Japan-based Credit Saison, on Thursday, announced a $ 55 million venture fund focused on early-stage startups in Southeast Asia and Indian markets. Reportedly, the Saison Capital is going to be the first dedicated corporate venture capital (CVC) of the credit card company.

The company plans to invest its CVC through equity investments with initial ticket sizes of not more than $1 million. The company will invest in around six to eight companies every year. The Japanese credit card company shared that they are primarily looking to invest in fintech startups operating in areas with less availability of financial services

offered by banks. The company is also targeting startups, which can complement Credit Saison’s suite of financial services.

On the launch of the venture fund, Kosuke Mori, managing partner at Saison Capital, stated that there is a trend of startups looking to integrate financial services in their product, but many of them might not have the expertise to do so. The CVC then comes handy with the technical expertise and financial capabilities to help these startups scale up. Mori also provided insights on the factors the fund looks for before investing. According to him, startup’s unit economics, its scalability, and its founder’s ambition in growing the company plays a significant role. Further, Mori shared that the CVC is willing to wait to get its portfolio companies and ultimately hopes to play a long-term game in growing the financial service sector, especially in regions where there are less banking facilities.

Chris Sirisereepaph, a partner at the fund, clarified that Saison Capital has an independent decision-making process from Credit Saison. The portfolio startups will also become a part of the company ecosystem and will be granted access to partner across its finance and technology arms. Credit Saison ecosystem features joint ventures with HCM Development Bank in Vietnam and technology companies such as Grab.