DIAM Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Yasumasa Nishi), Mizuho Trust & Banking Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Takeo Nakano), Mizuho Asset Management Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Hidetake Nakamura), and Shinko Asset Management Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Shuichi Goto) (collectively, the "Integrating Companies") have been proceeding with discussions and preparations for the integration of their asset management functions pursuant to the memorandum of understanding on the integration dated September 30, 2015. In this regard, we are pleased to announce the following decisions on certain key matters concerning the new company:
| 1. Company name | : | Asset Management One |
| 2. Representative | : | Yasumasa Nishi (President & CEO, DIAM Co., Ltd.) |
| 3. Location of head office | : | 1–8–2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda–ku, Tokyo |
| 4. Effective date of integration | : | October 1, 2016 |
The company name of the new company will be "Asset Management One," representing our vision of becoming number one asset management company in terms of customer trust by providing a higher level of satisfaction through the collaboration among the Integrating Companies. Furthermore, the new name also represents our aim to become the number one asset management company in Asia that is competitive with the largest global asset management firms.
The role of asset management companies is becoming increasingly important given the more severe investment environment, such as the introduction of a negative interest rate policy and falling crude oil prices.
The new company will contribute to the vitalization of household financial assets through providing high–quality products and services; the company will draw on the strengths developed in a variety of business lines of the Integrated Companies on top of the existing product line–up of the Integrating Companies, and develop investment products which would be suitable to medium– to long–term asset building for individual customers or products which would substitute deposits, encouraging a shift "from saving to investment."
The new company will also use its investment knowhow to meet the needs of pension funds and corporate customers to diversify and sophisticate their investments in the current market environment, enabling those customers to expand their investment targets and investment strategies.
Following the Strategic Directions and Priorities published by the Japanese Financial Services Agency, the Integrating Companies have recently established and announced policies with respect to conduct their "fiduciary duties" in a manner that ensures that they continue to be their customers' most trusted and valued medium– to long–term partners, providing products that truly serve their customers' benefits. By adopting those same policies and implementing action plans that consist of specific, customer–focused measures, the new company will aim to be an asset management company that fulfills its fiduciary duties and provides its customers with solutions of the highest standards.
We will continue to prepare for the integration and plan to enter into a formal and legally binding agreement with respect to the key issues concerning the integration, including the decisions described above. We will make a further announcement once such formal agreement has been reached.