Sumitomo Mitsui Bank opened a new startup incubation hub in the Kansai region, homed within the JAM BASE innovation facility—a public-private-academic collaboration space in Osaka's Umeda area. The hub aims to push cutting-edge technologies developed at local universities to encourage researchers and students to start their own businesses. It will also serve as a mediator to facilitate collaboration between emerging companies and large corporations.

Five bank employees will be assigned as staff. While the initial plan called for a smaller staff, Toshihiro Michioka, Deputy President, decided to increase the number of personnel, stating, “A half-hearted lineup would not function properly.”

In the Kansai region, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank took the lead in establishing the startup support organization Kansai Innovation Center in 2021. Nippon Life Insurance also plans to establish a startup support hub by spring 2026.

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