MUFG to build models for film and animation loans

MUFG will design models for valuation and completion guarantees needed to secure loans.

MUFG Bank has been selected to participate in a support project aimed at improving the fundraising environment for film and animation productions.

The Japanese bank is aiming to establish a film financing infrastructure to support the production of large-scale works.

MUFG will design models to obtain valuation and completion guarantees, which are needed by film and animation productions to secure loans. The productions are tailored to the Japanese content industry.

“Specifically, we will collect data based on actual Japanese and international live-action film and animation cases, create multiple models for valuation and completion guarantees, and then verify the optimal model,” MUFG said in a press release posted on 31 March 2026.

Overseas sales of Japanese content reached approximately JPY6t in 2024, second only to the automotive industry. The Japanese government targets to expand sales to JPY20t by 2033.

These live action films and animation, especially large-scale works with hope to succeed overseas, require a large capital to plan and produce. Yet debt financing is uncommon in the Japanese content industry, MUFG said.

MUFG will collaborate with GEM Partners, Tokio Marine & Nichidor Fire Insurance, Film Solutions, and the Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting to facilitate the widespread adoption of the valuation and completion guarantee models that will be designed through the project.

“We will also conduct practical demonstrations of the entire process, from loan application acceptance through screening, notification of results, and drafting of contract proposals, with a view to practical implementation,” MUFG said.