MUFG has been named as The Banker's 'Bank of the Year 2017' in Japan, for the third year running.

The awards celebrate those banks which were able to articulate the strategy that drove their financial performance and how they overcame regulatory, competitive and economic hurdles in the past 12 months.

Kanetsugu Mike, President and CEO of MUFG's banking arm, and Deputy Chairman of MUFG, said:

"The environment in which we operate is challenging - the introduction of negative interest rates in Japan and rapid digitisation means change is happening faster than expected, and in unexpected ways. In order for us to achieve sustainable growth, we must reimagine our business model.

"In the last year, our international business has grown significantly, with over 40% of MUFG's revenue coming from overseas. Given the challenging operational environment in Japan, I do feel that this has firmly cemented our position as a global organisation, and a peer of some of the world's biggest banks.

"The next year will be a transformative one for MUFG, which will underpin much of the work that we do for many years to come. The most important of these is working to integrate artificial intelligence across our business – we want to deliver solutions for our clients that put them first."