Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) announced plans to establish two new debt funds for Japanese and European startups worth almost US$400 million in total.
The group’s subsidiary MUFG Bank and Israeli fintech Liquidity Capital will be providing the funding under their Singapore-based joint venture Mars Growth Capital which was founded in 2021.
The soon-to-be established Mars Japan Fund is worth JPY 20 billion (US$148 million) and aims to contribute to creating and supporting the growth of Japanese-born unicorns.
The fund will utilise the knowledge of both MUFG Bank and Liquidity Capital as well as leverage the expertise of Mars Growth Capital, to provide growth financing to promising pre-unicorns and unicorns in Japan.
The second fund is the Mars Europe Fund that will be established in Luxemberg by end of June 2023 and is worth up to US$ 250 million.
Through the Mars Europe Fund, MUFG Bank and Liquidity Capital will support the growth of startup companies in Europe and seek to provide a wide range of financial services from MUFG Group, including IPO support through the group’s alliance with Morgan Stanley.
