SMBC was formed by the merger of The Sumitomo Bank and Sakura Bank in April 2001. Sumitomo Bank was a major Japanese bank founded in 1895; Sakura Bank was a descendant of Mitsui Bank, another major Japanese bank founded in 1876, but with operations dating back to 1683, when the Tokugawa Shogunate granted Mitsui Takatoshi permission to act as a money changer.   In April 2001, Sakura Bank and Sumitomo Bank merge to form Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. (Capital stock: ¥1,276,7 billion). Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) establishes a holding company named Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) through a share transfer, SMBC becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of SMFG in December 2002 and witnessed Wakashio Bank (established June 1996) merge with SMBC in the end of 1st quarter next year.   On July 2008, Sumitomo Mitsui buys a 2.1 per cent stake in Barclays Bank for £500m. In the beginning of 2nd quarter, a group of criminal hackers including Hugh Rodley, security insider…