Tokyo, Japan
November 25, 2008

International Expansion Strategies of Japanese Financial Institutions

Report Published by Celent

Japanese financial institutions are pursuing aggressive expansion strategies abroad, due to increasing environmental and competitive pressures.  However, Japanese firms face a number of challenges in succeeding overseas.

Japanese institutions have reemerged onto the world stage as one of the few success stories in the subprime mortgage meltdown.  After a painful period of cost cutting and consolidation, firms are looking to regain their strength in the international arena.  A new report, International Expansion Strategies of Japanese Financial Institutions, analyzes new opportunities and risks as part of a broader look at the industry’s renewed focus on overseas operations.

Depressed economic growth in combination with a shrinking population, increased foreign competition, and an oversaturated financial services industry has forced Japanese institutions to seek new sources of revenue outside of their home market. Despite a commitment to overseas expansion, however, the international operations of Japanese institutions mostly generate lower margins than operations in the domestic market.

While Japanese firms suffered subprime-related losses, they have not been as severely affected as their Western counterparts.  In their relatively healthy state, firms can take advantage of lowered valuations of US and European companies to make inexpensive acquisitions and equity investments. While acquiring some of these distressed firms will likely be a good investment in the long-term, Japanese companies concerned about short-term returns should be cautious, considering the extreme volatility in the market.

“International expansion may be the key to success in the future, but Japanese firms need to start improving the profitability of their overseas ventures now,” says Lucy Cheng, Celent analyst and author of the report. “Their foreign operations must be able to stand on their own financially, especially as domestic business weakens.” This report looks at the 15 largest companies from the Japanese banking, securities, and insurance sectors and analyzes the strategies they have used to expand into foreign markets. 

The report also analyzes specific location criteria and entry strategies for Japanese financial firms entering or expanding into international financial services markets. The report assesses opportunities and risks in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, in addition to detailing potential opportunities in China, India, US, Brazil, UK, and Germany. 

The report is 70 pages long and contains 47 figures and 8 tables. A table of contents is available online.

 Members of Celent's research services can download the report electronically by clicking on the icon to the left. Non-members should contact info@celent.com for more information.

 

About Celent

Celent is a research and advisory firm dedicated to helping financial institutions formulate comprehensive business and technology strategies. Celent publishes reports identifying trends and best practices in financial services technology and conducts consulting engagements for financial institutions looking to use technology to enhance existing business processes or launch new business strategies. With a team of internationally experienced analysts, Celent is uniquely positioned to offer strategic advice and market insights on a global basis. Celent is a member of the Oliver Wyman Group, which is part of Marsh & McLennan Companies [NYSE: MMC].

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