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October 18, 2011

Commerzbank celebrates 50 years in Japan

● First German bank in Tokyo (1961) remains strongly committed to Japan

● Corporate customer business targeting continued double-digit annual growth


Commerzbank AG, Germany's second largets bank, is celebrating 50 years in Japan. "For half a century, our branch in Tokyo has been a point of entry to the flourishing Japanese economy for both us and our German customers and we are delighted that a growing number of Japanese companies use Commerzbank to help them access markets in Europe" commented Markus Beumer, the Member of the Board of Managing Directors responsible for Commerzbank's global corporate customer business, at the anniversary reception in Tokyo. During this period both Japan and Europe have experienced their ups and downs, but Japan and the wider Asian region remains a key pillar of Commerzbank's international network and international strategy. "We have been growing strongly in Japan and we want to continue to see double-digit growth in the coming years," Markus Beumer stressed.

Commerzbank opened a representative office in Tokyo in 1961, which became a branch in 1997. The branch now has 50 employees in Japan, most of them Japanese, and over 200 corporate customers, ranging from German companies with branches or factories in Japan to Japanese companies that operate in Germany and Europe or have subsidiaries there. In addition to Japan, Commerzbank's presence in Asia includes four branches in China, one in Singapore as well as representative offices in more than a dozen countries.

Commerzbank's product range in Japan covers all corporate banking requirements. This includes local and international payment transactions, investment loans and export financing, plus hedging against interest and currency risks. The Corporates & Markets business unit is also an approved market maker on the Tokyo Financial Exchange (TFX) and a leading player on the exchange offering execution in 26 currency pairs. Commerzbank Corporates & Markets is also one of the first market makers of Non Deliverable Forwards in Japan, offering electronic cross currency trading of Yen against Chinese Yuan, Korean Won, and Indian Rupee.

"In these challenging times, we want to stress our commitment to Japan and the Japanese people," said Andreas Schwung, Country Manager Japan for Commerzbank's Mittelstandsbank. Andreas Schwung praised the work of the Japanese team and the response of Japanese society in general in the wake of the devastating earthquake in March this year.

As a small expression of solidarity, Markus Beumer presented a cheque for EUR 50,000 to the HELP and JEN relief organisations, which are helping local companies to rebuild the town of Ishinomaki, which was virtually wiped out by the tsunami. Back in April, Commerzbank donated EUR 100,000 to the CARE organisation, most of which came from employee contributions.

Economists at Commerzbank believe that prospects are good for the Japanese economy. The financial repercussions of the earthquake in March have not been as severe as initially feared, and growth has since resumed in the country. Commerzbank is predicting 2.3 percent growth in 2012. "Many of our customers in Japan want to expand their international activities. That is a good sign for Japan and for our Japanese business," said Markus Beumer.


Press contact:
Martin Halusa +49 170 8528638


o find out more, visit the new Mittelstand website at http://www.msb-management.commerzbank.de


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About Commerzbank

Commerzbank is a leading bank for private and corporate customers in Germany. With the segments Private Clients, Mittelstandsbank, Corporates & Markets, Central & Eastern Europe as well as Asset Based Finance, the Bank offers its customers an attractive product portfolio, and is a strong partner for the export-oriented SME sector in Germany and worldwide. With a future total of some 1,200 retail branches, Commerzbank has one of the densest networks of branches among German private banks. It has above 60 sites in 50 countries and serves more than 14 million private clients as well as one million business and corporate clients worldwide. In 2010 it posted gross revenues of EUR 12.7 billion with some 59,100 employees.

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