Japan

Nomura has taken its corporate social responsibility initiatives in Japan and overseas very seriously for a long time. It has been involved in pioneering financial literacy since the 1990s – and it is still a key area of focus.

Citi’s global franchise needs little introduction. The same is the case in Japan, where the US bank has been present for 120 years and has built a reputation for offering world-class financial products and services.

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan still face a tough business environment: even though the effects of the pandemic have eased somewhat, supply-side limitations, such as a rise in raw material costs and fuel hikes, have added to the pressure.

Digitalization in Japanese banking took a big leap during the pandemic. As customers had no choice but to go virtual for their banking needs, digital solutions were crucial. With its strategic goal of helping to solve social issues digitally, Rakuten Bank stands out from the pack.

The 33rd annual Asiamoney Brokers Poll is a Vox Populi poll that identifies the leading brokerages for equities research, sales and trading in Asia. Voters are institutional investors who represent fund management firms, wealth managers, hedge funds, pension funds, and insurance companies that trade in Asia.

MUFG Bank is investing in its Greater China business, but will its strategy pay off?

The MUFG Group has increasingly put corporate social responsibility at the core of its operations, making it Asiamoney’s best bank for CSR in 2021.

The Mizuho group had a difficult 2021. The smallest of the three Japanese megabanks, the firm was plagued by major IT problems. In February 2021, its ATMs swallowed more than 5,000 cash cards and passbooks. A month later, 300 foreign currency money transfers were delayed because of a hardware failure. A few IT glitches later, Mizuho Financial Group’s chief executive Tatsufumi Sakai said he would step down in April 2022.

Rakuten Bank has a well-defined goal: to make the world a more convenient place by offering high-quality online financial services to clients. In Asiamoney’s latest awards period, it made great progress in meeting its objective, making it the pick for best digital bank in Japan for 2021.