# Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.: AI strategy

Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/mufg
Last updated: Oct 5, 2026

*Japan's largest bank group has made 'AI-native company' a pillar of its medium-term plan: ChatGPT Enterprise for about 35,000 MUFG Bank staff under a strategic OpenAI agreement, partnerships with Sakana AI and Google, 195 AI use cases implemented by March 2026 against a target above 400, and a disclosed investment-and-benefit scorecard.*

## How is MUFG using AI?

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Japan's largest bank group with total assets of ¥425.58 trillion at 31 March 2026, calls itself an 'AI-native company' in progress and publishes a scorecard for it. On 12 November 2025 MUFG Bank signed a strategic collaboration with OpenAI, moving from a trial begun in October 2024 to rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise to about 35,000 bank employees from January 2026; it signed a partnership with Sakana AI in May 2025 (and invested again in November 2025) and a retail-focused strategic alliance with Google on 7 May 2026 aimed at agentic commerce and payments. At its May 2026 results the group said it had implemented 195 AI use cases and that its CFO expected total AI investment during the current plan to exceed ¥70 billion with nearly ¥40 billion of benefits by the end of fiscal 2026. A MUFG AI Policy with nine principles was published in March 2025, and the annual report on Form 20-F filed in July 2026 carries an AI risk factor.

## At a glance

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Lead bank | MUFG Bank, Ltd. |
| Ticker | 8306 (TSE), MUFG (NYSE ADR) |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
| Home country | Japan |
| Total assets (as reported) | ¥425.58 trillion total assets (Mar 31, 2026) |
| Charter | Japanese bank holding company regulated under the Banking Act of Japan; lead supervisor the Financial Services Agency; designated a global systemically important bank (G-SIB) by the Financial Stability Board |

## Flagship platform: Hello AI@MUFG, ChatGPT Enterprise, Jinba and AI credit experts

MUFG runs AI through a group-wide adoption campaign called Hello AI@MUFG (13,000 participants from 41 group companies in FY2025), ChatGPT Enterprise and Copilot as general generative AI tools, Jinba (a general-purpose AI agent that builds workflows from natural-language instructions) and specialised AI credit experts developed with Sakana AI that help draft credit approval documents. For customers, MUFG is building an AI concierge and a Money Advisory Platform AI (MAP AI) for its Emut brand and a digital bank, MUFG Emut Bank, which received its banking licence on 24 September 2026 and is due to open to customers between January and March 2027. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/speech2603_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251112-001_ja.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260924-001_en.pdf))

## Key points

- OpenAI is the anchor partner: a memorandum signed on 15 October 2024 started ChatGPT Enterprise trials, and the 12 November 2025 agreement moves it to full operation, with about 35,000 MUFG Bank employees using it from January 2026, quarterly strategic reviews and early access to OpenAI's newest models.
- Sakana AI is the second bet: a partnership of more than three years signed on 19 May 2025, with Sakana AI co-founder Ren Ito retained as AI Advisor, and a second investment on 17 November 2025 that was expected to make MUFG Sakana AI's largest Japanese investor.
- Google arrives in 2026: on 7 May 2026 MUFG agreed a strategic alliance with Google in retail, starting with agentic commerce and agentic payments on Google Cloud; the group named Google and OpenAI as the outside AI partners behind its retail strategy at its 1 September 2026 Investors Day.
- The scorecard is public: 195 AI use cases implemented by the end of FY2025 (target more than 400), AI investment during the plan expected to exceed ¥70 billion, nearly ¥40 billion of expected benefits by the end of FY2026 according to the CFO, and 231 AI experts at the bank.
- The customer-facing layer is built around Emut, launched in June 2025: an AI concierge in the group's apps, an AI chat for account opening, a possible link to ChatGPT apps and agentic commerce support, and a digital bank licensed on 24 September 2026.
- Agents are entering credit and sales work: AI credit experts built with Sakana AI help draft credit approval documents, an 'AI Loan Expert' pilot has been tested, and the corporate bank describes AI agents supporting relationship managers before, during and after client meetings.
- Governance is formalised: the MUFG AI Policy (18 March 2025) lists nine principles from human-centricity to AI literacy, and the 20-F warns that AI controls may not fully mitigate risks such as biased outputs, data leakage and growing reliance on a limited number of third-party vendors.
- The Group CEO changed in April 2026: Junichi Hanzawa succeeded Hironori Kamezawa, who fronted the OpenAI and Sakana AI deals; Tadashi Yamamoto leads retail and digital and serves as Group Chief Digital Transformation Officer with an emphasis on AI implementation.

