MUFG plans role-based AI for the workplace

Humans will remain in control.

MUFG Bank, Ltd. is preparing a workplace where humans and artificial intelligence (AI) work side by side, with each AI designed for a specific role.

“Our CEO says we should make the workplace as friendly as possible for our AI colleagues,” Osamu Abe, executive officer and chief of staff for Asia-Pacific at the Japanese lender, told Asian Banking & Finance.

Abe does not want one all-powerful AI. “I want diversity—different personalities, different risk levels. I don’t want compliance and credit office AIs to act like our sales and trading AIs,” he said in a Microsoft Teams interview.

Humans will remain in control. “In decision-making, humans are always in the loop,” Abe said. “At this moment, we’re deploying AI with human intervention—basically, delivering the groundwork that we would have prepared manually otherwise.”

He noted that banks need strict rules, especially for security and compliance, and they are bringing their traditional security approach into the project.

Abe said AI could save time by improving work quality and strengthening security. Routine tasks such as emails, transcripts, PowerPoints, client proposals, and forming new business contacts are all faster with AI support.

AI also helps with regulatory work, including KYC checks and identity verification, ensuring accuracy for compliance. It helps link MUFG’s global operations, connecting clients in Asia, Europe, and the US.

These operations run through an India-based “global efficiency” centre. 

The next step, he said, is to automate the full process. That would involve making sure the AI is working correctly on the decision-making level.

Abe cited the need to carefully handle third-party data. “Regulators are interested in what we do with this data when we work with outside parties,” he said, adding that banks should be allowed to use advanced services.

Regulation that strikes the balance between traditional governance and rules whilst allowing financial institutions to enjoy the benefits of up-and-coming new services will be most important, Abe said. “Eventually, we will probably find a common ground in terms of what these governance norms should look like.”

MUFG also supports startups and partner banks in Asia, connecting them with clients and investors. Abe said the bank is investing in AI and fintech to prepare for market changes.

“We are looking into the future of finance, going right into fintech rather than traditional retail finance,” he said, adding that they want to be ready when new services take over the market.

The bank studies other markets for ideas. “Thailand, in some ways, is more advanced in offering retail mobile phone applications than in Japan,” he said. “There are things we could learn from these different markets.”

India is another focus. MUFG has invested in consumer finance startups, including a 20% stake in DMI Finance, which serves people new to credit.  “Half of their clients… never had credit cards or any credit history. So buying phones through our partner's startup was their first step into consumer credit availability,” Abe said.

Other investments include buy-now-pay-later platform Akulaku, Inc., HC Consumer Finance Philippines, Inc., and lending company PT Adira Dinamika Multi Finance.