bfinancebfinance, a global investment consultancy, has expanded its presence in Asia with the opening of a new Tokyo office, and a senior hire to head it.
With a number of investment managers positive about Japanese
equities in 2026, bfinance has appointed former
BlackRock executive Yohei Omichi as senior director to lead the
firm’s new Tokyo office.
Omichi brings more than 20 years’ experience of working with
institutional investors and distributors, most recently in senior
roles at BlackRock Japan. He will be supporting clients at
an important moment for Japan’s economy and capital markets.
The opening reflects growing two-way demand, the firm said in a
statement. On the one hand, global institutional investors are
increasing their focus on Japan opportunities. On the other,
Japanese asset owners, energised by the new dynamism of the
domestic economy, are looking outwards with renewed optimism, are
seeking investment insight to create global portfolios across
both public and private markets.
With experience of working with public/private pension funds and
distributors, Omichi is well placed to capitalise on
opportunities as Japan’s economy and capital markets look set to
enjoy a sustained recovery, the firm continued. More broadly,
with the addition of Tokyo, bfinance is strengthening its Asia
Pacific (APAC) presence in Hong Kong and Australia.
The new office adds to a global footprint now spanning 12
locations, also including London, Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, Rome,
Chicago, Toronto, Montréal and Dubai, the company’s hub for the
Middle East and Africa.
A sustained focus on corporate value creation, capital
efficiency, continued momentum in shareholder engagement and
corporate action is reigniting interest in Japanese capital
markets. Inflation is now close to the Bank of Japan’s 2 per cent
target and there are high hopes that the new government will
successfully shift towards growth-orientated policies.
bfinance has seen strong demand in Japan for the full range of
private markets, and particularly for income-generating asset
classes such as infrastructure equity and debt. Diversifying
liquid strategies have been another source of strong demand as
Japanese investors seek to optimise long-term returns and manage
risks in a low-yield environment, as Japanese interest rates
slowly normalise in response to the return of moderate rates of
inflation.
The company said it has observed a good appetite for
low-volatility, market-independent hedge fund strategies in
Japan. The Tokyo office will bring bfinance closer to clients and
market participants in Japan, combining local presence with the
firm’s global research and implementation platform, the firm
added.
After Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide
general-election victory gave Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi full
powers to push on with her reflationary agenda, Japanese stocks
jumped to a high. A number of investment managers such as
Paris-based Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, Amundi and
SuMi TRUST, a large Japanese asset manager, are also positive
about Japanese equities in 2026. See
here and
here.
Among international firms setting up an office presence in Japan
are Coller Capital, which deals with private market secondaries
investments. Coller opened a Tokyo office in December 2025.
In 2022, Leo Wealth, the international wealth firm borne out of a
merger last year, opened an office in the city to expand its
global footprint and US tax practice.
In 2024, WealthBriefingAsia explored the field of
Japan”s nascent venture
capital sector, one that is relatively under-developed when
compared with the US market, for example.
AloJapan.com