JPMorgan and Nomura expand in China’s tallest skyscraper as they add headcount ahead of country’s financial liberalisation
- JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its space at Shanghai Tower by a third to 20,000 square metres
- Nomura nearly doubled the size of its lease to 5,000 square metres
JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Nomura Holdings are taking extra office space in China with both increasing headcount in the nation as it opens its US$45 trillion financial industry to more competition.
Nomura, Japan’s biggest brokerage, nearly doubled the size of its lease to around 5,000 square meters, the people said, asking not to be identified because the details aren’t public.
Both institutions have been at the fore of China’s financial opening, laying out expansive plans to build their securities and asset management businesses in Asia’s largest economy and hiring along the way. As the liberalisation gathers pace, it’s presenting the firms and peers, including Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, with a tantalising opportunity to more easily compete for a slice of the nation’s ballooning wealth.
“This is a strong vote of confidence in their China business,” said Daniel Yao, head of China research at Jones Lang LaSalle. “Foreign asset management companies have been at the forefront expanding in Shanghai.”