SANWA BANK, LTD.

Japanese Sanwa Ginko major Japanese commercial bank conducting general domestic banking and foreign exchange operations. Headquarters are in Osaka. The bank was established in 1933 by the merger of Konoike Bank Ltd. (established 1877), Yamaguchi Bank Ltd. (1879), and the Sanjushi (34th) Bank Ltd. (1878). The bank provides a full range of domestic banking services and is noted as the first Japanese bank to offer network banking (in which deposits and withdrawals could be made at any branch) and general-purpose consumer loans. International banking, particularly foreign exchange operations, is conducted through its main offices and numerous foreign offices.