In March 2025, Nomura partnered with the Financial Times (FT) newspaper to become the official sponsor of FT Schools. The program, a philanthropic initiative of the FT, provides free online FT subscriptions to students aged 16 to 19 and their teachers at schools around the world. Since its launch in 2018, FT Schools has grown to more than 74,000 active users at 6,000 schools across 132 countries.
“Nomura’s Purpose is to create a better world by harnessing the power of financial markets, and core to that mission is ensuring the next generation has a solid understanding of basic economics and personal finance,” says Ross Rowbury, Co-Head of Group Corporate Communications at Nomura Holdings. “The quality journalism of the FT and its understanding of these issues make it the perfect partner for us on this mission.”
Michael Hepburn, Managing Director at FT Leaders Academy who oversees FT Schools, adds, “The partnership with Nomura is of significant importance to the Financial Times, rooted in our shared commitment to education and global outreach. Both organizations recognize the transformative power of education and have invested deeply in its advancement.”
At Nomura, we are proud to sponsor FT Schools. The program is closely aligned with our longstanding commitment to help students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed, especially in financial literacy.
Since the 1990s, we have been investing in the next generation through educational initiatives, and we currently support different programs in regions where we operate.
- Japan: Nomura employees visit schools to teach students at every level about investments, the economy, and entrepreneurship, and we offer seminars to teachers on how to effectively teach financial literacy.
- EMEA: We work with a charity operating in the UK and France called SEO that helps students from underrepresented backgrounds prepare for career success through employability days, workshops, and shadowing.
- India: We support initiatives to enhance school infrastructure, teach foundational literacy, and provide scholarships.
- Asia ex-Japan: We provide multi-year grants to social impact organizations and programs that support quality early childcare education and care for preschool children in low-income communities.
- US: One of our initiatives supports school backpack drives, which help to reduce unequal access to learning materials.
Now, with our sponsorship of the global FT Schools program, we can extend our reach further and have a positive impact on many more students worldwide.
“Nomura has many programs supporting the next generation over all of its regions,” states Rowbury. “The FT Schools program is like a global umbrella for our regional programs.”
The FT Schools program offers many benefits for students. With access to the FT’s world-class journalism, they can broaden their knowledge, enhance their assignments through exposure to clear writing and topical examples, and cultivate critical thinking skills. As students regularly read the FT, they deepen their understanding of global business, politics, and culture.
“It’s a powerful way to open students’ minds to the world beyond school,” says Andrew Jack, Global Education Editor at the FT.
In addition to the materials on the FT Schools Hub website, the program offers exclusive newsletters, podcasts and videos that help students develop skills for the world beyond the classroom — including financial literacy, data interpretation, and media literacy. Students and teachers can recommend articles to the larger FT Schools community, and there are regular student competitions with partners including the Royal Economic Society and the Royal Geographical Society — with the best published in the FT.
FT Schools is having a meaningful impact on students’ studies and their career trajectories.
“My increased engagement with the Financial Times and current affairs has also made me feel more motivated to follow economics as a career path and read more on global economic issues,” says Aditi, a student from Singapore.
From October to February, FT Schools runs the Student Advocate Programme. High school students, who have been nominated by their teachers to represent the FT at their schools, raise awareness of the benefits of trusted journalism and get their peers excited about being better informed.
As part of our partnership with the FT, Nomura has sponsored two Special Report series of articles on FT.com written specifically for FT Schools’ target audience of 16- to 19-year-old students.
The first series, released in June, was called “Navigating the Digital World”. The eight articles in the series addressed questions such as: Do you know how to deal with online risks? Are you able to tell fact from fiction on the internet? And can social media help save democracy? They can be accessed without an FT subscription from this Special Report page.
The second Nomura-sponsored Special Report, published on September 16, was titled “Mastering Money”, and it is exactly the kind of content we want more students to read. It gives an overview of the basics of how to manage personal finances wisely — from budgeting and borrowing to saving and investing. The “Mastering Money” Special Report can also be accessed without an FT subscription.
At Nomura, we are invested in helping the FT Schools program to grow. We believe it has the potential to become widely recognized as a valuable complement to a school’s curriculum.
“We envision a future where the FT is a dynamic, indispensable learning resource that empowers students globally,” says the FT’s Hepburn. “We aspire to cultivate a generation of informed and engaged global citizens, equipped with the critical thinking skills and comprehensive understanding of finance and business essential for navigating an increasingly complex world.”
We hope to have many more people learn about FT Schools and get more schools around the world signed up.
Join us in giving the gift of knowledge, great journalism, and critical thinking skills to the next generation.
