Business Sep 14, 2021
Costs of anti-terror measures weighing on Japan regional banks
Overseas remittances have stricter confirmation requirements — some in the industry say it's not worth the extra work.
Business / Corporate Apr 23, 2021
Retailer Rakuten beats Japanese lenders at digital banking game
by Taiga Uranaka
New digital bank accounts with the internet conglomerate better known for its online shopping services expanded by 20% last year, and recently topped 10 million.
Business Dec 26, 2020
BOJ expands regional bank merger plan to cover community-based lenders
The Bank of Japan said Friday it will expand its special program aimed at supporting regional bank mergers to cover smaller community-based lenders in a bid to prompt reorganizations of struggling local financial institutions. The BOJ said last month it will provide an additional 0.1% ...
Business / Corporate Nov 11, 2020
BOJ to promote regional bank mergers via special interest program
The central bank's move is widely seen as a measure to help regional lenders merge and survive amid slumping local economies hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Business / Corporate Sep 4, 2019
Japan's regional banks load up on risk as they fight to survive
by Ayai Tomisawa and Issei Hazama
Troubled regional banks are plunging into riskier corners of the credit markets, in a battle to survive ultralow interest rates and an industry shakeout. As debt yields tumble globally, the lenders are also facing weak business at home, where a shrinking population is hitting outlying ...
Editorials May 11, 2019
The worsening performance of regional banks bodes ill for the companies and other borrowers that sustain regional economies.
Business / Economy Nov 19, 2018
Regional banks' profit woes could damage financial system, Japan's central banker warns
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda warned Monday that declining profits at regional banks could hurt the economy by potentially destabilizing the financial system. Regional banks' core profitability has continued to fall due to prolonged low interest rates, the shrinking population and a falling number ...
Business Aug 23, 2018
'Don't blame BOJ,' FSA chief Toshihide Endo tells struggling regional banks
by Taiga Uranaka and Takahiko Wada
The nation's top financial regulator said regional banks "should not blame the Bank of Japan" for their woes, urging them to explore ways to survive ultralow interest rates. "They should not just sit and wait for the BOJ to change its policy. Will everything be ...
Business / Economy Aug 9, 2018
BOJ's higher JGB yield said too low for regional lenders to switch strategies
The yields on Japan's benchmark bond are still too low to lead to any change in investment strategies for regional lenders, even after the central bank permitted a higher trading range, according to managers and traders at the companies. Regional lenders want to see 0.5 ...
Business / Corporate Jun 11, 2018
Banking veteran slams Japanese banks' fixation on archaic trading methods
by Chikako Mogi and Komaki Ito
Regional banks need to stop their fixation with the old-fashioned buy-and-hold strategy and be more nimble to make the most of their investments, a three-decade industry veteran says. The current low interest-rate environment calls for lenders to adopt a trading mentality and look to lock-in ...
Business Jun 6, 2018
Japan's financial regulators mull inspections of regional banks' money laundering measures
Japan's financial regulators are considering on-site inspections of regional banks that do not have sufficient steps in place against money laundering, sources with knowledge of the plan said Wednesday. If financial institutions fail to beef up anti-money laundering efforts, the Financial Services Agency may take ...
Business Nov 2, 2015
Ashikaga, Joyo to merge next October and become Japan's third-largest regional
Ashikaga Holdings Co. in Tochigi Prefecture and Joyo Bank in Ibaraki Prefecture have reached a broad agreement to merge next Oct. 1. Their combined assets of some ¥15 trillion will the new group Japan's third-largest regional bank. Joyo will become a subsidiary of Ashikaga Holdings, ...