MUFG champions eco-sustainability by planting 500 mangrove saplings for global CSR month

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• Volunteers from the bank’s Colombo Representative Office partner with Small 

Fishers Association in Kalpitiya lagoonMitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG)’s banking entity The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., Colombo Representative Office, planted 500 mangrove saplings as part of the bank’s ‘MUFG Gives Back’ annual global CSR campaign in November. 

On 25 November, the bank partnered with the Small Fishers Association (Sudeesa) to plant the saplings in the lagoons of Kalpitiya district, Sri Lanka. Sudeesa is a non-profit support network for local small-scale fishing and farming communities and protects endangered mangroves.

The bank’s staff volunteers also donated dry rice packs and stationery to the residing families, who will nurture and protect the saplings until they are self-sustained.  

The bank was also joined by 20 students from Colombo University to plant the saplings. The students were recipients of the Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation scholarship earlier this year. 

Tatsuo Matsushita, Chief Representative of the bank’s Colombo Representative Office, said, “MUFG Gives Back is one of our most important initiatives to connect with the communities we operate in. We are humbled by this enriching experience, which has raised our awareness of the local challenges and needs of the local community. Equally important is the opportunity to raise awareness amongst staff of the need for a balanced eco-system, which not only impacts the natural environment but the people who rely on it as well.” 

Sudeesa Director Douglas added, “Kalpitiya is a rising destination for eco-tourism, and the people here rely on its natural environment for their economic well-being. We are grateful for MUFG’s participation to plant the mangrove saplings to preserve this environment and community.” 

MUFG Gives Back started in November 2013 in response to the generosity of the international community who contributed to the relief efforts towards the Great East Japan Earthquake.  

Throughout the month, all MUFG business entities worldwide support and engage the communities they operate in, forge stronger relationships with the people, and help staff better understand more about the challenges faced by the community and the less fortunate among our society. In 2016, about 6,500 colleagues from 39 countries and regions volunteered to serve their local communities.

Last year, the Colombo Representative Office donated over 150 pairs of shoes and socks to children from underprivileged households who lost their belongings in the torrential rains in May 2016. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) is one of the world’s leading financial groups, with total assets of approximately $ 2.6 trillion as of 31 March 2017.  

Headquartered in Tokyo and with approximately 350 years of history, MUFG has a global network with over 2,000 offices across more than 50 countries. The Group has about 150,000 employees and about 300 entities, offering services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing.  The Group’s operating companies include Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (Japan’s leading trust bank), and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s largest securities firms. 

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., is Japan’s premier bank, with a global network spanning over 50 countries. Outside of Japan, the bank offers an extensive scope of commercial and investment banking products and services to businesses, governments and individuals worldwide.  MUFG shares are traded on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York stock exchanges.