MUFG & Microsoft launch five-year AI partnership for finance
MUFG Pension & Market Services has confirmed it will enter into a five-year strategic partnership with Microsoft, focusing on the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies across its core business operations.
The agreement covers a range of MUFG Pension & Market Services' activities across Australia, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. It aims to accelerate the introduction of AI-powered solutions to support superannuation and investor services for both institutional and individual clients.
Partnership details
According to both companies, the partnership will operate under a co-investment arrangement, with Microsoft contributing technical expertise and technology infrastructure to support initiatives across MUFG Pension & Market Services' business divisions—MUFG Retirement Solutions and MUFG Corporate Markets.
The partnership underlines a focus on modernising financial services while also prioritising data security and responsible AI use. Joint investments are planned for developing AI governance frameworks, increasing staff capability, and introducing production-grade deployment of agent-based services.
Vivek Bhatia, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at MUFG Pension & Market Services, said the central goal of the collaboration is to improve customer outcomes through technological enhancement without losing sight of the human element.
"This collaboration with Microsoft is about creating smarter, AI-powered experiences for our clients - while keeping the human experience at the centre. Whether it's using advanced AI to help a member access their pension or giving listed companies intelligent tools to better engage with shareholders, we're focused on solutions that remove friction and add value," said Vivek Bhatia.
He added, "The scale and certainty of a five-year strategic partnership allows us to confidently leverage Microsoft's cutting-edge AI capabilities, modernise rapidly, and deliver innovations across the member and investor journey on behalf of our clients. It also allows us to invest in our people as we create the 'roles of the future' to deliver solutions that matter most to our clients."
Focus areas
The collaboration will focus on two primary areas: member experience and investor experience. For member experience, the company will use Microsoft's AI solutions to automate superannuation processes. This is expected to deliver improved service levels, including faster and more personalised support for members during significant life events. For investor experience, AI will be deployed to streamline communications, reduce manual intervention, and support straight-through processing to create a more transparent experience for listed companies and their shareholders.
AI implementation
MUFG Pension & Market Services has already begun introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot in its operations. The adoption of these tools is designed to increase productivity, streamline knowledge management, and promote AI literacy across its workforce. This rollout particularly targets areas of the organisation that deal directly with clients, with the aim of enabling faster digital service delivery and smarter workflows.
Security and compliance
All AI- and cloud-based projects under the partnership will adhere to Microsoft's secure-by-design principles. Such principles are intended to ensure compliance with data governance, privacy, and regulatory standards across all regions where MUFG Pension & Market Services operates. The companies have committed to investing jointly in governance and compliance frameworks throughout the partnership.
Rodrigo Kede Lima, President at Microsoft Asia, highlighted the broader implications of AI integration within the financial services sector.
"At Microsoft, we believe AI has the potential to redefine every industry - and financial services is no exception," said Rodrigo Kede Lima.
He continued, "Our partnership with MUFG Pension & Market Services is a powerful example of how AI can be used responsibly and at scale to deliver meaningful outcomes for people - from simplifying pension access to modernising investor engagement. We're proud to bring the full strength of Microsoft's technology and expertise to help MPMS lead with innovation across the markets they serve."
Ongoing transformation
This five-year partnership is the latest in a series of cloud and technology investments by MUFG Pension & Market Services. Both companies aim to establish a scalable digital infrastructure, positioning MUFG Pension & Market Services for further transformation in both superannuation and investor services across its multinational operations.
