Nomura's Commodity Murabaha Facility closes above target at US$70 million

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First Japanese company to enter Islamic funding market in the Middle East
Dubai, 15 July 2010 - NomuraNomura, the global investment bank, today announces its Commodity Murabaha Facility has closed having raised US$70 million through syndication. Due to increased demand, the issuance was increased from the original target of US$50 million. ABC Islamic BankABC Islamic Bank, the Islamic finance subsidiary of Arab Banking Corporation, was appointed as the sole Mandated Lead Arranger.

Takuya Furuya, Chairman Middle East and Africa, NomuraNomura said: "We are delighted that the success of this transaction exceeded our initial expectations; it reflects the strength of the NomuraNomura brand and its reputation in the region. The issuance is part of NomuraNomura's strategy to diversify funding both geographically and by product and comes at a time when we have simultaneously launched a Sukuk in Malaysia."

Continuing, Mr Furuya commented: "This Murabaha facility marks the first Islamic funding exercise by a Japanese corporate in the region and we hope that it will strengthen the financial ties between the Far East and the Middle East."

The Facility has been structured as a Shariah compliant commodity Murabaha financing with a three-year tenor and offers a profit margin of 175bps per annum. As a symbolic debut transaction by NomuraNomura into the Islamic finance market, the Facility will be used for general liquidity management purposes.

ABC Islamic BankABC Islamic Bank

Mr. Naveed Khan, Managing Director of ABC Islamic BankABC Islamic Bank said: "This is a significant and landmark transaction for us, as this will be the first time that a Japanese firm has tapped the Islamic market using a Murabaha structure. We are delighted that NomuraNomura has chosen ABC Islamic BankABC Islamic Bank to be the Sole Mandated Lead Arranger for this successful facility. We believe strongly that this will act as a trailblazer for other Japanese issuers looking towards the fast growing market of Islamic Banking for diversified funding sources in the future."

NomuraNomura is a leading financial services group and the preeminent Asian-based investment bank with worldwide reach. NomuraNomura provides a broad range of innovative solutions tailored to the specific requirements of individual, institutional, corporate and government clients through an international network in 30 countries. Based in Tokyo and with regional headquarters in Hong Kong, London, and New York, NomuraNomura employs over 26,000 staff worldwide. NomuraNomura's unique understanding of Asia enables the company to make a difference for clients through three business divisions: retail, wholesale (global markets, investment banking and other wholesale), and asset management. For further information about NomuraNomura, please visit www.nomura.com.

ABC Islamic BankABC Islamic Bank (E.C.)
ABC Islamic BankABC Islamic Bank is regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain and provides a full range of Shari'a-compliant financial services including investment, capital markets and commercial banking. It is wholly owned by Bahrain-headquartered Arab Banking Corporation which is itself majority owned by state shareholders of Libya, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi. www.arabbanking.com

For further information please contact:
Beth Brophy
NomuraNomura International plc
Tel: +44 20 7102 9756

Corporate Communications
Rupert Young
Brunswick Gulf Ltd
Tel: +971 4 365 8260

© Press Release 2010