## Timeline

- Sep 24, 2026 — **MUFG Emut Bank licensed** The digital bank subsidiary receives its banking licence and is scheduled to start services around January to March 2027; the integrated report ties the digital bank to MAP AI. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260924-001_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf))
- Sep 1, 2026 — **Investors Day: AI agents for relationship managers** Group heads describe AI agents supporting corporate relationship managers end to end, JCIB tools such as Slide Generation AI and an AI assistant, and AI use in the global operations hub; the retail strategy names Google and OpenAI as AI partners. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2026/pdf/speech260901_en.pdf))
- Aug 24, 2026 — **MUFG Report 2026 sets out the AI-native agenda** The integrated report carries a feature article on AI initiatives, a CEO message from Junichi Hanzawa describing the goal of an AI-native organization, and AI use case and AI infrastructure KPIs. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf))
- Jul 16, 2026 — **Investment in Noetra** MUFG and MUFG Bank invest in Noetra, a company backed by Sony, SoftBank, NEC and Honda to build Japan-developed AI foundation models, citing sovereign AI. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260716-001_en.pdf))
- Jul 7, 2026 — **AI and satellite imagery for collateral appraisal** Nikkei Asia reports MUFG Bank plans to combine satellite imagery and AI to inspect real estate used as loan collateral from fiscal 2027, mainly for small-business loans. ([Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/companies/japan-s-mufg-bank-to-tap-ai-satellite-images-for-collateral-appraisals))
- Jul 6, 2026 — **Annual report on Form 20-F: AI risk factor** The 20-F for the year ended 31 March 2026 reports total assets of ¥425.58 trillion, describes the MUFG AI Policy, notes that outsourcing expenses rose 22.0% partly on AI, and adds a risk factor on AI use by MUFG and others. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (SEC Form 20-F)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/67088/000162828026047095/mufg-20260331.htm))
- May 19, 2026 — **FY2025 results: AI scorecard** MUFG reports 195 AI use cases implemented, says its AI-native transformation is outperforming plan, introduces Jinba and specialised AI credit experts, and the CFO says investment is expected to exceed ¥70 billion with nearly ¥40 billion of expected benefits by the end of fiscal 2026. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/speech2603_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf), [Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MUFG/earnings/MUFG-Q4-2026-earnings_call-536590.html))
- May 7, 2026 — **Strategic alliance with Google in retail** MUFG agrees a first phase focused on AI with Google Cloud: agentic commerce and agentic payments infrastructure on Google Cloud, Google Cloud AI for marketing analytics, and bundled Google services; Nikkei Asia reports pilot tests of Google AI on its financial platform in fiscal 2026. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260507-001_ja.pdf), [Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/japan-s-mufg-taps-google-s-gemini-ai-to-help-customers-shop-save))
- Jan 26, 2026 — **AI 'employees' alongside staff** Nikkei Asia reports MUFG will put AI assistants to work with staff from as soon as that month, to improve productivity on around 20 tasks. ([Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/japan-s-mufg-deploys-ai-employees-to-write-speeches-train-new-hires))
- Nov 17, 2025 — **Second investment in Sakana AI** MUFG joins Sakana AI's Series B, its second investment after Series A in 2024, expected to make it Sakana AI's largest Japanese investor. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251117-001_en.pdf))
- Nov 12, 2025 — **OpenAI strategic collaboration** MUFG Bank and OpenAI sign a strategic agreement: ChatGPT Enterprise for about 35,000 bank employees from January 2026, an AI champion programme, quarterly strategic reviews, and four retail measures (an AI concierge in MUFG apps, an AI chat for account opening, a possible Apps in ChatGPT link and agentic commerce support). ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251112-001_ja.pdf), [Bloomberg](https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-12/mufg-ties-up-with-openai-to-accelerate-ai-use-in-bank-services), [Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/mufg-to-link-apps-to-chatgpt-offer-ai-suggestions-for-household-finances))
- Sep 2, 2025 — **LayerX investment and partnership** MUFG Bank and MUFG Innovation Partners invest in LayerX; MUFG Bank has adopted LayerX's Ai Workforce platform as a foundation for AI-based business transformation to accelerate internal knowledge sharing. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250902-001_en.pdf))
- May 19, 2025 — **Sakana AI partnership and AI Advisor** MUFG and MUFG Bank sign a partnership of more than three years with Sakana AI, first applying The AI Scientist to automate complex internal and external documents, and retain Ren Ito as AI Advisor; Bloomberg reports a pilot of 6 to 12 months before wider deployment. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250519-001_en.pdf), [Bloomberg](https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-19/mufg-bank-to-use-startup-sakana-s-ai-tech-to-boost-operations), [Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Artificial-intelligence/Japan-s-Sakana-inks-AI-agent-deal-with-Mitsubishi-UFJ-Financial))
- Mar 18, 2025 — **MUFG AI Policy announced** A nine-principle policy: human-centric, reliability and safety, fairness, privacy, intellectual property, information security, transparency, accountability and AI literacy. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250318-001_en.pdf))
- Oct 15, 2024 — **OpenAI memorandum and ChatGPT Enterprise trial** MUFG signs a memorandum with OpenAI to apply its products to operations, starting with ChatGPT Enterprise trials covering web research, code and design-document generation with OpenAI o1, data analysis and custom GPTs. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2024/pdf/news-20241015-001_ja.pdf))

