Macquarie and Nomura form commodity alliance

Macquarie Bank and Nomura Securities, a Japanese securities and investment banking company, have agreed to establish a business alliance in commodity derivatives, which will provide commodity derivative and commodity-based investor products to customers in Japan and other Asian markets.

The alliance will focus on providing Nomura clients with direct access to over-the-counter derivatives in base and precious metals and agricultural and energy risk management products, including regional energy products such as the Japanese Crude Cocktail (JCC) as well as global energy pricing benchmarks such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent Crude Oil.

The venture will also provide Japanese investors with greater access to the fast growing commodity-based investor product market. Macquarie's commodity-based investor products business provides structured solutions for a broad range of investors including high net worth individuals and corporate and institutional clients in the Americas and Europe. The alliance with Nomura extends that offering to investors in Japan and the rest of Asia.

Commodity-based investments will be provided in the form of over-the-counter derivative options or structured notes over underlying instruments including commodity indices, sub-indices and/or tailored baskets of individual commodities. The alliance will also provide access to broader hybrid investment solutions across asset classes, which include commodities, currencies, interest rates and equities.

The alliance team will include senior executives from Macquarie and Nomura.