UPWARD’s series “Redesigning the Last Mile of Financial Sales” was featured in the *Financial Economy News* (Part 3: Hiromasa Shimono, Director and CFO)
The third installment of UPWARD’s series “Redesigning the Last Mile of Financial Sales” was published on page 5 of the June 22, 2026, issue of the *Financial and Economic News*. In this series, members from various departments at UPWARD take turns writing each installment. For the third installment, Hiromasa Shimono, Director and CFO of UPWARD, wrote an article titled “Ensuring ‘Customer-Centricity’ Isn’t Just a Slogan: AI That Transforms the Front Lines.”
In the third installment, Shimono discusses—from the perspective of a former mega-bank executive—how to ensure that customer-centric operations go beyond mere slogans by creating a frontline environment where customer understanding, sales promotion, and compliance converge log. UPWARD is an AI agent specialized for field sales (outside sales) equipped with features such as an AI scheduler and AI meeting minutes, supporting the transformation of sales operations across various industries, including financial institutions.
Please read this issue for details on the AI-driven approach that supports customer-centric operations in regional financial sales and log “ log ” to improve proposal accuracy and close deals.
* This article is from the print edition of the *Financial and Economic News* (no online version is available; it is published here with permission to reuse the print edition image).
Click here to read the article ( page 5 of the *Financial and Economic News*, June 22, 2026)
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 UPWARD’s diverse team—including the Vice President, Data Scientist, Customer Success Manager, CEO, and CFO—who discuss the “last mile” of financial sales from their respective areas of expertise.
Series Part 1 (Masaki Ishida, Vice President): https://upward.jp/info/20260609-1/
Series Part 2 (Richard Rodriguez, Data Scientist): https://upward.jp/info/20260615/
Introduction to the Authors of the 3rd Edition
UPWARD Co., Ltd.
Director and CFO
Hiromasa Shimono
A graduate of Hitotsubashi University. At Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, he was involved in the acquisition of Ayutthaya Bank, the formulation of medium-term management plans, and the development of strategies for Asian markets. He joined UPWARD in 2022. He successfully secured challenging late-stage funding and stabilized the company’s financial foundation. In addition to overseeing financial strategy, he currently leads overseas operations—primarily in the APAC market—and drives growth on a global scale.
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/
▼Learn more about UPWARD
Product page for "UPWARD," an SFA/CRM system specialized for field sales: https://upward.jp/
ABOUT UPWARD CORPORATION
UPWARD CO., LTD. PROVIDES DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SERVICES THAT SPECIALIZE IN SOLVING ISSUES FACED BY FIELD WORKERS WHO CREATE VALUE THROUGH OFFLINE CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS BY VISITING THEM IN THE FIELD, BASED ON THE COMPANY'S MISSION OF "DRAWING OUT THE CREATIVITY OF FIELD WORKERS TO ACCELERATE THE GROWTH OF COMPANIES AND SOCIETY. WE PROVIDE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SERVICES THAT SPECIALIZE IN SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF FIELD WORKERS WHO CREATE VALUE THROUGH ON-SITE, OFFLINE CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS. BY LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WORKERS CAN PERFORM THEIR TASKS WITH A SINGLE MOBILE DEVICE, WE AIM TO CREATE A WORLD IN WHICH THEY CAN BE ACTIVE REGARDLESS OF WHERE AND HOW THEY WORK.
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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