The Japan Research Institute and ULS Consulting Form Comprehensive Partnership to Promote AI-Driven Digital Transformation

The Japan Research Institute, Limited (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Jun Uchikawa; hereinafter "JRI") and ULS Consulting, Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshinari Yokoyama; hereinafter "ULS Consulting") have entered into a comprehensive partnership (hereinafter "this Partnership") to promote digital transformation centered on AI.

The two companies will begin collaboration in April 2026, building a robust cooperative framework to advance the sophistication of SMBC Group's financial services and create next-generation businesses.

■ Background of the Partnership

Rapid changes in social structures due to digitalization and globalization have created a demand for increasingly sophisticated financial services. To accurately meet diversifying social needs, it is essential to provide new customer value centered on technology, in addition to maintaining secure and reliable financial systems.

Against this backdrop, JRI, which leads SMBC Group's various financial services through IT, and ULS Consulting, which supports the creation of next-generation business models, have entered into this partnership to combine their technical capabilities and expertise to drive the digital transformation of the SMBC Group.

■ Key Initiatives

To accelerate the growth of the SMBC Group, the two companies will jointly promote the following activities. ULS Consulting will establish a dedicated team for this partnership and flexibly allocate personnel to each initiative.

1. Building an "AI-Native Development" Model

   We will build a new development model that places AI at the core, rather than as a supplement to the development process. We will define development standards redesigned on the premise of AI utilization, covering everything from planning and design to project management and implementation.

2. Development Infrastructure and Knowledge Base Development

   We will proceed with the development of organizational structures, development platforms, and knowledge bases to support AI-driven system development.

3. Development of Specialized Talent and Reskilling

   We will cultivate talent capable of utilizing generative AI and cutting-edge technologies, expanding the base of specialized personnel capable of handling AI-premised development processes. Furthermore, to accelerate the fusion of business and IT, we will strengthen business analysts and IT architects, and work to acquire and establish the necessary skills.

4. Promotion of Individual Projects

   By jointly executing actual development projects, we will fuse the financial system know-how cultivated by JRI with the business and technology expertise of ULS Consulting through practice, aiming to enhance our organizational capabilities.

Through these activities, both companies will establish a development style based on AI utilization and a high-level talent foundation, further promoting the strengthening of the SMBC Group's digital competitiveness.

[Reference] Company Overviews

• About The Japan Research Institute

  JRI is a comprehensive information service company with three functions: think tank, consulting, and IT solutions. As a core company responsible for the SMBC Group's IT strategy, it has a proven track record in system construction and operation for financial institutions, including the planning and construction of IT-based strategic information systems and the provision of outsourcing services.