Mumbai : State Bank of India (SBI), India’s
largest commercial bank, and MUFG Bank, Ltd., (MUFG) Japan’s premier global
financial institution, today announced the signing of a Strategic Partnership
Agreement to advance bilateral financial collaboration and strengthen the
India–Japan economic corridor. The agreement aims to enhance mutual
collaboration by further leveraging the complementary strengths of both
institutions to facilitate cross-border capital flows, create new synergistic
financing opportunities and support sustainable economic growth across two of
Asia’s largest economies.
The alliance combines
SBI’s unparalleled domestic reach and market leadership in India with MUFG’s
extensive global network and cross-border structuring expertise, to support Japanese
corporates expanding in India as well as Indian enterprises pursuing
international growth, including entry into Japan and other global markets.
Building on a Strong Foundation
The partnership builds on a strong and
expanding track record of collaboration between MUFG and SBI. Recently, SBI
launched a USD 500 million + Greenshoe syndicated Gender loan facility to
advance women’s economic empowerment, which is the largest gender‑themed loan
by a financial institution globally and is arranged by MUFG. This builds on
MUFG’s role in 2023 as Lead Social Loan
Coordinator and Arranger for SBI’s inaugural USD 1 billion social loan in 2023,
which is the largest social loan by a Bank in APAC. MUFG has also engaged with SBI
CHAKRA Centre of Excellence (CoE) under its Project Finance & Structuring
function, supporting the development of financing frameworks for India’s
priority sunrise sectors aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
Through this agreement, the MUFG–SBI
alliance is underpinned by a formalized and structured framework to further
scale cooperation across priority industries and cross‑border opportunities.
Key Areas of Collaboration
With the
partnership, SBI and MUFG will explore collaboration in structuring and
financing projects with a specific focus on sectors such as M&A, Aviation
and Real Estate finance to support Indian and Global clients. The banks will also
cooperate on M&A advisory, trade finance and retail banking solutions,
facilitating Japanese corporate linked potential inbound and outbound
transactions by leveraging SBI’s deep expertise in the Indian market and MUFG’s
extensive global network.
Both banks will also help facilitate the introduction of Indian mid-corporates
and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to Japanese corporate clients,
identifying financing opportunities that deepen transaction-level
collaboration.
A Strategic
Partnership
The partnership aligns with the broader India-Japan “Special Strategic and
Global Partnership” and supports the India-Japan Joint Vision for the Next
Decade, which outlines a shared roadmap to deepen economic integration and long
term investment between the two countries. Rising Japanese investment into
India across infrastructure, manufacturing and emerging sectors, alongside the growing
global ambitions of Indian corporates, underscores the need for coordinated
financial platforms capable of supporting long-term capital formation.
Takuya Senoo, Regional Executive for India & Sri Lanka, MUFG Bank,
Ltd., said: “India represents one of the most compelling
growth markets globally, and the India–Japan corridor continues to deepen. We
are witnessing strong momentum from Japanese companies expanding their presence
in India, alongside increasing global ambition from Indian enterprises. Through
our partnership with SBI, MUFG aims to provide integrated cross-border
solutions that support both inbound investment into India and outbound
expansion by Indian corporates. This collaboration reflects our long-term
commitment to strengthening economic ties between Japan and India.”
Kishore Kumar Poludasu, Deputy Managing Director, International Banking
Group, State Bank of India, said: “This strategic partnership
brings together two institutions of scale and systemic importance in our
respective markets. As trade and investment flows between India and Japan
continue to expand, our collaboration with MUFG enhances our ability to provide
comprehensive financing and advisory solutions to clients operating across both
jurisdictions. We view this as a natural progression of our existing working
relationship and a platform for deeper engagement across priority sectors.”
This partnership reflects the shared commitment of
both institutions to the Indian economic growth story towards the culmination
of the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. By synergizing SBI's unparalleled domestic
reach as the national banking champion along with MUFG's prominent
international footprint, the partnership will serve as a vital bridge for
investment flows and industrial collaboration between two of the largest global
economies.