October 28, 2026, 8:00 a.m. (JST)
[Japan] UC Card, a member of the Mizuho Financial Group, is focusing its efforts on issuing corporate credit cards. In particular, the “UC Corporate Card” for large enterprises is performing well; earlier this year, the company rolled out approximately 100,000 cards to about 100 companies within the Hitachi Group.The company aims to further expand its customer base while strengthening partnerships with UPSIDER—which joined the Mizuho Group last year—and the Rakuten Group.
Growing
Demand for Corporate Cards Offering a Range of Services for Large, Medium, and Small Enterprises
UC Card’s corporate card business is performing well. In January of this year, the company attracted attention by issuing approximately 100,000 corporate cards to employees of about 100 domestic group companies of Hitachi, Ltd.“We are seeing firsthand the growing demand for corporate cards every day. In fact, our new customer base is steadily increasing,” says Mr. Yoshio Kuroda, Executive Officer and General Manager of the Sales Coordination and Promotion Department at UC Card, expressing confidence.
The company’s corporate card lineup includes the “UC Corporate Card” (Standard/Gold) for large enterprises and the “UC Card Express Corporate” (Standard/Gold), which allows access to JR Central’s “Express Reservation” service,the “UC Corporate Card Biz” (Standard/Gold) for small and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors, and the “UC Purchasing Card,” a card that does not require a physical plastic card.
For the “UC Corporate Card” (Standard/Gold), the credit limit is set individually for each card. While the settlement account is generally a corporate account, debits from employee accounts are also permitted. For example, a scenario is envisioned where a corporate representative makes a payment using their own credit card, and the amount is debited from the corporate account.
On the other hand, the “UC Corporate Card Biz” (Standard/Gold), designed for small and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors, has no annual fee for the Standard card, while the Gold card costs 11,000 yen for the first card and 2,200 yen per card for the second and subsequent cards; the credit limit for both Standard and Gold cards is up to 5 million yen.Key features include earning twice the usual number of UC Points—which can be exchanged for merchandise or gift cards—based on card spending, as well as included domestic and international travel accident insurance and shopping protection insurance.
Equipped
with features tailored to on-site needs Integration with expense reimbursement systems is key
The “UC Corporate Card,” which the company boasts a strong track record of implementing, is designed for use by executives and employees when making corporate payments, such as for business trips and entertainment expenses.
As a tool to help streamline expense reimbursement and management processes, it offers features that meet a wide range of corporate needs, such as managing transaction details by company, organization, or user, and integrating usage data with expense reimbursement systems.It also includes a business-personal separation feature that allows users to distinguish between business expenses (public funds) and personal expenses (private funds) during payment.
“Integration with expense reimbursement systems is extremely important. Unless both the accounting system and the expense reimbursement system are fully integrated, the system will be difficult to use and will fail to gain customer acceptance,” Mr. Kuroda pointed out. He also noted that “the speed of reissuance in the event of loss is another major factor” (Mr. Kuroda).
The purchasing card operates in conjunction with InControl and ICCP (Inter-Control Center Communications Protocol), and the company aims to clearly communicate the benefits of this integration.
Regarding the “UC Corporate Card Biz,” the product’s clarity—such as no annual fee (for general users) and double points—has been well-received by the market, resulting in a steady stream of several hundred monthly applications even without special campaigns.
Expanding Collaboration with UPSIDER, etc
. Pursuing Synergies as Mizuho
Mizuho Financial Group comprises many companies, each with its own strengths. Among them, UPSIDER—which joined the group in 2025—is currently attracting particular attention.UPSIDER, which issues corporate cards to startups and other businesses and has earned a solid reputation for its proprietary AI-based credit assessment, has already collaborated with Mizuho on ETC card operations. “We want to further strengthen this partnership. For example, I believe we can achieve meaningful collaboration in areas such as credit assessment,” said Mr. Kuroda, expressing the company’s continued enthusiasm.
Expanding the “UC Corporate Card Biz” for small and medium-sized enterprises is also a key challenge. While the company currently trails behind competitors such as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s “Trunk” in this sector, it intends to closely monitor market trends and work diligently to catch up.
Precisely because the B2B market offers growth potential, competition is intensifying. Corporate users are seeking services that offer even slightly better terms and features. “Companies with a long-standing relationship with Mizuho might choose our card even if its features fall short of those offered by competitors. But a company’s shareholders would likely not tolerate that.“To leverage the advantage of being part of the Mizuho Group, we must, above all, maintain the appeal of the service itself,” said Mr. Kuroda, as the company redoubles its efforts to approach its business with renewed dedication.
