Nomura Lists Japan’s First Global Memory Semiconductor ETF

Nomura Asset Management launched the NEXT FUNDS Solactive Global Memory Index ETF, Japan’s first global memory semiconductor ETF. The fund listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on 30 September 2026 under ticker 639A and is offered under Nomura’s NEXT FUNDS brand.

The ETF provides exposure to companies across the memory value chain, including semiconductor devices and components, memory modules, and enterprise and data-centre storage systems. Nomura positions the product for investors seeking concentrated exposure to firms involved in memory chips and storage hardware.

The ETF tracks the Solactive Global Memory Index. Solactive applies its ARTIS natural language processing algorithm to identify companies with measurable business activity in memory and storage in developed markets, South Korea and Taiwan. Eligible firms must meet minimum market capitalisation and liquidity requirements.

Index construction selects up to 20 securities based on free-float market capitalisation and weights constituents by free-float market value, with an individual-constituent cap of 25 per cent. The index is rebalanced twice a year.

Nomura and Solactive cited rising demand for advanced memory technologies driven by growth in artificial intelligence, cloud services and expanding data-centre workloads, increasing need for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), DRAM, NAND flash and solid-state drives.

Timo Pfeiffer, Chief Markets Officer at Solactive, noted the index aims to capture companies with meaningful exposure to memory-related businesses as computing workloads require larger and faster memory systems.

The fund’s limits on the number of holdings and the size caps may produce a concentrated portfolio of large, liquid companies focused on memory and storage. Investors should consider the semi-annual rebalancing schedule and the ETF’s sector and regional focus when evaluating how it fits within broader technology or semiconductor allocations.