Saison Asset Management

What Saison Asset Management does

Saison Asset Management (セゾン投信株式会社) is an independent Japanese asset management company founded in 2006 and headquartered in Toshima-ku, Tokyo. The firm operates a deliberately narrow three-fund investment trust lineup targeting long-term asset formation by individual retail investors: the Saison Global Balance Fund (a 50/50 fund-of-funds split between international equities and bonds following March 2007 inception), the Saison Asset Formation Master Fund (a global actively managed equity FoF from April 2007), and the Saison Co-Creation Japan Fund (an actively managed Japanese equity fund launched June 2022). Combined AUM reached 1.2 trillion JPY as of June 2026, with the Master Fund alone crossing 500 billion JPY in net assets.

Name

Saison Asset Management

Legal name

セゾン投信株式会社 (Saison Asset Management Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://saison-am.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Saison Asset Management is an independent Japanese asset management firm founded in 2006 that operates three long-term investment trusts (Global Balance, Master, and Japan Funds) serving individual retail investors through direct online channels and bank/securities distribution partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Trust Asset Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive/Full-Service RIAs & Independent Wealth Managers (FSAAACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Portfolio Management–Led RIAs (Discretionary/Model-Based) (FSAAACAC)

Keywords

• Investment trust funds
• Asset management services
• Long-term wealth building
• NISA investment products
• Fund of funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Toshima

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Asset Management Fees (運用管理報酬): Saison Asset Management earns ongoing management fees calculated as a percentage of assets under management (AUM) across its three funds. The fees are charged indirectly through the fund structure, with reported expense ratios of approximately 0.56% for the Global Balance Fund and approximately 1.34% for the Master Fund (including underlying fund costs).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saison Asset Management is an independent Japanese asset management company that operates three investment trust funds — the Saison Global Balance Fund (50/50 equity/bond index fund-of-funds), the Saison Asset Formation Master Fund (global active equity fund-of-funds), and the Saison Co-Creation Japan Fund (Japan equity active fund) — targeted at individual retail investors for long-term, systematic, diversified asset accumulation through NISA and taxable accounts.

Product overview

セゾン投信は、長期・積立・分散投資を支援する獨立系の資産運用會社。セゾン・グローバルバランスファンド（國際株式・債券のインデックス фонд）、セゾン資産形成の達人ファンド（世界のアクティブ фонд）、セゾン共創日本ファンド（日本株式アクティブ фонд）の3つのファンド產品ファミリーを提供。オンライン取引プラットフォーム「セゾンとつづく」を軸に、定期換金サービス「セゾン定期便」、無料資產相談「お金のこと相談室」、シミュレーションンツール、こども口座など顧客支援サービスを展開。2026年6月時点で運用資産総額1.2兆円達成、創業20周年。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• セゾン・グローバルバランスファンド: An internationally diversified balance fund (fund of funds) investing 50% in stocks and 50% in bonds, targeting long-term asset formation with risk suppression. Available via NISA accumulation and growth investment枠.
• セゾン資産形成の達人ファンド
• セゾン共創日本ファンド

