Sony Bank, an Internet bank owned 80 percent by Sony Corp., said Thursday it will open for business on June 11 in hopes of luring deposits of 1 trillion yen in five years.
The electronic giant's subsidiary said it hopes to attract 600,000 Web accounts in five years, and to secure a profit in the fourth, mainly through securities investments and interest charged on loans. Customers will be able to open savings and mutual fund accounts and secure card loans at the outset.
By fall, pink Post Pet characters - popular as Sony Communication Network Corp.'s Internet mail software - will help guide customers organize their financial records on the Web site. By year's end, customers will be able to access their accounts via Sony's planned "Air Board" portable computer device.