Business Partner

What Business Partner does

Business Partner (株式会社ビジネスパートナー) is a privately-held Japanese financial services company founded in November 1999 and headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its core domestic products are BP Lease (finance leasing), Business Credit (business installment sales), Small Business Loan (unsecured revolving credit for SMEs and sole proprietors, 9.98–18.0% interest, limits of 500K–5M yen), and a pair of real-estate-collateralized loans — purpose and free-use — priced at 2.50–15.0% with limits up to 1 billion yen. The domestic go-to-market relies on approximately 1,500 corporate dealer partners (販売会社様) that originate transactions at the point of equipment sale, supplemented by direct online applications, a My Page self-service portal, LINE-based account service, and Seven Bank ATMs (around 26,000 machines nationwide). Underlying technology is described as a traditional financial services stack, with group company Lifety providing the WEぶんかつ instant-credit decisioning application.

The company operates as a multi-country group with material overseas exposure. Wholly-owned and affiliated companies span Cambodia (Active People's Microfinance Institution Plc., 31 branches), Malaysia (JCL Credit Leasing, 2016 acquisition), Laos (ANN Leasing), Mongolia (ABTS Non-Bank Financial Institution), and Indonesia (TEZ Capital And Finance, established 2024). Overseas operations contribute approximately 75% of total group sales, and all four overseas markets report profitability, versus a 74.1% JETRO 2025 benchmark for Japanese overseas companies.

Revenue is generated principally from interest on unsecured and secured loans, recurring finance lease payments, installment credit balances, and — beginning January 2026 — a 100-yen monthly account maintenance fee on the existing customer book. Group-wide headcount is 854 (164 domestic Japan, 1,040 local hires overseas), and reported per-employee ordinary profit is approximately 7,000,000 yen. The company is led by founder-Chairman Kataoka Yuji and CEO Kataoka Ryosuke, holds a Tokyo money-lending registration (東京都知事(1)第32016号) and Japan Financial Services Association membership (#005722), and operates without any external disclosed private equity or venture backing.

Name

Business Partner

Legal name

Business Partner Co., Ltd.

Website

https://www.b-partner.co.jp/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Business Partner is a financial firm that provides an array of loans, financial leases, business credit, and mortgage services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Lending and Leasing

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Finance Lessors (6172), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

General SME & Middle-Market Commercial Banking (FSABABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Distributor & Dealer Finance (Channel Financing) (FSABAHAE)

Keywords

• Finance leasing services
• Business installment credit
• Small business loans
• Real estate secured loans
• SME lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Shinjuku

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income from Business Loans: The company generates revenue through interest charged on small business loans (スモールビジネスローン) and real estate collateral loans (不動産担保ローン). Interest rates range from 9.98% to 18.0% for small business loans, and 2.50% to 15.0% for real estate-backed loans.
2. Finance Lease Payments: Revenue is generated from monthly lease payments made by customers for equipment and machinery leased through the company's BP Lease (BPリース) product. The company offers finance leases for various equipment including office equipment, OA machines, and other business assets.
3. Installment Sales (割賦販売): Revenue from business credit (ビジネスクレジット) installment sales where customers pay for equipment or services in installments. Upon completion of payments, ownership transfers to the customer.
4. Account Maintenance Fee: Starting January 2026, the company introduced a monthly account maintenance fee of 100 yen (excluding tax) to cover administrative processing and system operation costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Business Partner provides finance leases, business installment credit (Business Credit), real estate collateral loans, and unsecured small business loans to Japanese small and medium enterprises and individual business owners. The company distributes its products through a network of approximately 1,500 dealer partners across Japan and direct online channels, while also operating microfinance and leasing subsidiaries in Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, and Indonesia.

