Investment Banking

Nomura lost $2.9bn as Archegos fell. Law suit alleges warning signs were there

Bill Hwang, founder of Archegos Capital, departs federal court in New York in 2022
Bill Hwang, founder of Archegos Capital, departs federal court in New York in 2022 Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

When Archegos Capital Management collapsed in early 2021, Nomura lost $2.9bn in trades it had put on for the hedge fund. The executive overseeing Nomura’s institutional brokerage business delivered a stern speech to his staff in September of that year.

“Internal discussions were not escalated in a timely manner, which could have prevented the incident,” lamented Steve Ashley, in a speech draft seen by fellow Dow Jones Group title Barron’s, “and most importantly, there was a lack of personal accountability and global teamwork.” It is unclear if Ashley used this language in his actual speech.

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