Internet service provider Global Media Online Inc. and several other Japanese firms are in final investment talks with Nippon Shinko Bank, industry sources said Tuesday.
The bank, formed in 2004 to cater to small firms, has been exploring possible business and equity alliances with several companies, although no decisions have been made, Nippon Shinko said in a statement.
GMO, a venture business founded in 1991, launched Internet services in 1995. It made an initial public offering on Japan's over-the-counter stock market in 1999 and was listed on the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2004.
Nippon Shinko Bank is headed by Takeshi Kimura, a former adviser to the Financial Services Agency.