Expansion of Co-Branded Cards and Asset-Building Services

「The customer base also expanded, with the number of active IDs in Japan reaching 39.25 million, up 3.09 million from the beginning of the fiscal year. Operating profit exceeded that of the previous consolidated fiscal year.」

「The number of locations where AEON Pay can be used increased by 1.11 million from the beginning of the fiscal year to 4.15 million, while membership increased by 3.92 million to 12.08 million, steadily expanding the customer base.」

「In the domestic solutions business, we expanded the member and merchant networks following the acquisition of the WAON Value Issuer business and the launch of the new AEON Pay. Usage increased through ATM top-ups and enhanced campaigns, bringing the number of active IDs in Japan to 37.49 million, up 1.33 million from the beginning of the fiscal year, and card purchase volume to ¥3,906.570 billion, or 105.4% of the prior-year period.」

「For AEON Pay, in addition to serving AEON Group companies, we expanded support for payment demand in everyday sectors, including small-value payments, drugstores and consumer electronics retailers. Functionality was enhanced to enable cash top-ups at ATMs, making the service available to a broader range of customers. The number of active cardholders in Japan remained solid at 32 million, up 510,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year, while card purchase volume reached ¥3,705.490 billion, or 106.1% of the prior-year period.」

「The number of active cardholders in Japan remained solid at 31.77 million, up 280,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year, while card purchase volume reached ¥1,849.864 billion, or 105.3% of the prior-year period.」

「AEON Bank deposits remained solid at 8.54 million accounts, up 250,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year, while the number of active cardholders in Japan reached 31.32 million, up 500,000, and card purchase volume reached ¥5,257.118 billion, or 109.4% of the prior-year period.」

「We strengthened collaboration within the Group by promoting the new co-branded Welcia Card with Welcia Holdings, encouraging AEON Card signups through Green Beans and capturing demand for small-value payments by promoting AEON Pay usage. As a result, AEON Bank deposits remained solid at 8.47 million accounts, up 190,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year, the number of active cardholders in Japan reached 31.18 million, up 360,000, and card purchase volume reached ¥3,491.991 billion, or 109.8% of the prior-year period.」

「As a result, deposits at AEON Bank Co., Ltd. remained solid at 8.4 million accounts, up 110,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year, while the number of active cardholders in Japan reached 31.07 million, up 240,000, and card purchase volume reached ¥1,757.292 billion, up 9.2% year on year.」

「The number of active cardholders in Japan reached 30.52 million, up 430,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year. In addition to adding the AEON Pay code-payment service to the official AEON Card app, AEON Wallet, we expanded the external merchant network for AEON Pay, including multi-purpose leisure facilities, restaurants and consumer electronics retailers, thereby improving customer convenience.」

「The number of active cardholders in Japan exceeded 30 million, reaching 30.09 million, up 640,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year. ... Full-year purchase volume exceeded pre-COVID levels and reached a record high.」

「For AEON Card, the number of active cardholders in Japan increased by 480,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year, following efforts to strengthen messaging around web-exclusive new-card signup and usage campaigns, as well as improved convenience resulting from changes to the points program. Card purchase volume gradually recovered in sectors affected by COVID-19, and promotional initiatives, including usage campaigns with AEON's well-performing online supermarket and delivery service operators, helped drive card purchase volume in the first 3 quarters of the fiscal year to above pre-COVID levels, a record high for the period.」

「For AEON Cards, the number of new members registered in Japan and card shopping transaction volume both exceeded the results for the same period of the previous year, supported by web-only new card membership and usage campaigns and campaigns with AEON’s strong-performing online supermarket and delivery service providers. In addition, the cumulative number of AEON Cards equipped with contactless payment functionality exceeded 30% of all cards issued, reaching 11.27 million as of the end of August.」

「As part of the AEON Group’s strategy to promote cashless payments, we conducted web-only new membership and usage campaigns and new membership campaigns in cooperation with AEON Mall Co., Ltd. Online shopping usage also remained strong, and card shopping transaction volume for the cumulative first quarter exceeded the result for the same period of the previous year.」

「At AEON Bank Co., Ltd., as part of efforts to provide non-face-to-face and contactless services and minimize time spent in branches, we expanded television consultation and service counters, online reservation systems and online financial consultation services. For home loans, we promoted initiatives enabling customers to complete contracts from home using web applications, telephone and postal services.」

「AFS progressively resumed sales, screening and debt collection activities that had been suspended in some countries and regions due to the spread of COVID-19, and worked to change service delivery methods and expand contact points in response to changes in customers’ lifestyles and behavior, including non-face-to-face, contactless and cashless services.」

「At the same time, we strengthened non-face-to-face services through the web and telephone, resulting in increases in the number of bank accounts, deposit balances and home loan balances.」

「Since September, we have introduced the “Port Navi” wealth-management simulation tool at all Group bank branches. We began offering a service capable of providing proposals tailored to customer needs, including by preparing more than 60 model portfolio patterns.」

「Since May, through the official AEON Card app AEON Wallet, we have offered a service that completes screening within as little as 5 minutes after application from a store, home or elsewhere, enabling customers to receive and use an AEON Card immediately. As a result, the number of active members in Japan was 28.57 million, up 510,000 from the same period of the previous year, and card shopping transaction volume was ¥2.8368 trillion, or 108.8% of the same period of the previous year.」

「Since May, we have offered an instant AEON Card issuance service through the official AEON Card app, AEON Wallet, and have worked to improve convenience.」

「Loans and other assets, including balances of wealth-management products, also accumulated steadily. In home loans in particular, we opened the Tokyo Yaesu branch, primarily to capture demand for home loans in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and continued offering competitive preferential interest-rate plans, contributing to revenue growth.」

「AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd. expanded its number of active members and shopping transaction volume in its domestic business through the issuance of various new cards and loyalty initiatives linked to AEON Group retail stores. Deposits and home loans also grew, while balances of wealth-management products, an area of particular focus, steadily accumulated and contributed to revenue growth.」

「We worked to diversify fintech-enabled payment methods, including by beginning demonstration trials of a service at selected restaurants that completes the process from ordering through payment in a smartphone app, and of cardless payments using biometric authentication technology. We also continued investing in IT to expand wealth-building services, including by developing a proprietary household budgeting app that enables simple asset management by smartphone.」

「At AEON Bank Co., Ltd., the assets under management in investment trusts and other investment products grew steadily following the conversion of all in-store branches to directly operated branches in the previous fiscal year. In March, home loan disbursements reached a record high, and we worked to expand our customer base by strengthening consulting services. In addition, we expanded wealth-building services by launching automated investment services for beginners and beginning to offer foreign-currency deposits.」

「We also advanced the transformation of our business model through new technologies, including by beginning trials of robot-based card application acceptance and, as the first financial institution, introducing a system enabling banking transactions using biometric authentication alone. AEON Bank Co., Ltd., which marked its 10th anniversary, continued to strengthen its domestic operating base, bringing the number of bank branches to 138. It also newly began offering AEON Bank iDeCo and accepting applications for tsumitate NISA.」

「In our domestic business, we began issuing new cards through collaborations with external companies and characters to expand usage within the AEON Group and at external affiliated merchants and to attract younger customers, and conducted product development and promotional activities with our partners. As part of efforts to strengthen its operating base, AEON Bank opened a branch at AEON Style Shin-Ibaraki in Osaka Prefecture in June, bringing the number of bank branches to 135. It also began offering AEON Bank iDeCo and expanded wealth-building services, including by making mutual fund purchase fees in NISA accounts effectively free of charge.」