UPWARD’s new series, “Redesigning the Last Mile of Financial Sales,” has begun in the *Financial Economy News* (Part 1: Masaki Ishida, Executive Vice President)
A new series titled “Redesigning the Last Mile of Financial Sales” by UPWARD Inc. began on page 5 of the June 8, 2026, issue of the *Financial and Economic News*. In this series, members from various departments at UPWARD will take turns writing each installment. The first article, authored by Masaki Ishida, Vice President of UPWARD, is titled “CRM Is Not Suited for the Last Mile of Financial Sales: The Shift to Financial AX.”
In the first installment, Ishida shares his perspective on the Financial AX approach, which transforms CRM into a "profit-generating tool" for regional financial institutions.
How can we redesign the "last mile" of sales in the financial industry? You can read the full details of the first installment in the article linked above.UPWARD is an SFA/CRM system specialized for field sales (outside sales) that features AI schedulers and AI meeting minutes, supporting the transformation of sales operations across various industries, including financial institutions.
* This article is reprinted from the print edition of the *Financial and Economic News* (it is not available online; it is published here with permission to reproduce the print version).
Click here to read the article ( Financial and Economic News, June 8, 2026, Page 5)
About the Series
"Redesigning the Last Mile of Financial Sales" is a series published by UPWARD that explores the transformation of sales operations at financial institutions. Each installment is written by a different member of the UPWARD team—including the Vice President, Data Scientists, Customer Success specialists, and the CEO—who discuss the "last mile" of financial sales from their respective areas of expertise.
Introduction to the First Author
Masaki Ishida, Vice President, UPWARD Co., Ltd.
A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He served as Sales Director and Branch Manager at Salesforce Japan before joining the team that launched Slack Japan.
He joined UPWARD in 2021 and has led sales transformations at over 200 companies to date.
About the *Financial and Economic News*
The *Financial and Economic News* is a specialized newspaper published every Monday that focuses on finance and the economy. It provides in-depth coverage of developments across the financial sector, including regulatory activities by the Financial Services Agency, the Ministry of Finance, and the Bank of Japan, as well as news on megabanks, city banks, trust banks, regional banks, credit unions, labor credit banks, agricultural cooperatives, securities firms, life insurance companies, property and casualty insurance companies, credit card companies, consumer finance companies, and more.
Source: Kinkei Shimbun Official Website https://www.kinkei-press.co.jp/
Related articles (in the same issue)
The same issue of the *Financial and Economic News* dated June 8, 2026, also features a case study on the implementation of “UPWARD,” a field sales support service, at the Yamaguchi Financial Group (Yamaguchi Bank, Momiji Bank, and Kitakyushu Bank). Please take a look at this along with our implementation track record.
UPWARD Featured in the "Financial and Economic News" ( digital transformation at the Three YMFG Banks): https://upward.jp/20260609-2
▼Learn more about UPWARD
Product page for "UPWARD," an SFA/CRM system specialized for field sales: https://upward.jp/
ABOUT UPWARD CORPORATION
Guided by its purpose to “unlock the creativity of field workers and accelerate the growth of businesses and society,” UPWARD, Inc. provides AX services specifically designed to address the challenges faced by field workers who visit client sites and create value through in-person interactions with customers. By leveraging technology to create an environment where workers can perform their duties using just a mobile device, the company aims to build a world where people can thrive regardless of their location or circumstances.
Company Profile
Company name UPWARD Co.
Location 26F Marunouchi Eiraku Building, 1-4-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Representative Ryusuke Kaneki, CEO and Representative Director
Year Established July 2016
Capital 100 million yen
Business Activities: Development and provision of the field sales AI agent "UPWARD"
Press contact
UPWARD Co., Ltd. Corporate Headquarters, PR Team
Tel: 03-6897-3683
Mail pr@upward.jp
The names of the companies mentioned in this document are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.
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