OREANDA-NEWS. Aozora Bank, Ltd. announced that the Bank will newly invest 25 million Singapore dollars in the Lion-OCBC Capital Asia Fund I, L.P. ('the Fund'), the first private equity fund that Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited ('OCBC Bank') has created with external participation by institutional and individual investors. OCBC is a leading financial institution in Southeast Asia with a cross-border M&A advisory alliance partnership with Aozora.

The Fund leverages the extensive knowledge and network of the OCBC Group. By participating in the Fund as the only Japanese bank limited partner, Aozora aims to further strengthen the Bank's alliance with OCBC Bank, as well as provide customers with more detailed information on local companies in Asia, towards the provision of cross-border M&A and business matching services.

In accordance with 'Aozora Bank's Asian Business Strategy' announced in November 2013, the Bank is committed to providing customers with information obtained through our transactions with local companies in Asia. As part of this commitment, the Bank has built a network which includes alliances with Kanematsu Corporation, OCBC Bank, PT Bank Central Asia TBK (Indonesia), KASIKORNBANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED (Thailand), CTBC Financial Holding Co., Ltd. (Republic of China), in addition to the establishment of AZ-Star Co., Ltd. (as well as AZ-Star Ichi-go Investment Limited Partnership).

Investment in the Fund will allow Aozora to build a framework for providing higher quality cross-border M&A and business matching services, which meet the needs of customers aiming to expand their business into the region.

Aozora aims to become a "Primary Secondary Bank: An Even More Reliable Partner" for its customers through the provision of differentiated and specialized financial services, and is committed to responding to the management challenges and needs of its customers through the enhancement of its range of services.