Olive LOUNGE - A joint project by SMBC Group and CCC to propose the future of banking, creating a "bank that blends into everyday life"
Olive LOUNGE, launched in May 2024 by SMBC Group and CCC, redefines banking as a real-digital hybrid, offering spaces to gather, relax, and connect beyond financial services in urban and community-based locations.(Updated May 30, 2025)
Giving shape to the future of banking - Background to the creation of Olive LOUNGE
──Please tell us how Olive LOUNGE came about.
Izumi: It all started in January 2023, when the late Jun Ota, who was then president of SMBC Group, approached CCC Chairman Masuda with a question about "the future of banking."A few months later, CCC made a concrete proposal, and the project quickly got underway within six months.
The CCC Group and SMBC Group entered into a capital and business alliance in October 2022, and the trust they had built through collaboration in the points and payment areas was also a major factor behind this collaboration.
Tsutsumi: When we first heard about this project, the first thing that came to our mind was the theme of an "open bank."CCC has previously created "places where people can gather" in a variety of industries, including bookstores, electronics stores, and libraries. We thought that by applying this know-how to the banking sector, we could provide a new experience.
Izumi: When I visited Tsutaya Bookstore or T-SITE on my days off, I thought, "It would be great if places like this could become banks."Since opening, it has received very positive feedback from users, and we at the company are seeing new possibilities.
From "going out of your way" to "being there normally" - the core of the spatial concept
──What points did you focus on when creating the space?
Izumi: The most important thing about Olive LOUNGE is that it is an open space. When you think of a bank, you tend to get the impression that it's a place that only people who have business there go to. However, we wanted to become a part of everyday life.
For example, we have created a space in the store that anyone can use. You can drop in just as you would at a cafe. That's the kind of person we aimed to be.
Tsutsumi: The idea of a place where you'll find yourself there before you know it, rather than a place where you have to go out of your way, is something we have in common with stores we have worked on in the past. At the Olive LOUNGE Shimotakaido store, you can regularly see local people, including students and families, naturally staying there. I think it's exactly the view I envisioned.
The value of face-to-face interaction beyond digital: The essence of the Olive concept
──First of all, what does the "Olive Concept" mean?
Izumi: Olive is the name of SMBC Group's new comprehensive financial service. We provide integrated banking, credit, debit, points and other functions, primarily through a smartphone app that is easy to use even for the digital native generation.
However, we didn't just focus on improving the app's functionality; we also believed that the more digital technology advances, the more important real-life contact becomes. Olive LOUNGE is also a place to redefine this "real value."
Tsutsumi: Even if apps evolve, the essence of banking is that in the end it is the bonds of trust between people. At Olive LOUNGE, we were faced with the question of how to create a space that would serve as the starting point for that "trust."This project is also about finding the perfect fusion between digital and real.
Rooted in the local community, becoming a hub where people can connect - Relationships with the community
──What are the characteristics of Shibuya and Shimotakaido and what is their relationship to the local area?
Tsutsumi: Shibuya is a popular destination with many different people and is a place where many different paths intersect. The store there has an open and sophisticated design, intended to serve as the "new face of the bank."
On the other hand, Shimotakaido is a community-based institution. We aimed to create a design that blends in with the atmosphere of the town, including a warm wood-grain interior.
Izumi: Especially in Shimotakaido, housewives visit with friends, and students come to read or study, so even though it's a bank, it has become something of a "third place" where people naturally gather. These kinds of relationships with local communities may be the new role that banks will play in the future.
Beyond simple collaboration: new experiences brought about by co-creation
──What has resulted from the collaboration between the two companies?
Tsutsumi: Olive LOUNGE is not simply the result of a partnership, but was started from a "sharing of ideas."We align the brand's worldview and incorporate it into the space. The entire process was co-creation.
Izumi: We ourselves have learned a lot from CCC's thinking, which is not bound by conventional banking practices. For example, the olive tree that we have placed in our store as a symbol is one example of this. Although unusual for a financial institution, the olive trees have dramatically changed the impression of the space.
Nationwide: Olive LOUNGE's future developments
──Please tell us about your future prospects.
Izumi: We currently have Olive LOUNGE locations in several areas. In the future, we would like to proceed with the renovation of existing branches in convenient locations such as near train stations.
Tsutsumi: We need to balance speed and quality, but to have an impact on society, we need a certain level of scale. Within the company, there are growing voices from employees saying, "I want to be involved with Olive LOUNGE."
Olive LOUNGE is not simply a rebranding of a store, but an attempt to reexamine the very meaning of the existence of a bank. A bank that is a natural part of everyday life. A place where people gather, conversations are born, and trust is fostered - Olive LOUNGE represents the prototype of the bank of the future.