SMBC Americas COO Greg Keeley Exits; Masahiro Yoshimura Named Interim COO

Greg Keeley has departed as chief operations officer of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.'s Americas division, effective immediately, CEO Hiro Otsuka said in a Monday staff email. Deputy CEO Masahiro Yoshimura will assume COO responsibilities on an interim basis. Keeley joined SMBC in April 2025 after seven years at TD Bank and nearly 22 years at American Express. His executive biography was removed from SMBC's website, now returning a 404 error. An SMBC spokesperson declined to comment. The exit comes as SMBC reshapes its U.S. operations. The bank is recruiting in Charlotte, North Carolina, targeting 2,000 new jobs over six years and a second U.S. headquarters there. SMBC Americas also wound down its Jenius digital banking platform, selling $2.3 billion in deposits to Axos Bank, and sold eight Southern California branches with $2.5 billion in loans and $2.7 billion in deposits to Bank of Hope. Yoshimura, who joined predecessor Sumitomo Bank in 1995, is listed as acting COO.