## Where AI runs

| Use case | What | Status | Detail | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Generative & agentic AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#generative-agentic-ai) | ChatGPT Enterprise for MUFG Bank staff | Rolling out | Rolled out from January 2026 to about 35,000 bank employees for document drafting, research, customer handling and analysis, alongside Copilot and a group-wide Hello AI@MUFG adoption campaign. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251112-001_ja.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf) |
| [Generative & agentic AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#generative-agentic-ai) | Jinba general-purpose agent and AI 'employees' | Rolling out | Jinba builds workflows from natural-language instructions to optimise cross-functional routine work; Nikkei Asia reports AI assistants working alongside staff on around 20 tasks. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/speech2603_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf), [Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/japan-s-mufg-deploys-ai-employees-to-write-speeches-train-new-hires) |
| [Credit scoring & underwriting](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#credit-underwriting) | AI credit experts and AI Loan Expert | Pilot | Specialised agents, developed with Sakana AI, that incorporate in-house tacit knowledge and help draft credit approval documents; the integrated report says a pilot verified gains in efficiency and quality in complex parts of the loan process, using more than 1,400 evaluations and comments from experienced staff. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/speech2603_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf) |
| [Credit scoring & underwriting](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#credit-underwriting) | AI and satellite imagery for collateral appraisal | Announced | A planned system for inspecting real estate collateral, due from fiscal 2027, that Nikkei Asia says MUFG Bank may share with regional banks. | [Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/companies/japan-s-mufg-bank-to-tap-ai-satellite-images-for-collateral-appraisals) |
| [Generative & agentic AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#generative-agentic-ai) | AI agents and tools for corporate relationship managers | Rolling out | JCIB has built Slide Generation AI, a proposal knowledge portal and an AI assistant used in daily operations; AI agents are planned to support relationship managers before, during and after client visits, including credit approval documentation. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2026/pdf/speech260901_en.pdf) |
| [Customer-facing chatbots](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#customer-chatbots) | AI concierge, AI account-opening chat and MAP AI for Emut | Announced | An AI concierge inside MUFG apps, an AI chat for account opening and the Money Advisory Platform AI at WealthNavi feed an AI-native digital bank due to open around January to March 2027. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251112-001_ja.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260924-001_en.pdf) |
| [Customer-facing chatbots](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#customer-chatbots) | Agentic commerce and agentic payments with Google Cloud and ChatGPT | Announced | Payment infrastructure on Google Cloud for AI agents that support purchase, payment and financial decisions, and a possible connection to Apps in ChatGPT and the Agentic Commerce Protocol. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260507-001_ja.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251112-001_ja.pdf), [Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/japan-s-mufg-taps-google-s-gemini-ai-to-help-customers-shop-save) |
| [Customer-facing chatbots](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#customer-chatbots) | AI in call centres and customer support | In production | Call-centre AI for corporate and retail clients is listed as a major use case; at WealthNavi an AI support tool cut the time to prepare customer email responses by 20%, bringing average response time to roughly two-thirds. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf) |
| [Model risk management](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#model-risk) | MUFG AI Policy and AI risk management | In production | A nine-principle AI Policy and, per the 20-F, a controls framework for appropriate, reliable and secure AI use that the bank says may not fully mitigate risks. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250318-001_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (SEC Form 20-F)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/67088/000162828026047095/mufg-20260331.htm) |
| [Third-party & vendor AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#third-party-vendors) | Equity and partnership stakes in AI companies | In production | Investments in Sakana AI (twice), LayerX and Noetra, plus partnerships with OpenAI and Google, tie the group's AI roadmap to a handful of outside providers, a concentration the 20-F flags as a risk. | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251117-001_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250902-001_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260716-001_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (SEC Form 20-F)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/67088/000162828026047095/mufg-20260331.htm) |

