Main Initiatives
Startup Support
MUFG has launched the tagline "さぁ、世界を驚かせに行こう！" to express its commitment to supporting startups. Leveraging its group-wide capabilities, MUFG provides startups with a variety of support in both financing and business growth.
For these domestic activities, MUFG has set a target to raise the total market cap of the startups which MUFG supports to 20 trillion yen by FY2026. MUFG will continue to support startups to accelerate industrial development and address social issues.
Investment in a Venture Debt Fund
Startups in deep-tech fields such as next-generation energy, biotechnology, and aerospace require substantial R&D investment and long lead times to commercialization. It is therefore important to develop optimal funding options that combine equity financing with debt financing, including venture debt such as loans with warrants.
Against this backdrop, in June 2026, MUFG Bank (the Bank) invested as an anchor limited partner (LP) in a venture debt fund managed by Funds Startups, Inc. The fund will provide subsidy bridge financing and bonds with warrants to finance large-scale capital expenditures and R&D expenses, with the aim of expanding the ways of financing to startups, including those in deep-tech fields.
Promoting the Adoption of the Venture Client Model
In FY2025, the Bank was commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to conduct a demonstration project aimed at promoting collaboration between large corporations and startups. The Bank conducted in-depth analyses of the business challenges faced by more than 40 participating large corporations and facilitated numerous matches with startups capable of addressing those challenges.
By promoting broader adoption of the venture client model, under which large corporations become customers of startups, the Bank is strengthening its efforts to foster open innovation in Japan.
MUFG Startup Summit
In FY2025, MUFG held the MUFG Startup Summit in five cities across Japan, with total attendance reaching 6,000.
The two-day event held in Tokyo in December 2025 provided opportunities for startups and corporate participants to connect through exhibition booths presented by more than 80 startups, pitches by 26 startups, and networking among participants.
Support for Overseas Expansion
In July 2026, MUFG and Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya PCL), a member of the MUFG Group, co-hosted the "Japan-ASEAN Startup Business Matching Fair 2026" in Bangkok, Thailand.
The event brought together 72 startups from seven countries, including Japan, and more than 200 investors and corporate participants. It facilitated 555 business meetings, helping startups expand their businesses in ASEAN markets.
Pioneering the future of the space industry
The market scale of the space industry is 68 trillion yen in 2023 and will be 101 trillion yen(note) in 2030, making it one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The utilization of satellite-based communications, location data, and earth observation data is expected to expand in more wide-ranging fields and to contribute to solutions to a variety of social issues.
As a financial institution, we are able to help develop the Japanese space industry by performing various functions for the entire space industry value chain from upstream to downstream. For upstream, we provide financial support to build next-generation industrial infrastructure, such as transport equipment, satellites, and Spaceport. We also finance and invest in private startups specializing in rocket launches as well as in providers of in-orbit satellite services (such as space debris removal). Furthermore, we are advancing various initiatives by working closely with operating companies, government agencies, municipalities, and research institutes. For downstream, we leverage satellite data to drive both customer business applications and our own new business development. Specifically, we visualize our efforts to reduce GHG emissions and measure GHG reduction and absorption to create carbon credits.
- Estimate by Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd.
MUFG Hosts a Session on Next-Generation Space Infrastructure in Davos
In January 2026, MUFG hosted a session titled “Building Space Infrastructure for Social Impact” in Davos, bringing together the European Space Agency (ESA) and private-sector space companies to discuss the future of next-generation space infrastructure.
Given the substantial, long-term investment required to develop space infrastructure, MUFG highlighted its commitment to supporting the development of sustainable space infrastructure and a robust industry ecosystem by mobilizing private capital through investments, loans, and project finance, while leveraging its networks across the public, private, and academic sectors.
Utilization of Satellite Data in Real Estate Collateral Monitoring
As Japan faces a declining workforce, improving operational efficiency and productivity has become increasingly important across industries. To address this societal challenge and support the sustainable provision of financial services, MUFG is advancing the use of satellite data to improve the efficiency of its real estate collateral monitoring processes.
By combining satellite imagery, geospatial data, and AI, MUFG is introducing a system that automatically detects changes such as the construction or demolition of buildings, reducing the need for certain on-site inspections and improving operational efficiency.
