Sumitomo

The World Bank Group and Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) have announced a partnership to expand access to finance for small businesses across emerging markets. The collaboration, announced through the World Bank's International Finance Corporation, aims to improve lending and financial services for small and medium-sized enterprises in developing economies, where access to credit remains a major barrier to growth.

Sumitomo has invested in a renewable energy project in India combining solar and wind generation with battery storage, with a capacity of 500MW of generation and 200MWh of storage. The investment adds to growing Japanese corporate involvement in India's rapidly expanding clean energy sector, where hybrid projects paired with large-scale storage are attracting significant international capital.

Sumitomo Corporation has announced it will take part in a large-scale renewable energy project in India in partnership with the Hero Group. The Japanese trading house's involvement signals continued foreign investment in India's expanding clean energy sector. Details of the project's size, technology and timeline have not yet been made public.

A golfer won a club championship in Japan, described as the country's toughest, and earned a place in the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA tournament as a result. The result announcement is being shared alongside a two-part account of the challenge, warning those who attempt such championships how demanding they really are.