Monex : Securities Australia to shake-up online broking industry

Announcement of Subsidiary's Release

TOKYO, January 16, 2018 - Monex Securities Australia Pty Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Monex Group, Inc., issued the following press release yesterday.

By utilizing the system and operating structure of the Hong Kong-based securities subsidiary of the Monex Group, Monex Securities Australia Pty Ltd was able to start a cost-competitive online securities business in Australia.

In the future, Monex Securities Australia Pty Ltd will expand its account types from not only Australian retail investors but also to corporate investors and the investors from other countries. Monex Securities Australia also plans to offer forex trading. Related information will be disclosed when determined.

Attachment: Monex Securities Australia Pty Ltd press release Monex Securities Australia to shake-up online broking industry

Contact: Akiko Kato, Toshiaki Koike

Corporate Communications Office Monex Group, Inc. [phone]

Atsushi Demoto, Yuki Nakano

Investor Relations, Financial Control Dept. Monex Group, Inc.

[phone]

This material was made as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or to solicit an offer to buy securities in the U.S.

Monex Securities Australia to shake-up online broking industry

Today's launch means access to global markets using a single account

15 January 2018 - SYDNEY: Monex Securities Australia (part of the Monex Group, Inc.) is set to shake-up the Australian online broking industry when it opens its doors to Australian investors today.

Monex Group, one of the leading online broking companies in Japan, has set its sights on the Australian market as part of its global expansion.

"We believe there is a yawning gap in the Australian investors' portfolio because they have not been accessing international equity markets," said Alex Douglas, managing director of Monex Securities Australia.

"And we will bridge this gap by giving investors one platform that will allow them to trade 12 different markets around the globe."

Monex Securities Australia will also be offering competitive rates in a bid to win investors away from other online broking providers, with trading in U.S. markets starting from just US$9.99.

"Investors have been telling us that there are two reasons why they are not investing overseas: One is because it is too expensive to trade international shares if you trade with existing providers,"

"And the other reason is that until now it has been quite challenging to set up different accounts that will let you trade various international markets," Douglas said.

By providing a single platform that will let investors trade multiple global markets and by offering lower fees, Monex Securities Australia is aiming to win a healthy slice of the investment community in Australia.

Monex Group's entry into the Australian market is part of the company's global expansion.

In Japan, Monex Group was one of the first online broking companies that disrupted the industry when it launched online broking in the very early days of online services.

"We believe that we can differentiate ourselves from existing providers because we have a robust platform and we have access to global markets," Douglas said.

He added: "Given the relatively small size of the Australian stock market, this is our way of opening up and making international equities more accessible to Australian investors."

Using Monex Securities Australia's trading platform, Australian investors can access markets in the US, Japan, Hong Kong and most of Asia. This means investors can take advantage of price movements in stocks such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Toyota and other Asian listed companies.

Investors can also access Chinese listed stocks including those in the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges using Monex Securities Australia's trading platform.