Contribution Activities
Donations by Officers and Employees
SMBC Group Rising Fund
SMBC Group Rising Fund is a reserve fund that is deducted monthly from the salaries of volunteer executives and employees. As of March 2024, approximately 7,300 people had joined the program, and the company has also contributed a portion of the money to the fund.
This fund was operated solely by the bank until FY2020, but from FY2021, it has been expanded to include Group companies in order to contribute to solving increasingly complex social issues by creating a social impact. In selecting donation recipients, we have introduced a system of public solicitation, which includes document screening, presentations by organizations, and voting by officers and employees, resulting in the donation of approximately 15 million yen in FY2023.
In FY 2023, we conducted a social impact assessment for the SMBC Group Rising Fund. We visualized the degree of contribution to solving social issues and verified that the activities are sustainable. Additionally, we aim for the organizations we support to learn the mechanism of social impact assessment, enabling them to visualize their project outcomes and lead to improvements and advancements in more impactful projects. For the implementation, we collaborated with the specified nonprofit organization Social Value Japan.
"Yakusoku no Mori" Initiatives
SMBC Consumer Finance introduced the "Yakusoku no Mori” (yakusoku meaning promise in Japanese) in 2007 as a system that allows employees to actively participate in social contribution by choosing their own donation recipients and monthly donation amounts, which are deducted from their salaries. Donation recipients can be selected from child welfare facility subsidy projects for the future of children (Zenkoku Jido Yougo Shisetsu Kyogikai), child self-reliance support projects (Zenkoku Jiritsu Enjo Home Kyogikai), and hearing dog training projects (Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People). The company also adopts a matching gift system, where it contributes additional funds on top of the employees' donation amounts.
Social Contribution Activities overseas
SMBC Group Global Volunteer Day
According to the International Day of Volunteers (December 5) designated by the United Nations, we held SMBC Group Global Volunteer Day, a volunteer event in collaboration with our overseas offices. In Japan, on 6 December, we conducted volunteer activities such as pasting green stamps onto dedicated sheets for donation, helding a fair trade products sale, and collecting used clothes that contributed to vaccine donations. In addition, during a period of the International Volunteer Day, various volunteer activities were conducted at each of our overseas locations.
JAPAN
USA
U.K.
Hong Kong
INDONESIA
Singapore
MUMBAI
BANGKOK
TAIPEI
HANOI
HO CHI MINH
MANILA
Vocational training programs in Indonesia
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Supported
Vocational schools
6 carriculum
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Number of enrolled
students
Approx. 2,100 (total)
In Indonesia, SMBC has been promoting vocational training programs at the national and regional government level for the purpose of economic development. On March 26, 2015, SMBC and PT Bank Sumitomo Mitsui Indonesia(current BTPN) signed a memorandum of understanding on promotion of CSR activities in Indonesia with the Djarum Foundation in the Djarum Group, one of Indonesia's major corporate conglomerates.
With the signing of this memorandum, as part of our contribution to the field of education, we have made donations to vocational training schools in marine studies, nursing, and animation, provided gifts from our employees, and collaborated with our business partners to support the enhancement of educational programs. Additionally, since 2022, we have been conducting financial and economic education for students at the same vocational training school, provided by BTPN.
Support through the SMBC Foundation for International Cooperation
In 1990, the SMBC Foundation for International Cooperation was established for the purpose of developing capable individuals and facilitating intercultural exchange that could contribute to economic growth in the Asian region. Since its outset, the Foundation have provided over 100 Asian graduate students with an opportunity to study at Japanese universities via a scholarship every year.
Also, the Foundation provides financial support to research institutions and researchers that are involved in activities for economic growth in developing countries.
Other Social Contribution Activities
Participation in the "TABLE FOR TWO" Program
"Table for two" （TFT）means two people sharing the same table for a meal, and based on this concept the TFT movement seeks to bring health both to children in developing countries suffering from hunger or a lack of nutrition and people in developed countries suffering from lifestyle diseases such as obesity. When employees purchase one of the healthy meal options at the staff cafeteria, a donation of 20 yen, worth one school lunch in a developing country, is made via the NPO "TABLE FOR TWO International." SMBC has introduced this program at all of its domestic offices and branches as well as its New York Branch*.
