Pre-seed investor "THE SEED" (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative: Daiki Hirozawa, hereinafter "THE SEED") is pleased to announce that "NIKKEI THE PITCH," an open innovation promotion project by Nikkei Inc., will provide special collaboration for "BANK SUMMIT 2026 (3rd Edition)" to be held on November 9, 2026 (Mon.) in Otemachi, Tokyo. Through various media deployments and refinement of planned content, we will collaborate with "NIKKEI THE PITCH" in multiple aspects, leveraging their communication power and expertise to further foster the intersection of regional finance and startups. We also announce that registration for this event is now open. Background of Special Collaboration: Towards a Venue for Enhanced Information Exchange and Dissemination BANK SUMMIT, with the concept of a place for bank employees to gather as change agents beyond organizational boundaries, has been creating opportunities for regional financial institutions and startups to meet directly since its inaugural event in 2024. We are grateful that the number of participating banks and individuals has expanded with each iteration. However, we have also faced challenges regarding effective information dissemination and ensuring that the information shared with participating bank employees is well-organized and easy to communicate internally. "NIKKEI THE PITCH" is a program by Nikkei Inc. that conveys the challenges of startups aiming for growth to society and creates opportunities for them to meet with corporations and investors. By borrowing the communication power and expertise that has expanded the startup ecosystem to society as a whole, we aim to further refine the value of "cross-border information" that BANK SUMMIT strives for. What both initiatives share is a common aspiration: "to create new industries in Japan." By combining the networks and trust held by regional financial institutions, along with their valuable information dissemination, with the communication power and ex