Products and services

• Saison Global Balance Fund (セゾン・グローバルバランスファンド) An internationally diversified index fund-of-funds investing 50% in global equities and 50% in global bonds to suppress volatility while pursuing long-term asset growth. Eligible for NISA installment and growth investment quotas. Targeted at individual retail investors seeking steady long-term accumulation.
• Saison Asset Formation Master Fund (セゾン資産形成の達人ファンド) An actively managed fund-of-funds that invests in selected global active equity funds, targeting returns above benchmark while suppressing risk versus indices. Eligible for NISA growth investment quota. Targeted at long-term periodic investors.
• Saison Co-Creation Japan Fund (セゾン共創日本ファンド) An actively managed fund specializing in Japanese listed equities with a co-growth investment approach, targeting companies with future-oriented business models. Eligible for NISA growth investment quota. Targeted at investors seeking Japan equity exposure.
• Saison Net Trading Service (セゾンとつづく) An online investment trust trading platform that enables fund purchases, redemptions, periodic contribution setup, and portfolio confirmation over the web. Serves as the migrated successor to the せぞんぽけっと service.
• Saison Periodic Redemption Service (セゾン定期便) A service that enables holders to redeem their fund units on a regular monthly or bimonthly basis for decumulation, supporting wealth longevity through three redemption methods: fixed-amount, fixed-rate, and fixed-date redemption.
• Money Consultation Room (お金のこと相談室) A free one-on-one consultation service providing asset formation guidance for beginners, covering NISA and investment-related questions for both prospective and existing customers.
• Children's Account (こども口座) A dedicated account service for minors that supports long-term asset formation for children through a specialized custodial structure.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97.6% of customers achieved positive investment returns (FY2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 株式会社スマートプラス (Smartplus) — セゾンポケット MigrationcoreTechnology or Integration · 30 March 2026Saison Asset Management took over the investment trust operations of セゾンポケット from its operator Smartplus (株式会社スマートプラス) via an absorption-type company split. The service migration to 'セゾンとつづく' was completed in May 2026. All existing customers were transitioned to Saison's platform.
• 株式会社七十七銀行 (Seven Seven Bank)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 February 2026Seven Seven Bank (based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) began selling the セゾン・グローバルバランスファンド from February 17, 2026. Available at bank counters and internet banking, exclusively through the NISA つみたて投資枠.
• 京都銀行 (Kyoto Bank)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 February 2026Kyoto Bank hosts 'NISANoHi' seminars featuring Saison Asset Management CEO Sonobe Takahiro delivering keynote speeches on lifetime investing. The bank distributes Saison funds through its branch network and online banking.
• 株式会社エリースフットボールグループ (Elease Football Group) — エリース豊島FCminorOthers · 22 January 2026Seasonal (annual) partnership agreement for 2026 season with Elease Toshima FC, a football club based in Toshima-ku, Tokyo. Saison AM's logo is displayed on the club's training wear. The partnership supports local community and brand awareness in the company's home district.
• 株式会社クレディセゾン (Credit Saison)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Saison Asset Management (a subsidiary of Credit Saison group) offers permanent point redemption (永久不滅ポイント) for purchasing investment trusts using credit cards issued by Credit Saison or UC Card. Points are converted at 100 points = 450 yen for investment purchases. This partnership enables a unique loyalty-linked investment feature not commonly found among Japanese asset managers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Daiwa Asset Management: Major Japanese asset manager affiliated with Daiwa Securities Group, offering extensive mutual fund lineup distributed through securities and bank channels. Overlaps with Saison in the retail investment trust category at much larger scale.
• MUFG Asset Management (三菱UFJアセットマネジメント): Large incumbent asset manager within the MUFG group, distributing investment trusts via MUFG Bank and partner channels nationwide. Comparable in product category (Japanese retail investment trusts) but with megabank distribution scale Saison lacks.
• Nomura Asset Management: Largest Japanese asset manager and incumbent offering a wide investment trust lineup across active, index, and alternative strategies. Competes for the same retail NISA flows via bank and broker shelf space, though with a much broader product catalog.

Emerging players

• au Asset Management: KDDI-affiliated asset manager distributing investment trusts through au financial services ecosystem to retail customers. Comparable emerging digital-channel peer in Japan's NISA-driven retail investment trust market.
• PayPay Asset Management (Zai̇san / ペイペイアセットマネジメント): Digital-native Japanese asset manager leveraging the PayPay ecosystem to distribute investment trusts, including NISA-eligible funds. Emerging competitor targeting the same retail tsumitate-investing customer with strong fintech ecosystem reach.

Direct peers

• Money Design (THEO): Operates the THEO robo-advisor and other investment trust products for Japanese retail investors. Directly comparable as a digitally-distributed, retail-focused investment trust manager competing for NISA customers.
• WealthNavi: Japanese robo-advisor and investment trust platform serving retail investors through automated, diversified portfolios. Direct competitor for NISA-era retail asset formation in Japan with comparable target customer and online acquisition model.
• SBI Asset Management (SBIアセットマネジメント): Independent Japanese asset manager within the SBI Group offering a broad lineup of investment trusts including index and active funds distributed via SBI Securities and other channels. Comparable as a multi-fund Japanese retail asset manager with strong digital distribution.

Regional players

• Rakuten Securities (楽天証券) / Rakuten Asset Management: Major Japanese online broker that distributes third-party investment trusts and operates its own asset management arm. Note: Rakuten Securities discontinued offering Saison's Master Fund in Feb 2026, illustrating competitive overlap in shelf space.
• Matsui Securities (松井証券): Japanese online brokerage distributing a range of investment trusts to retail customers, including NISA-eligible funds. Comparable as a Japanese retail-facing investment trust distributor competing for the same tsumitate-investing segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/saisonam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/saisonam
• Facebookfacebook.com/saisonam
• Instagraminstagram.com/saison_am
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saison-asset-management-co.-ltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saison Asset Management