## Disclosed numbers

| Measure | Value | As of | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Total assets | ¥425.58 trillion | Mar 31, 2026 | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (SEC Form 20-F)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/67088/000162828026047095/mufg-20260331.htm) |
| AI use cases implemented (cumulative; generative AI, machine learning, SaaS and others) | 195 (target above 400 by the end of FY2026) | Mar 31, 2026 | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf) |
| Expected benefit from AI (cumulative estimate, including deemed effects) | ¥20.7 billion at FY2025; nearly ¥40 billion expected by the end of FY2026 | Mar 31, 2026 | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf), [Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MUFG/earnings/MUFG-Q4-2026-earnings_call-536590.html) |
| Total AI investment during the current medium-term plan | expected to exceed ¥70 billion | May 19, 2026 | [Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MUFG/earnings/MUFG-Q4-2026-earnings_call-536590.html) |
| AI experts at the bank (cumulative) | 231 (FY2026 target 355) | Mar 31, 2026 | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf) |
| Hello AI@MUFG participants in FY2025 | 13,000 from 41 group companies | Mar 31, 2026 | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf) |
| MUFG Bank employees to use ChatGPT Enterprise | about 35,000 | Jan 31, 2026 | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251112-001_ja.pdf) |
| Increase in outsourcing expenses, including AI-related | 22.0% (fiscal year ended 31 March 2026) | Mar 31, 2026 | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (SEC Form 20-F)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/67088/000162828026047095/mufg-20260331.htm) |
| Group employees | about 150,000 | Nov 17, 2025 | [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251117-001_en.pdf) |

## Quotes

> "Our goal is to become an AI-native organization, integrating its power into daily operations and decisions as a partner to help expand the range of individuals’ thought process." — Junichi Hanzawa, President & Group CEO, Aug 24, 2026 ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf))

> "At MUFG, AI should be viewed not merely as a tool for streamlining individual tasks but as a partner in enhancing employees’ skills." — Tadashi Yamamoto, Group Head, Retail & Digital Business Group and Group CDTO, Aug 24, 2026 ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf))

> "we anticipate that nearly JPY 40 billion in expected benefits will materialize early by the end of fiscal 2026." — Jun Togawa, Group Chief Financial Officer, May 19, 2026 ([Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MUFG/earnings/MUFG-Q4-2026-earnings_call-536590.html))

> "By leveraging our extensive transaction data and flexibly collaborating with external partners, such as Google and OpenAI that possess the latest AI technologies, we will accelerate the integration of AI into our services" — Junichi Hanzawa, President & Group CEO, Sep 1, 2026 ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2026/pdf/speech260901_en.pdf))

## Who runs AI

- **Junichi Hanzawa** — President & Group CEO (since April 2026; previously President and CEO of MUFG Bank) ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2026/pdf/speech260901_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260507-001_ja.pdf))
- **Hironori Kamezawa** — Chairman of the Board; President & Group CEO when the OpenAI and Sakana AI agreements were signed ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251112-001_ja.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf), [Nikkei Asia](https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Artificial-intelligence/Japan-s-Sakana-inks-AI-agent-deal-with-Mitsubishi-UFJ-Financial))
- **Tadashi Yamamoto** — Senior Managing Corporate Executive, Group Head of the Retail & Digital Business Group and Group Chief Digital Transformation Officer (CDTO) ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf), [MUFG Innovation Partners (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group)](https://ip.mufg.jp/en/insights/mq6l8s25i))
- **Ren Ito** — AI Advisor to MUFG (Chairman, Sakana AI K.K.) ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250519-001_en.pdf), [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf))
- **Jun Togawa** — Group Chief Financial Officer (presented the AI investment and benefit figures) ([Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MUFG/earnings/MUFG-Q4-2026-earnings_call-536590.html))
- **Hideaki Takase** — Head of the Japanese Corporate & Investment Banking (JCIB) Business Group ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2026/pdf/speech260901_en.pdf))
- **Kazuhisa Shibayama** — Chief Executive Officer, WealthNavi Inc. (MUFG group company developing MAP AI) ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf))
- **Kunihiro Yamashita** — Chief Executive Officer, MUFG Emut Bank, Ltd. ([Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.](https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260924-001_en.pdf))

