Masamichi Yasuda
Executive Vice President & Director, Co-COO, Corporate Officer, Head of Financial Business Group
- 1983
- Joined Bank of Tokyo
- 2009
- Corporate Officer, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, dispatched to Union Bank
- 2011
- Corporate Officer, Senior Manager, International Planning Department of the same bank
- 2014
- Managing Corporate Officer, Deputy Head of Market Division
- 2015
- Director, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Executive Officer, Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and Managing Director and CRO of the same bank
- 2017
- Director, Executive Vice President and CRO of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group,
and Executive Vice President and CRO/CCO (Chief Credit Officer, Screening) of the same bank
- 2019
- Executive Vice President
and Senior Vice President, Head of Market Products Division of the same Financial Group and Director, Deputy Division Head of Market Products Division of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities
- 2021
- Advisor, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities
- 2021
- Advisor, PayPay Corporation
- 2022
- Director, Executive Vice President & Director, COO, Corporate Officer of PayPay Corporation (incumbent)
Nice to meet you. Can you please fill us in on your career?
I took on various duties in Mitsubishi UFJ Finacial Group, but the longest area I was involved in was in market operations. When I was younger, I also worked as a trader in foreign exchange and other fields with in securities too. Just before joining PayPay, I was Head of Global Markets for the entire MUFG.
I have worked abroad for a total of 10 years – in London, New York, and San Francisco, where I was involved in market business as well as managing a regional bank in the United States that we acquired.
I also have experience in financial planning and risk management, and before becoming Head of Global Markets, I served as MUFG’s Chief Risk Officer for about four years.
What are you excited about doing at PayPay?
To devise and create best services from the user’s perspective. This is something that any financial institution contemplates, compared to which, PayPay commands the expertise to engineer digital products and an unstoppable sales force for the acquisition of merchants. I believe we can create a new business model that no other financial institution can offer by taking advantage of these strengths.
What is your role at PayPay?
I was appointed as Co-COO of PayPay as of January 1 , 2022. Using my experience to help PayPay grow in areas such as financial strategy, finance, and risk management.
What do you like about PayPay? What surprised you when you joined?
It was much of a surprise to find that almost all products and systems are made in-house. From a speed and cost perspective, this is a huge advantage. Things tend to get swallowed up in a black box when you employ an external supplier to develop a system. Also, being able to quickly adopt leading practices of global partners is a strength.
Although the company has grown, the venture spirit remains strong amongst the team, which I think is what makes PayPay so good. I want to make sure we don’t lose this mindset.
Another positive surprise
Everyone is always conscious of the “UIUX,” which is often vigorously discussed in management meetings. No one pulls rank in this ever-present topic – anyone is welcome to voice their opinion.
Diversity is also extremely important
Our diversity is also a great strength, with the global talent involved in system and product development in addition to all the diverse experience brought onboard from jobs before PayPay.
What is your message to people who want to do something in finance?
I have spoken about it at the recently held recruiting event,but I think working here is very rewarding for those who want to take on new challenges in the world of finance. Competition is becoming fiercer in the field of fintech, but I hope that people who want to create new financial models and bring about change with speed will join us. Whether it’s the young with the future ahead of them or the seasoned, it’s exciting to welcome new talent to the team.
See our currently available open positions here
Special Thanks: Masamichi Yasuda / Author & Editor: Az (PayPay Inside-Out editorial team)
*Employees’ affiliations are as of the time of the interview.