Sumitomo Mitsui Card has done likewise at five offices including the head office, while SMBC Consumer Finance, the Japan Research Institute have introduced this program at their respective head offices.
In addition, "Global Connection TABLE FOR TWO" vending machines make it possible to donate just by buying a low-calorie drink, sports drink or other high-function beverage or a vegetable juice or healthy 100% juice drink, for example. The vending machines have been installed at SMBC group companies, including SMBC, SMFL, SMBC Nikko Securities and SMBC Trust Bank.
* Participates through a bento lunch box sales provider that is a partner company of TFT
Donation to WFP School Meal Programs
SMBC Trust Bank donates a portion of sales from beverage vending machines (10 yen per drink) located in the Okinawa Office to the School Meals Program* operated by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
* The United Nations WFP School Meals Program has provided school meals in developing countries for more than 40 years. A donation of 30 yen provides a day’s worth of meals, and providing these meals improves the nutritional status of children. In addition, parents can send their children to school because they can eat free meals there, which also leads to better learning opportunities for children.
Touch Happy
Sumitomo Mitsui Card makes donations to organizations that address various social issues through Visa touch payments.
Since its launch in February 2020, Touch Happy has focused on social issues of poverty and inequality, such as food safety, children's learning support, and has now expanded its support to include disaster prevention education, forest conservation, marine pollution, and other social issues.
In-house sales of fair trade products
Since fiscal 2022, SMBC Nikko Securities has held in-house sales meetings for fair trade products in cooperation with external organizations. We support the creation of a just society by addressing poverty and inequality through the purchase of fair-trade products.
Sponsoring for the Furano Field
Presided over by the writer So Kuramoto, Furano Nature School has been conducting a "nature return project", which involves tree planting in a closed golf course since the spring of 2006 to restore it back to its original forest, as well as an "environmental education program" using that field. Sharing the vision of Mr. Kuramoto, we provide support to the activities of the "SMBC Environmental Education Program" operated by the NPO Corporation C･C･C Furano Nature School.
(You will be taken to the Furano Field site.)
Providing Children's Educational Materials on SDGs
The SMBC Group provides case studies that can be utilized for learning in the children's educational material "SDGs Start Book" regarding the SDGs. This material clearly introduces how banks are tackling environmental issues, including climate change. This educational material is distributed free of charge to elementary and junior high schools, and the content is also made available on the SDGs learning website "EduTown SDGs".
Support for Blind Soccer
As part of its support for para-sports, SMBC Nikko is a supporter of blind soccer. The Japan Blind Football Association envisions realizing a society through blind soccer in which people with and without visual impairments interact with each other as a matter of course, and this aspiration matches SMBC Nikko's management philosophy of respect for diversity and its stance towards diversity. SMBC Nikko and the Japan Blind Football Association have concluded a partnership agreement, and company executives and employees volunteer as staff at tournaments and at kids' training events.
Support for Goal Ball
SMBC Trust Bank has been supporting the Japan Goalball Association since August 2016, and has become the official top partner since April 2022. SMBC Trust Bank supports the expansion and further development of goalball and sports for people with disabilities by hosting trial sessions, sending employee volunteer staff to tournaments, and other efforts.
Vocational program products sale to support people with disabilities
SMFL has held special sales of vocational program products produced by the Setagaya Community Workshop and Cookie Studio Orange house for a total of 16 times since fiscal 2015, and each times many employees have purchased their products.
Vocational program products are produced as a part of work training programs at local community centers and facilities for people with disabilities. A portion of the sales proceeds is used to pay the wages of the people with disabilities who make them, and so the program also helps the workers establish independence. Through purchases of vocational training products by employees, SMFL will continue this effort to help build a society where everyone can live together safely and securely.