Improving Services Through Financial Institution Alliances

「In November last year, we began considering the TSUBASA Joint Operations Center concept to reduce the participating banks’ operating costs and address staff shortages through the joint processing of back-office operations. In January this year, we began building the next-generation core banking system to further advance the TSUBASA core banking system and reached a basic agreement for The Gunma Bank to join the shared system.」

「In March this year, The Hokkaido Bank joined TSUBASA-AML Center Co., Ltd., and the participating banks advanced initiatives to strengthen measures against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The TSUBASA-Juudankai Joint Research Group, launched in March last year to achieve efficient system operation and business processes and enhance customer services, also examined a broad range of joint initiatives, including systems and cybersecurity.」

「In November last year, we established the joint venture TSUBASA-AML Center Co., Ltd. with The Daishi Hokuetsu Bank, The Chugoku Bank and Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. to strengthen measures against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. In March this year, based on the agreement of all 15 participating banks in the TSUBASA Alliance and the Juudankai, we launched the TSUBASA-Juudankai Joint Research Group with The Hachijuni Bank to achieve efficient system operation and business processes and enhance customer services.」

「Under the TSUBASA Alliance, the Business Strategy Department established within TSUBASA Alliance Co., Ltd. led initiatives to improve top-line revenue and reduce costs by leveraging the scale benefits of broad-based, large-scale collaboration. In April last year, the participating banks jointly adopted the TSUBASA Diversity & Inclusion Declaration, and in August established the TSUBASA Cross-Mentoring Program to develop women as candidates for executive positions.」

「Under the TSUBASA Alliance, the Business Strategy Department was established within TSUBASA Alliance Co., Ltd. in October last year. Bringing together planning personnel from the participating banks enabled closer collaboration and accelerated consideration of joint and centralized initiatives concerning key issues such as DX, human resources development and diversity, the SDGs, information aggregation and utilization, and new businesses. Under the Chiba-Musashino Alliance, collaboration on the TSUBASA Cashless Merchant Services began in January this year. In addition, based on the Chiba-Musashino Alliance New Five-Year Plan launched in April last year, we expanded collaboration in digital areas such as apps and broadened the scope of back-office operations subject to joint and standardized processing, while promoting personnel exchanges. Under the Chiba-Yokohama Partnership, we further strengthened collaboration in corporate banking, including arranging syndicated loans and referring customers, while also focusing on retail collaboration, including jointly developing insurance products and cross-selling investment trusts managed by group companies of the two banks.」

「Under the TSUBASA Alliance, The Bank of the Ryukyus joined in April last year and The Gunma Bank joined in December, bringing the number of participating banks to 10. In July, the participating banks jointly invested to establish TSUBASA Alliance Co., Ltd. In October, the company opened an AML (anti-money laundering) center to share expertise and know-how concerning anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism and to improve efficiency and sophistication in these operations.」

「The TSUBASA Alliance expanded to a 9-bank structure when The Shiga Bank joined in May last year. In September last year, we agreed with The Toho Bank to jointly develop core banking systems. In October last year, we built an M&A business platform to strengthen matching activities across bank boundaries and established the Mito Corporate Sales Office as a joint sales location with The Toho Bank.」

「The TSUBASA Alliance expanded to an 8-bank structure when Musashino Bank joined in March this year. In July last year, the banks agreed with The Hokkaido Bank to jointly develop core banking systems. We also continued jointly developing the new branch-counter system, TSUBASA Smile, with The Daishi Bank and The Chugoku Bank, with which we had already established a shared system. In addition, we began providing various fintech services using the TSUBASA FinTech common platform introduced in April last year.」

「Under the TSUBASA Alliance, in which our bank, The Daishi Bank, The Chugoku Bank, The Iyo Bank, The Toho Bank and The Hokkaido Bank participate, we worked with T&I Innovation Center Co., Ltd., jointly established by the six banks and IBM Japan, Ltd., to prepare for the launch of API and fintech services using the TSUBASA FinTech common platform. In addition, The Hokuetsu Bank newly joined the TSUBASA Alliance in April this year, bringing the number of participating banks to 7.」

「In addition, during the interim consolidated accounting period, we established Chiba-Musashino Alliance Co., Ltd.」

「Under the comprehensive Chiba-Musashino Alliance entered into with Musashino Bank in March last year, we worked to develop specific collaborative initiatives, centered on 11 working groups involving all head-office departments. These initiatives included collaboration in asset management and international operations, the establishment of the Chiba-Musashino Partner Fund, and the joint hosting of seminars on business succession and regional revitalization. We also shared expertise and promoted personnel exchanges through joint training for corporate banking staff and study visits by female officers and employees of Musashino Bank to our overseas offices.」

「Our bank entered into the comprehensive Chiba-Musashino Alliance with Musashino Bank to provide higher-value-added services by leveraging each other’s expertise and business platforms while maintaining independent management rooted in their respective communities.」