group's strategy in Asia was to expand the company's operations across the board. Further ''dragon'' bond issues were anticipated. Equity-orientated transactions and more formal investment banking would be increasingly undertaken by the group in Asia. Equity research was a linchpin in the strategy, with 20 investment professionals stationed in Hongkong, 12 in Singapore and three in South Korea. Hongkong had a five-strong corporate finance team, six sales staff in Japanese-orientated business and four in non-Japanese business, and a fledgling derivatives team employing specialists from Nomura's two other global divisions, in North America and Europe. In China, the company has representative offices in Beijing and Shanghai and a joint venture in Shenzhen. It also has officials in Thailand and Indonesia, and plans to operate in Taiwan are being put into action. The group is also establishing a fund management unit to exploit the opportunities expected from the development and implementation of regulations governing the industry and retirement benefit rights in Hongkong. The group launched a fund range late last year and raised US$30 million, well down on the launch target of $50 million. The group was expected to build further funds under management steadily, said Nomura Trust executive vice-president Brian Nicol. Nomura announced a shift in strategy in September last year, when it publicised plans to expand in the region. Mr Kanda said Asia represented one of the remaining regions where sales in equities made profits, while merchant banking and finance sustained reasonable margins for doing business. ''Therefore it should come as no surprise that we now emphasise this region in our plans,'' he said. The emergence of the Asian stock markets in the last decade, especially in Southeast Asia, the opening of northern Asian markets and the increasing trend to privatise state enterprises offered several opportunities for Nomura, said Mr Kanda.
