ThinkMarkets acquires affiliate to enter the Japanese market
A clever move by ThinkMarkets, the firm enters the notoriously domestic market-centric but extremely lucrative Japanese market via the acquisition of an existing firm.
Online electronic trading company ThinkMarkets has recently acquired a Japan Affiliate, holding a Type 1 Financial Instruments Business Operator license from the Japanese Financial Services Agency (JFSA), Japan’s principal regulatory body, to enter the FX market in Japan. With this license, clients will have access to the company’s proprietary mobile-first trading platform ThinkTrader, launching soon in Japan.
Japan is a fantastic market and is home to over 35% of all retail FX order flow, however, it is notoriously centred around domestic market companies, many of which are absolute giants and individually conduct over $1 trillion per month in notional volume, purely within the Japanese market, which consists of self-directed traders. Many firms have attempted to enter the market, but it is very much geared toward Japanese traders being loyal customers of Japanese firms, hence ThinkMarkets’ approach of buying an existing firm is a pragmatic one.
“Tokyo is one of the world’s largest foreign exchange trading hubs, so the expansion of our brokerage services offering with the addition of FX in Japan is an exciting milestone for us as we continue our global expansion,” said Nauman Anees, CEO of ThinkMarkets. “This announcement is also significant because it coincides with the opening of our Tokyo office.”
TF Global Markets Japan Ltd is the corporate name of ThinkMarket’s Japan office, which is led by newly-appointed industry expert Koike Kazuhiro, who will head the company’s operations in Japan as chief executive. Kazuhiro’s experience includes past leadership positions with the Nasdaq Japan Exchange, Credit Suisse Group, as well as publicly traded companies such as Traders Securities.
“Adding Japan’s foreign exchange markets to our existing brokerage services will appeal to current forex traders, while our Tokyo office opening will allow us to better serve local customer needs,” said Kazuhiro. “We are looking forward to this new chapter in the company’s history.”