Product overview

Business Partner (株式会社ビジネスパートナー) is a financial services company offering a diversified portfolio of business finance products, centered on finance leasing, installment credit, and secured/unsecured lending for small-to-medium enterprises and sole proprietors. The core products are BP Lease (ファイナンスリース) and Business Credit (事業用割賦), supplemented by a secured lending suite comprising Real Estate Secured Purpose Loan (不動産担保目的ローン, launched 2023) and Real Estate Secured Free Loan (不動産担保フリーローン), alongside an unsecured Small Business Loan (スモールビジネスローン, revolving credit). Supporting digital infrastructure includes a My Page self-service portal (accessible via web and LINE), a members ATM card (Seven Bank ATM integration, card issuance discontinued 2023), and a LINE official account for customer communications (launched 2023). Specialized niche products include Used Car Credit (中古自動車クレジット) and Franchise Fee Installment (フランチャイズ加盟金割賦). The company operates a flat organizational structure targeting approximately 1,500 dealer partners in OA, IT, and office equipment sectors, and has expanded internationally across Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, and Indonesia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BPリース（ファイナンスリース）: 事業者向けの自社ファイナンスリース商品
• ビジネスクレジット（事業用割賦）
• スモールビジネスローン
• 不動産担保ローン

Products and services

• BP Lease (Finance Lease / ファイナンスリース) Finance lease product (BP Lease) where the company purchases equipment selected by the customer and leases it back. The lessee pays monthly lease fees covering equipment cost, interest, and taxes. Assets remain owned by the lessor during the lease term, with full expense treatment available under Japanese tax law. Used by Japanese SMEs for office equipment, OA machines, LED lighting, air conditioners, medical equipment, and other business assets.
• Business Credit (Business Installment / 事業用割賦) Business installment credit where customers purchase equipment in installments over a set contract period. Upon final payment, ownership of the equipment transfers to the customer. Suitable for office equipment, LED lighting, medical devices, and other business assets for Japanese SMEs and individual business owners.
• Small Business Loan (スモールビジネスローン) Unsecured revolving business loan for small businesses and sole proprietors, with borrowing limits of ¥500,000-¥5,000,000 and interest rates of 9.98%-18.0% per annum. No collateral required for individuals; corporate representatives require joint personal guarantee. New applications as of the source period are temporarily suspended.
• Real Estate Secured Purpose Loan (不動産担保目的ローン) Purpose-specific real estate secured loan with loan limits of ¥3,000,000-¥1,000,000,000 and interest rates of 2.50%-9.50% per annum. Requires documentation of fund use and accepts third-party or existing mortgage-backed properties regardless of lien priority. Designed for Japanese SMEs and individual business owners needing low-cost capital for specific business purposes.
• Real Estate Secured Free Loan (不動産担保フリーローン) Flexible real estate secured loan with loan limits of ¥1,000,000-¥1,000,000,000 and interest rates of 2.50%-15.00% per annum. Requires only property collateral and guarantor (representative for corporate borrowers). No early repayment or cancellation fees. Available to Japanese SMEs and individual business owners for general business funding.
• Used Car Credit (中古自動車クレジット) Business-purpose installment credit product for used car dealerships targeting end customers who were rejected by competitors, elderly representatives, or newly established businesses. Available to legal entities and equivalent entities.
• Franchise Fee Installment (フランチャイズ加盟金割賦) Installment payment service for franchise fees, allowing franchisees to spread franchise fee payments over time. Transaction limits of ¥300,000-¥5,000,000 per entity with approval decisions in 1-2 days. Targeted at prospective franchisees who cannot pay franchise fees upfront.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JCL Credit Leasing Sdn Bhd.coreOthers · 1 January 2016Subsidiary in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia acquired in 2016. Provides personal financing, installment credit, and business loans/factoring to customers across Malaysia. Achieved remarkable growth of 5.5x sales and 22.7x operating profit increase over 5 years.
• BIG BEST RECOVERY SDN. BHD.minorOthers · 1 January 2016Subsidiary specializing in debt purchasing and recovery, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Handles acquisition of bank and other financial institution receivables.
• Active People's Microfinance Institution Plc.coreOthers · 1 January 2011Wholly-owned overseas subsidiary headquartered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Operates 31 branches across Cambodia providing microfinance loans, motorcycle and agricultural equipment installment financing, and real estate collateral loans. Contributed to significant revenue growth with 5.2x sales and 5.3x operating profit increase over 5 years.
• ANN Leasing Company Ltd.minorOthersAssociated company operating in Vientiane, Laos. Provides installment financing for mobile phones and other consumer/business equipment to local customers.
• ABTS NON-BANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONminorOthersAssociated company in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia providing microfinance services to local individuals and small businesses.
• TEZ Capital And FinanceminorOthersAssociated company established in 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia providing personal finance business operations in the Indonesian market.
• ライフティ株式会社 (Lifety Co., Ltd.)coreOthersGroup company providing installment payment services (分割払い) for consumer goods including beauty/esthetic services and personal training gyms. Operates the WEぶんかつ web-based application system for instant credit decisions.
• ジャパントラスト債權回収株式会社 (Japan Trust Co., Ltd.)minorOthersGroup company specializing in debt collection and management. Handles receivables transferred from group companies and financial institutions, as well as administrative services for general monetary claims.
• セブン銀行 (Seven Bank)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic partnership enabling Business Partner customers to access cash withdrawals and loan repayments at approximately 26,000 Seven Bank ATMs nationwide (0:20-23:40 daily). This partnership provides significant convenience advantage for customers across Japan.
• 日本貸金業協会 (Japan Financial Services Association)coreOthersBusiness Partner is a registered member (Member No. 005722) of the Japan Financial Services Association, a self-regulatory organization for the consumer finance industry. Registration valid from March 8, 2027 to March 7, 2030.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ORIX Corporation: One of Japan's largest leasing and diversified financial services groups, offering finance leases, installment sales, and SME lending across multiple verticals. Comparable to Business Partner as a peer in finance leasing and SME credit, though it operates at far greater scale and with a much broader product mix.
• Sumitomo Mitsui Finance & Leasing: Top-tier Japanese leasing company jointly owned by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. Comparable to Business Partner in finance leasing products but serves large enterprise customers and offers a broader balance-sheet financing suite.

