「NTTドコモ」銀行ぎんこう業ぎょう参入さんにゅうへ「住じゅう信しんSBIネット銀行ぎんこう」買収ばいしゅうで調整ちょうせい

It has been revealed that NTT Docomo is in the final stages of negotiations to acquire major online bank Sumishin SBI Net Bank as part of its entry into the banking industry.

They plan to acquire a majority of the shares and make it a subsidiary, and if realized, competition in the financial sector among major telecommunications companies is likely to intensify even further.

NTT DOCOMO is the only major mobile carrier that does not have a bank under its group, and President Yoshiaki Maeda has indicated a policy of aiming to enter the banking business through acquisitions and other means.

According to sources, final arrangements are being made to acquire a majority of shares in the major internet bank SBI Sumishin Net Bank and make it a subsidiary.

Major mobile carriers are leveraging their customer base to offer financial services through group-affiliated banks and securities companies.

On the other hand, it has been pointed out that Docomo is lagging behind in this field, so far having made securities firms and card loan companies its subsidiaries, and has been working to strengthen its financial services such as investments and personal loans.

By acquiring Sumishin SBI Net Bank, a major online bank with deposits exceeding 9 trillion yen, there is an aim to attract bank customers to their own services and compete with other companies, so competition in the financial sector among major telecommunications companies is likely to become even more intense.

Major telecommunications companies are intensifying competition in their financial businesses. Leveraging their mobile phone customer base, these companies aim to expand their economic sphere by linking smartphone payments and reward points with financial services, resulting in increasingly fierce competition.

In January of this year, KDDI and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, who had jointly invested in and operated a bank and a securities company, each made the bank and the securities company wholly owned subsidiaries—KDDI took full ownership of the bank, while Mitsubishi took full ownership of the securities company—in order to concentrate their management resources.

SoftBank has a bank, a securities company, and a credit card company under its group’s major smartphone payment company.

On May 15, it was announced that they would form a partnership with a credit card company under the umbrella of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group in the fields of financial services and digital business.

Rakuten Group has banks, securities companies, and credit card companies under its umbrella.

In addition to collaborating with Mizuho Financial Group in the securities business, last year, a credit card company under the Rakuten Group entered into a capital and business alliance to strengthen their cooperation.

On the other hand, NTT Docomo has made securities companies and card loan companies its subsidiaries, but it does not have a bank, and it has been pointed out that it is lagging behind.