SBI Shinsei Bank, Limited

- Growth support for WHILL, Inc., a company which develops short-distance mobility in Japan and overseas　-

Tokyo (Tuesday, October 3, 2023) --- SBI Shinsei Bank, Limited (hereinafter, “SBI Shinsei Bank” or “we”) executed Positive ImpactEnd

Financing to WHILL, Inc. (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Satoshi Sugie, CEO; hereinafter “WHILL”) on September 29, 2023.

 

Positive Impact Finance is a finance framework defined in the Principles for Positive Impact Finance developed by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative. It aims to generate a positive impact in at least one of the three aspects of sustainable development, environmental, social and economic, while any significant negative impacts are appropriately mitigated and managed. To implement positive impact finance, SBI Shinsei Bank has established the “SBI Shinsei Bank Positive Impact Finance Implementation Framework,” which received a second-party opinion from DNV BUSINESS ASSURANCE JAPAN K.K. regarding its alignment with the Principles.*

 

WHILL, a company that has a mission to “Delivering Fun & Innovative Mobility for All” with the power of design and technology, plans, develops, sells, and provides mobility services for short-distance mobility in Japan and overseas. WHILL has won the Best of Innovation Award in the “Accessibility” category at “CES 2023,” the world’s largest trade show in the consumer electronics field, since WHILL’s autonomous driving model has been highly acclaimed for its innovative design that allows people who have difficulty or anxiety in walking long distances or elderly people to move easily, as well as its functions that are easy to use for anyone. WHILL contributes to the safe, secure, and comfortable mobility of people all over the world.

 

We promote investment and lending to businesses and companies that address social issues through continuous dialogue with our customers under the concept of “sustainable impact,” which integrates the concept of social impact that aims to bring positive impacts to society as a whole, such as the environment, society, and economy, from the perspective of sustainability and ESG/SDGs. This is SBI Shinsei Bank’s first Positive Impact Financing for a start-up company.

We conducted impact assessment on WHILL’s business focusing on its key impact areas (core impact). We will monitor the development of the impacts over the loan term using KPIs and support its efforts to practice sustainable business from the viewpoint of impacts.

 

In addition, WHILL is an investee of SBI AI&Blockchain LPS, a venture investment fund where SBI Ventures Two Co., Ltd., a member of the SBI Group, and SBI Investment Co., Ltd., a venture capital firm of the same group serve as unlimited liability partners. Hence, this is a case where the SBI Group has realized growth support in terms of both equity and debt.

Based on the Medium-Term Vision of the SBI Shinsei Bank Group, which articulates “expanding customer base by thoroughly adhering to the ‘Customer-centric Principle,’” and “providing a full range of service offerings through collaboration with the SBI Group,” we will continue to contribute to the growth of start-up companies through support not limited to financing.

 

 

<Targets/KPIs for the core impacts>

 

[Impact Category (Topic)]
Corresponding activities/measures

Media

Target

1. Equality and Justice (age discrimination, and other vulnerable groups)

Enhancing awareness and social acceptance of short-distance mobility through publicity and promotional activities, etc.

Use of media

Continued use of media
(every fiscal year)

2. Health and safety (for the elderly, disabled, and other people who have difficulty walking)

Minimizing the occurrence and potential spread of accidents caused by electric wheelchairs through appropriate responses to product failures and defects, and by ensuring quality and safety.

Maintaining ISO 13485 (Quality Management System for Medical Devices)

Maintaining ISO 13485 (Quality Management System for Medical Devices)
(every fiscal year)

3. Infrastructure (universal accessibility in public spaces)

Building mobility infrastructure through deployment of automated driving services to airports and hospitals, and rental/lease for resort facilities and large-scale commercial facilities

Number of facilities introducing rental/lease and autonomous driving services

Total of 1,000 locations worldwide
 (by March 2029)

Number of users of autonomous driving services

Total of 1 million users
 (by March 2029)

*For details regarding SBI Shinsei Bank’s sustainable finance / impact finance, please visit our website

(https://www.sbishinseibank.co.jp/institutional/en/sustainable_finance/).

 

End

 

To print, please use the PDF file.