BROAD_INCINCUMBENTs

• Mitsubishi HC Capital: Major Japanese leasing and finance company (formerly Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance). Directly comparable product overlap with Business Partner's BP Lease and business installment credit, though it serves much larger enterprise and capital-goods customers.

Direct peers

• Orient Corporation: Japanese consumer and SME finance company providing installment credit, card loans, and business financing. Comparable to Business Partner in serving individuals and small businesses with installment and loan products, including dealer-channel credit.
• JACCS Co., Ltd. Japanese credit company offering installment sales, credit cards, and consumer/SME finance. Comparable to Business Partner's business credit (installment sales) and unsecured SME lending product lines through both direct and dealer distribution.
• Aiful Corporation: Japanese consumer and SME lender registered under the Money Lending Business Act, focusing on unsecured loans for individuals and small businesses. Comparable to Business Partner's small business loan and high-approval positioning for borrowers rejected elsewhere.
• Acom Co., Ltd. Major Japanese consumer finance company offering unsecured personal and business-purpose loans. Comparable to Business Partner's regulatory positioning as a registered money lender serving SMEs and individual business owners.

Regional players

• ACLEDA Bank Plc. Cambodia's largest microfinance institution and commercial bank. Comparable to Business Partner's wholly-owned subsidiary Active People's Microfinance Institution, which operates in the same Cambodian microfinance market with overlapping SME and consumer borrower segments.
• PRASAC Microfinance Institution: Major Cambodian microfinance institution serving SMEs and individuals with credit and deposit products. Comparable to Business Partner's Cambodian subsidiary Active People's Microfinance in product, customer, and geographic overlap.

Emerging players

• SBI Sumishin Net Bank: Japanese internet bank offering SME and personal loans through digital channels. Comparable to Business Partner in SME loan origination but competes via an online-first deposit-funded model rather than Business Partner's non-bank lender structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Business Partner