## Regulators it answers to

- Financial Services Agency of Japan — The FSA is MUFG's home supervisor for capital, G-SIB loss-absorbing requirements and conduct; the 20-F says AI-related laws, regulations, guidelines and supervisory expectations may keep evolving in ways that vary across jurisdictions.
- [FSB](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/fsb) — The Financial Stability Board identifies MUFG as a G-SIB, so group-wide agentic AI and third-party model dependence sit inside the FSB's AI monitoring and sound-practices work. See [FSB AI sound practices consultation (June 2026)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fsb-ai-sound-practices-consultation-2026).
- [Basel Committee](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/basel-committee) — As a G-SIB applying Basel III, MUFG's shared AI data platforms and dependence on external AI providers engage the BCBS 239 risk-data aggregation principles. See [BCBS 239](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/bcbs-239).
- [Federal Reserve](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/federal-reserve) — MUFG Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking operate US branches and the group owns MUFG Americas Holdings, so AI used by US operations falls under Fed model-risk expectations. See [SR 11-7](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fed-sr-11-7).
- [ECB](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/ecb) — MUFG plans a universal bank in Amsterdam by merging MUFG Securities (Europe) N.V. into MUFG Bank (Europe) N.V. in the 2026/27 fiscal year, bringing its EU activity under euro-area supervision, whose 2026-28 priorities cover digitalisation and AI. See [SSM supervisory priorities 2026–28](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ecb-ssm-supervisory-priorities-2026-28).
- [EU AI Act](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/eu-ai-act) — AI used for EU clients by the planned Amsterdam universal bank, for example in credit decisions, would fall under the EU AI Act's high-risk rules. See [Regulation (EU) 2024/1689](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/eu-ai-act-regulation-2024-1689).

## What the record suggests

### A disclosed scorecard, with soft edges

Counting 195 use cases, investment above ¥70 billion and nearly ¥40 billion of benefits is more than most banks publish. The slide defines benefits as estimates that include deemed effects and says the numbers are tentative, so how much is realised cost saving or revenue is not visible yet.

### Two lab partners, one domestic start-up bet, one cloud-and-consumer alliance

OpenAI supplies the staff and retail layer, Sakana AI the agent and credit work, Google the commerce and payments rails. The 20-F names reliance on a limited number of vendors, clouds or models as a risk, which this mix both diversifies and exposes.

### Customer-facing AI is mostly still announced

The AI concierge, account-opening chat and agentic payments are tied to the digital bank opening in early 2027 and to Google and ChatGPT integrations, whereas staff-side tools are already in use. The next evidence to watch is usage after launch.

### Agents are being scoped to knowledge work first

Credit approval documents, relationship-manager preparation and global operations are the first named agent targets, with human decision-makers kept in the loop in how MUFG describes them. That sequencing mirrors where document-heavy work is densest.

## FAQ

### How is MUFG using AI?

MUFG reports 195 AI use cases implemented by the end of FY2025 (March 2026), ChatGPT Enterprise for about 35,000 MUFG Bank employees from January 2026, a general-purpose agent called Jinba, AI credit experts built with Sakana AI, and AI features planned for its Emut brand and digital bank. Its CFO expects investment above ¥70 billion and nearly ¥40 billion of benefits by the end of fiscal 2026.

### Does MUFG partner with OpenAI?

Yes. MUFG signed a memorandum with OpenAI on 15 October 2024 and a strategic collaboration on 12 November 2025 covering ChatGPT Enterprise for about 35,000 MUFG Bank employees, quarterly strategic reviews and joint work on retail customer services. It also formed a strategic alliance with Google on 7 May 2026.

### Who leads AI at MUFG?

Junichi Hanzawa has been President & Group CEO since April 2026, after Hironori Kamezawa. Tadashi Yamamoto, Group Head of Retail & Digital and Group CDTO, leads the digital transformation with an emphasis on AI implementation. Ren Ito of Sakana AI serves as AI Advisor.

