Joyo Bank Launches In-House Use of Business-Specific AI Agent 'JOYO AI AGENT'
Joyo Bank has launched 'JOYO AI AGENT,' a business-specific AI agent that operates in a closed environment completely isolated from the internet. The system, developed in collaboration with Athena Technologies, a startup from the Matsuo Lab, was implemented after a successful proof-of-concept confirmed its effectiveness in enhancing and streamlining business operations while ensuring the security of confidential and personal information. The bank aims to use this technology to improve management efficiency and contribute to regional growth.
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- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 11:04
Joyo Bank (President: Tetsuya Akino) announces the launch of "JOYO AI AGENT," a business-specific AI agent (local LLM) that operates in a closed environment completely isolated from the internet, with in-house use starting from March 26, 2026.
Since July 2025, the bank has been conducting a proof-of-concept experiment for the local LLM in collaboration with Athena Technologies, Inc. (CEO: Takeru Abe), a generative AI solutions startup from the Matsuo Lab*. The decision to introduce this system was made after the experiment confirmed its effectiveness in advancing and streamlining operations while protecting the bank's confidential information and customers' personal data.
The bank will continue to actively leverage the latest technologies to enhance management efficiency, establish a stable management foundation, and contribute to the sustainable growth of the local community by sharing the knowledge gained through its internal use.
*A "startup from the Matsuo Lab" refers to a select group of startups founded by alumni of the Matsuo Lab or with its support, recognized for their growth potential in both technology and business, who share the lab's philosophy and are committed to fostering future talent. (Registered Trademarks No. 6667237, No. 6710069)
### 1. Background and Features of "JOYO AI AGENT"
While there is a growing demand for operational efficiency using generative AI in banking, ensuring the security of data containing confidential and personal information is a critical challenge. "JOYO AI AGENT" achieves high security and reduces the risk of data leakage by building its generative AI system on a closed cloud environment, physically separated from the external internet. Furthermore, it is designed with scalability for adding new functions by implementing multiple specialized agents for different business use cases.
For ease of use, it features a "prompt-less" user interface where processes are executed simply by uploading a file and clicking a button. This allows bank employees without specialized AI knowledge to use the system smoothly.
### 2. Implemented Functions (Use Cases)
Along with building the AI agent platform, the following two functions, proven effective during the proof-of-concept, have been implemented. The bank plans to expand the available use cases for "JOYO AI AGENT" across various departments, including sales branches.
- **Translation** (Released March 2026): Performs high-quality translations (English/Japanese) of specialized documents, such as those in the financial sector, by accurately capturing technical terms and context.
- **Masking** (Released March 2026): In files containing personal or customer information, the AI detects and anonymizes confidential data. This allows the files to be used for data analysis with other AI tools where the input of such information is normally restricted.
- **Approval Document Review** (Trial Ongoing): Reviews loan approval documents based on pre-trained internal manuals.
- **Automatic Business Document Generation** (Trial Ongoing): Automatically generates draft documents for approval requests and reports by extracting necessary information from materials like financial statements.
### 3. Future Utilization of Generative AI
The bank is committed to creating an environment that maximizes the potential of generative AI and investing in human capital to enhance the skills of its employees. Through this initiative, the bank aims to achieve radical operational efficiency, creating more time to focus on core activities like customer service and strategic planning, and ultimately delivering higher quality services.
### 4. Athena Technologies, Inc. Company Overview
- **Name**: Athena Technologies, Inc.
- **Established**: December 5, 2023
- **Representative**: Takeru Abe, CEO
- **Location**: Soubunkan Bldg. 3F, 6-25-14 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
- **Business**: Research, development, design, planning, education, sales, maintenance, and consulting for AI.
- **URL**: https://athenatech.jp/
Since July 2025, the bank has been conducting a proof-of-concept experiment for the local LLM in collaboration with Athena Technologies, Inc. (CEO: Takeru Abe), a generative AI solutions startup from the Matsuo Lab*. The decision to introduce this system was made after the experiment confirmed its effectiveness in advancing and streamlining operations while protecting the bank's confidential information and customers' personal data.
The bank will continue to actively leverage the latest technologies to enhance management efficiency, establish a stable management foundation, and contribute to the sustainable growth of the local community by sharing the knowledge gained through its internal use.
*A "startup from the Matsuo Lab" refers to a select group of startups founded by alumni of the Matsuo Lab or with its support, recognized for their growth potential in both technology and business, who share the lab's philosophy and are committed to fostering future talent. (Registered Trademarks No. 6667237, No. 6710069)
### 1. Background and Features of "JOYO AI AGENT"
While there is a growing demand for operational efficiency using generative AI in banking, ensuring the security of data containing confidential and personal information is a critical challenge. "JOYO AI AGENT" achieves high security and reduces the risk of data leakage by building its generative AI system on a closed cloud environment, physically separated from the external internet. Furthermore, it is designed with scalability for adding new functions by implementing multiple specialized agents for different business use cases.
For ease of use, it features a "prompt-less" user interface where processes are executed simply by uploading a file and clicking a button. This allows bank employees without specialized AI knowledge to use the system smoothly.
### 2. Implemented Functions (Use Cases)
Along with building the AI agent platform, the following two functions, proven effective during the proof-of-concept, have been implemented. The bank plans to expand the available use cases for "JOYO AI AGENT" across various departments, including sales branches.
- **Translation** (Released March 2026): Performs high-quality translations (English/Japanese) of specialized documents, such as those in the financial sector, by accurately capturing technical terms and context.
- **Masking** (Released March 2026): In files containing personal or customer information, the AI detects and anonymizes confidential data. This allows the files to be used for data analysis with other AI tools where the input of such information is normally restricted.
- **Approval Document Review** (Trial Ongoing): Reviews loan approval documents based on pre-trained internal manuals.
- **Automatic Business Document Generation** (Trial Ongoing): Automatically generates draft documents for approval requests and reports by extracting necessary information from materials like financial statements.
### 3. Future Utilization of Generative AI
The bank is committed to creating an environment that maximizes the potential of generative AI and investing in human capital to enhance the skills of its employees. Through this initiative, the bank aims to achieve radical operational efficiency, creating more time to focus on core activities like customer service and strategic planning, and ultimately delivering higher quality services.
### 4. Athena Technologies, Inc. Company Overview
- **Name**: Athena Technologies, Inc.
- **Established**: December 5, 2023
- **Representative**: Takeru Abe, CEO
- **Location**: Soubunkan Bldg. 3F, 6-25-14 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
- **Business**: Research, development, design, planning, education, sales, maintenance, and consulting for AI.
- **URL**: https://athenatech.jp/