Nomura Holdings Inc. (8604.TO) is in final talks to buy Citigroup Inc.'s (C) Japanese trust banking unit for about Y20 billion, a person familiar with the transaction said Wednesday.

The acquisition by Nomura Trust and Banking Co., a unit of Japan's largest brokerage by assets, is likely to be announced later today, the person said.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp. attempted to buy the unit for Y25 billion in May, but the deal fell apart after it failed to buy Nikko Cordial, Citigroup's Japanese brokerage operations. Instead,Citigroup agreed in May to sell Nikko Cordial Securities and most of Nikko Citigroup to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.TO), Japan's third-biggest bank by assets, for $5.6 billion.

-By Tor Ching Li, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-6895-7567, chingli.tor@dowjones.com