NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG), one of the world’s leading financial institutions, today announced it is starting an aviation finance business in the Americas, and that long-time industry expert, Olivier Trauchessec, has been hired as a Managing Director to lead the effort.

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Olivier Trauchessec (Photo: Business Wire)

Mr. Trauchessec, who joins MUFG after a long career at BNP Paribas, will report to Lance Markowitz, Group Head of Leasing and Asset Finance in the Americas, a unit of MUFG’s Investment Banking & Markets group (IB&M).

MUFG’s global Aviation Finance Group provides solutions for clients interested in aircraft acquisition and its relevant financing needs. The addition of a New York-based business – responsible for activities across North America and South America – complements MUFG’s existing aviation finance hubs in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and London.

“With the launch of this group to cover the Americas, MUFG now has a truly global aviation team, capable of seamlessly delivering financial solutions for clients in any corner of the world,” said Johannes (Johs) Worsoe, Head of IB&M for the Americas.

Mr. Markowitz added: “MUFG’s clients will also benefit from our hiring of Olivier Trauchessec, one of the industry’s most accomplished aviation finance bankers. Olivier’s knowledge and experience in this asset class is unique, and I am confident he will yield immediate value for our clients.”

Most recently, Mr. Trauchessec was a Managing Director in charge of global origination and structuring for aircraft finance transactions at BNP Paribas, where he began his career in 1994. As head of the bank’s New York-based aviation desk for the Americas, which he created in 2000, Mr. Trauchessec was responsible for the product coverage of airlines and aircraft leasing companies, in addition to all aviation finance activities.

About MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation

Headquartered in New York, MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation is a financial holding company and bank holding company with total assets of $151.1 billion at September 30, 2016. Its main subsidiaries are MUFG Union Bank, N.A. and MUFG Securities Americas Inc. MUFG Union Bank, N.A. provides an array of financial services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. As of September 30, 2016, MUFG Union Bank, N.A. operated 366 branches, comprised primarily of retail banking branches in the West Coast states, along with commercial branches in Texas, Illinois, New York and Georgia, as well as two international offices. MUFG Securities America Inc. is a registered securities broker-dealer which engages in capital markets origination transactions, private placements, collateralized financings, securities borrow and loan transactions, and domestic and foreign debt and equities securities transactions. MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation is owned by The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., one of the world’s leading financial groups. The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. Visit www.unionbank.com or www.mufgamericas.com for more information.

About MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.)

MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.) is one of the world’s leading financial groups, with total assets of approximately ¥298.2 trillion (JPY) or $2.9 trillion (USD)¹ as of June 30, 2016. Headquartered in Tokyo and with approximately 350 years of history, MUFG is a global network with about 1,200 offices in nearly 50 countries. The Group has more than 140,000 employees and about 300 entities, offering services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing. The Group’s operating companies include Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (Japan’s leading trust bank), and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s largest securities firms. Through close partnerships among our operating companies, the Group aims to “be the world’s most trusted financial group,” flexibly responding to all of the financial needs or our customers, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world. MUFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: MTU) stock exchanges. Visit www.mufg.jp/english/index.html.

¹ Exchange rate of 1 USD=¥102.91 (JPY) as of June 30, 2016

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