Transforming and developing a bank, the Japanese way

[Singapore] Mizuho Bank in Singapore may not be a household name to the man in the street. That is probably because the bank which is part of Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group caters to corporate clients – some 3,000 of them – and not retail customers. 

Singapore is key to the Japanese bank, with its Asia-Pacific headquarters established in the Republic in April 2023. The headquarters oversees 14 locations in the region, including Hong Kong, Bangkok and India.

The bank employs more than 1,000 professionals in Singapore. About 550 focus on the Singapore country operations while the rest are involved in the regional business. 

In October 2023, Singaporean Josephine Lok became Mizuho Bank Singapore’s first female CEO, reporting to the managing executive officer and Asia-Pacific CEO Koichi Zaiki.

Lok was previously the Singapore chief operating officer at Swiss wealth giant UBS where she helped implement critical operational strategies.