The news
Greg Keeley, the SMBC Americas COO who ran technology, cyber and operations for the Japanese bank's Americas division, is no longer with the company, according to a staff email sent on Monday, September 28, 2026, as reported by Banking Dive. No reason was given.
The email came from Hiro Otsuka, chief executive of SMBC Americas, the regional arm of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, which is owned by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG). According to Banking Dive, Otsuka wrote that Masahiro Yoshimura, deputy CEO of SMBC Americas, will take responsibility for the COO organization and its reporting lines on an interim basis, effective immediately. The memo asked employees to stay focused on clients and business goals.
An SMBC spokesperson declined to comment beyond the email, Banking Dive reported. By September 29, the page for Keeley on SMBC's Americas leadership website returned a not-found error, a change Banking Dive also noted.
Keeley's tenure was short. SMBC announced his hiring on April 29, 2025, saying he would lead technology, cyber and operational functions and report directly to Otsuka. He started in April 2025, according to Banking Dive, which puts his time at the bank at roughly 17 months by our count.
He came from TD Bank, where he worked for more than six years, most recently as senior executive vice president of platforms and technology, and earlier as chief information officer, Banking Dive reported at the time of his hiring. Before TD he spent more than 20 years at American Express, according to SMBC. When SMBC hired him, Otsuka said Keeley's track record would help the bank innovate and scale its operations.
Yoshimura is a long-time company insider. He joined Sumitomo Bank, a predecessor of SMBC, in 1995, left in 2005 for Daiwa Securities SMBC Principal Investments and returned in 2011, according to Banking Dive.
The numbers
- Keeley's start at SMBC Americas
- April 2025
- Approximate tenure (our calculation)
- About 17 months
- Planned new jobs in Charlotte
- 2,000 over six years (per Banking Dive)
- Deposits sold to Axos Bank in Jenius wind-down
- $2.3 billion (per Banking Dive)
Why CEOs should care
For corporate clients and technology buyers, the COO seat at SMBC Americas covers the systems, cyber defenses and operations behind the bank's services. An interim leader who also holds the deputy CEO job may keep existing programs running, but large platform decisions can slow while a search is underway. Clients in the middle of onboarding, integrations or vendor reviews with SMBC should ask their coverage bankers who now owns their technology and operations commitments, and whether any timelines are changing.
For vendors selling into the bank, a leadership change often means sponsors change too. Suppliers with projects Keeley championed should confirm that budgets and approvals still stand under Yoshimura, and expect a new permanent COO to review priorities.
For boards and CEOs at other banks, the episode is a reminder that senior technology leaders hired to drive transformation can leave quickly. Succession plans for the COO, chief information officer and chief information security officer roles should name an interim owner in advance, as SMBC did here, so that control over cyber and operations does not lapse.
The bigger picture
The departure lands while SMBC reshapes its US footprint. According to Banking Dive, the bank plans to add 2,000 jobs in Charlotte, North Carolina, over six years and set up a second US headquarters there. It has also wound down its Jenius digital bank, selling $2.3 billion in deposits to Axos Bank, and sold eight Southern California branches to Bank of Hope along with $2.5 billion in commercial and commercial real estate loans and $2.7 billion in deposits, Banking Dive reported.
The COO job has now been filled on an interim basis twice in about two years. Before Keeley arrived, Katsuyuki Kubo held the role on an interim basis while also serving as chief of staff, Banking Dive reported in February 2025. At that time the division had more than 5,000 employees across the Americas.
What’s next
SMBC has not said whether it will run an external search for a permanent COO or keep the role with Yoshimura. Watch for a formal announcement, any further leadership changes in technology or cyber, and whether the Charlotte build-out and other US plans stay on schedule.
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