Mizuho to become first Japan bank to start selling consumer data

Koji Fujiwara, president and chief executive officer of Mizuho Bank Ltd, stressed that the data would be aggregated and anonymous, and no personal details would be shared. — Shoko Takayasu/Bloomberg

Mizuho Financial Group Inc will start selling information on consumers’ spending habits and other aggregated data in a bid to expand beyond the traditional lending business.

"We are going to offer a data service for corporate clients,” Koji Fujiwara, chief executive officer of Mizuho’s main banking unit, said in an interview. The move would be the first of its kind by a Japanese bank, he said.