### Does MUFG have an AI policy?

Yes. The MUFG AI Policy, announced on 18 March 2025, sets nine principles: human-centric, reliability and safety, fairness, privacy, intellectual property, information security, transparency, accountability and AI literacy. The 2026 annual report on Form 20-F also carries a risk factor on AI.

## Sources (23)

1. OpenAI 社との生成 AI を用いた金融業務の高度化・効率化の取り組み開始について — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Oct 15, 2024. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2024/pdf/news-20241015-001_ja.pdf
2. OpenAI and MUFG collaboration: Achieving AI transformation through strategic partnership - MUIP Innovation Day 2024 (1/2) — MUFG Innovation Partners (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group), Dec 3, 2024. https://ip.mufg.jp/en/insights/mq6l8s25i
3. Announcement of the MUFG AI Policy — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Mar 18, 2025. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250318-001_en.pdf
4. MUFG Enters Partnership Agreement with Sakana AI — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., May 19, 2025. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250519-001_en.pdf
5. MUFG Bank to Use Startup Sakana’s AI to Boost Operations — Bloomberg, May 19, 2025. https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-19/mufg-bank-to-use-startup-sakana-s-ai-tech-to-boost-operations
6. Japan's Sakana inks AI agent deal with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial — Nikkei Asia, May 19, 2025. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Artificial-intelligence/Japan-s-Sakana-inks-AI-agent-deal-with-Mitsubishi-UFJ-Financial
7. MUFG Invests in LayerX — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Sep 2, 2025. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20250902-001_en.pdf
8. AIを活用した業務改革およびリテール領域の新サービス創出に向けた取り組みについて — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Nov 12, 2025. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251112-001_ja.pdf
9. MUFG Ties Up With OpenAI to Accelerate AI Use in Bank Services — Bloomberg, Nov 12, 2025. https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-12/mufg-ties-up-with-openai-to-accelerate-ai-use-in-bank-services
10. MUFG to link apps to ChatGPT, offer AI suggestions for household finances — Nikkei Asia, Nov 12, 2025. https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/mufg-to-link-apps-to-chatgpt-offer-ai-suggestions-for-household-finances
11. MUFG To Make Additional Investment in Sakana AI — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Nov 17, 2025. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2025/pdf/news-20251117-001_en.pdf
12. Japan's MUFG deploys 'AI employees' to write speeches, train new hires — Nikkei Asia, Jan 26, 2026. https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/japan-s-mufg-deploys-ai-employees-to-write-speeches-train-new-hires
13. MUFGとGoogleのリテール領域における戦略的提携について — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., May 7, 2026. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260507-001_ja.pdf
14. Japan's MUFG taps Google's Gemini AI to help customers shop, save — Nikkei Asia, May 7, 2026. https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/japan-s-mufg-taps-google-s-gemini-ai-to-help-customers-shop-save
15. FY2025 IR Presentation: Speech Script — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., May 19, 2026. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/speech2603_en.pdf
16. FY2025 IR Presentation: Presentation Material — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., May 19, 2026. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2025/pdf/slides2603_en.pdf
17. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, (MUFG) Q4 FY2026 earnings call transcript — Yahoo Finance, May 19, 2026. https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MUFG/earnings/MUFG-Q4-2026-earnings_call-536590.html
18. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (SEC Form 20-F), Jul 6, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/67088/000162828026047095/mufg-20260331.htm
19. Japan's MUFG Bank to tap AI, satellite images for collateral appraisals — Nikkei Asia, Jul 7, 2026. https://asia.nikkei.com/business/companies/japan-s-mufg-bank-to-tap-ai-satellite-images-for-collateral-appraisals
20. MUFG to Invest in Noetra — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Jul 16, 2026. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260716-001_en.pdf
21. MUFG Report 2026 (Integrated Report) — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Aug 24, 2026. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/report/annual_report/pdf/ir2026_all_en.pdf
22. MUFG Investors Day 2026: Speech Script — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Sep 1, 2026. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/ir/presentation/2026/pdf/speech260901_en.pdf
23. MUFG Subsidiary Receives Banking License, Changes Name to MUFG Emut Bank — Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Sep 24, 2026. https://www.mufg.jp/dam/pressrelease/2026/pdf/news-20260924-001_en.pdf

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