22 February 2017, Makati City, Philippines — Security Bank Corporation (SBC) and Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) hosted their first joint Business Matching Fair on Wednesday, February 22, at Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Close to 200 meetings between the banks’ Japanese, Philippine and Southeast Asian corporate clients were arranged during the one-day fair.
“Our partnership with MUFG helps facilitate cooperation and provides access to the global marketplace for our clients; our combined strengths now serve as an avenue for Japanese and Filipino businesses to meet and discuss how to further develop opportunities that will help our economies,” said SBC President and Chief Executive Officer Alfonso Salcedo, Jr.
The Business Matching Fair saw clients from various sectors: FMCG products (distribution and manufacturing), healthcare and medical equipment, real estate development, agriculture and seafood products among others.
“The Philippine market is very important to MUFG and our strategic alliance with SBC helps us better reach out to local corporates here and support Japanese investment within the country. By jointly hosting this first-ever networking session, we hope to foster new relationships and contribute to greater business collaboration between companies from both countries,” said MUFG’s Manila Branch General Manager Tadahiro Miyamoto.
The business matching sessions ended with a cocktail reception where Secretary of Trade and Industry Ramon Lopez, PEZA Director General Charito Booc Plaza, and Minister for Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Japan Makoto Iyori were present, together with SBC and MUFG clients and executives.
Security Bank is one of the Philippines’ leading universal banks serving retail, commercial, corporate and institutional clients.
MUFG is one of the world’s leading financial groups with total assets of US$3.02 trillion as of December 2016. Its presence in the Philippines dates back to over 60 years and the bank currently serves 80 percent of all Japanese companies operating in the country.
The Business Matching Fair is one of the major joint efforts that Security Bank and MUFG have embarked on this year following their announcement of a strategic partnership in January 2016.