Nomura International is favourite to hire Tariq Rafique, who last week resigned from ABN Amro as global head of asset securitisation.

Market sources said last Friday that Rafique is in advanced talks with the Japanese bank and Naguib Canaan, Nomura's head of debt markets, had previously said that he wants to build a large international securitisation and principal finance business. Nomura, which recently hired Brian Lawson from ABN Amro to be head of syndication for its fixed income business, declined to comment.