Just weeks after taking control of Fullerton India Credit, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group has shown a further example of its international ambitions by taking a stake in Jefferies and striking a strategic alliance with the US-based investment bank. Sumitomo Mitsui – known at the group level as SMBC, though more commonly referred to by analysts as SMFG – will take a 4.9% stake in the firm, worth $386 million, based on the Jefferies closing price of July 13.