By integrating satellite data into its own operations, MUFG aims to promote the broader adoption of satellite data. Going forward, MUFG will seek to expand this framework to other financial institutions facing similar challenges, thereby contributing to more resilient and sustainable financial services.
Tackling challenges faced by the food industry, Food-X Project
The Food-X Project, launched in 2022, is an initiative aimed at addressing the structural challenges faced by Japan's food industry to establish a sustainable food system and achieve a rich and fulfilling dietary lifestyle for individuals.
MUFG is working with a wide range of clients involved in food production, processing, retail, and food service, as well as with government agencies, academia, and other stakeholders, to shape the future of "food." We are working to rebuild the value chain from producers to consumers, strengthen Japan’s international competitiveness, and support the development of new technologies and businesses that address food-related challenges.
Support for Regional Revitalization
MUIC Kansai
As an initiative to tackle challenges in the tourism industry and revitalize the Kansai economy, in February 2021, MUFG opened MUIC Kansai in Osaka, a membership-based innovation center.
The core function of MUIC Kansai is "problem-solving programs" aimed at fostering innovation. The facility provides a platform that brings together large member corporations and startups to identify social issues, conduct proof-of-concept experiments, and implement the solutions in society in an integrated manner. Since its inception, MUIC Kansai has generated numerous unique business ideas and has garnered attention from various media outlets.
Anticipating that diverse technological seeds will be implemented in society following the 2025 Osaka/Kansai Expo as the event’s legacies, we are expanding the theme of the project beyond its original focus on tourism and inbound travel to include areas such as the environment, health, food, and entertainment. By leveraging a model for resolving social issues through collaboration between large corporations and startups, we aim to establish a more comprehensive support system for startups and become a hub organization for the Kansai startup ecosystem.
Through these activities, we will contribute to society as one of the platforms for implementing the Expo’s legacies.
ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO
The Bank and Fighters Sports & Entertainment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "Fighters") have signed a partnership agreement in 2023 aimed at co-creating a business that combines finance with sports.
Fighters is a company that engages in the development and operation of HOKKAIDO BALLPARK F VILLAGE, the core of which is the new ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO stadium that opened in March 2023. Centered on that core, we are promoting sustainable urban development that combines lodging facilities, commercial spaces, agricultural learning facilities, Certified Childcare Centers, residences, and more.
The Bank is taking part in new urban development and new business creation with a focus on sports at ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO. Symbolizing this, the Bank obtained naming rights for the interview room and christened it "MUFG Co-Creation Room." While serving as a hub for the local community and varied stakeholders, the Bank is advancing MUFG's aim of the social implementation of innovation and the resolution of social issues through sports.
ALL JAPAN Tourist Area Regeneration/Revitalization Fund
Invigorating the domestic tourism industry is positioned as one of Japan's critical economic policies and is deemed key to facilitating regional revitalization. Moreover, it is seen as an essential growth strategy as the nation strives toward a GDP target of ¥600 trillion. With the number of visitors from overseas growing, the industry is seeing the creation of new and varied market demand and its potential is expanding. However, on the business front, the industry is faced with a number of challenges, including a shortage of accommodation due to an aging and insufficient supply of facilities, the graying of facility operators and a pressing need for management succession planning. Regional businesses are also being called upon to develop new sightseeing resources and meet increasingly diverse tourist needs.
To help the industry take on these challenges, the ALL JAPAN Tourist Area Regeneration/Revitalization Fund was instituted in April 2018. The first domestic private fund of its kind, this megafund is uniquely designed to facilitate investment that transcends regional boundaries. Alongside other leading business corporations representing various industries, MUFG will collaborate with regional financial institutions to operate the fund, thereby promoting a thriving tourism industry and invigorated regional economies in all 47 prefectures nationwide. By doing so MUFG will actively contribute to Japan's industrial development and economic growth.
The number of investment projects totaled 37 (15 real estate investments and 22 venture investments). Some of these projects are listed below.
As of June 2026, the second fund has invested in 12 assets so far (5 real estate investments and 7 venture investments). Moving forward, we will continue to be active as a platform for the tourism industry and for regional revitalization.
