Ryuichi Nozaki

Ryuichi Nozaki has been a Partner at Atsumi & Sakai since 2008 and headed the firm’s London office throughout 2015-2018. He advises large foreign and Japanese financial institutions and institutional investors on banking, structured finance, capital markets and fund investments. He also advises technology-driven industries on data protection, IP licencing, FinTech, service regulations, M&A and related matters. He was recognised as IFLR 1000 Financial and Corporate 2021 Leading Lawyers (Highly regarded) – Banking; Capital markets: Structured finance and securitisation, The Best Lawyers in Japan 2023-Capital Markets Law, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 Leading Individuals – Investment Funds and Chambers Global 2018 Leading Individual – Corporate / M&A (Expert based abroad in UK).

• Advised US and Hong Kong activist funds, including a fund with >USD30 billion assets under management, on strategies for leveraging shareholders’ positions in Japanese listed companies and related shareholding reporting (2013 -, on going).
• Advised one of the top Japanese banks on establishing the framework of cross-border secure electronic contract execution for its multinational cash management services (2018);
• Advised a US and UK-based capital markets trading data processing infrastructure provider on its data centre procurement for a US-headquartered major global bank (2018);
• Advised a major Japanese bank (UK subsidiary) in an approx. SEK500mn and EUR370mn syndicated facility for the European business of a major global glass manufacturing company (2017);
• Advised major Japanese non-life insurance companies in the reinsurance of typhoon risks and issuance of catastrophe bonds by Bermuda SPVs (including JPY10bn-plus bonds, the first ever yen-denominated catastrophe bonds) (2014, 2016);
• Advised The Government Pension Investment Fund of Japan in the launch of its first and second cross-border alternative investment platforms: USD3bn-plus infrastructure investment platform with DBJ as a co-investor, and OMERS as a co-investor and platform provider (2013 –2014); Approx. USD500mn global private equity investment platform with DBJ and Nissay as co-investors, and IFC group as a co-investor and platform provider (2015).
• Advising a major global payment card brand group on: Data protection (regularly or on-going); Its acquisition and restructuring of a Japan-based business of a global mobile payment technology group (2014 -2016); A fundamental change to the Japanese nationwide system for credit card transaction settlements (2016).

• Banking and finance
• Capital markets
• Corporate and M&A
• Investment funds

• Banking and financial services
• Insurance
• Technology and telecommunications

• Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association

• Boston University School of Law (LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law, 2007)
• Keio University, Faculty of Law (LL.B., 1996)