Abstract. We investigate the b-u skewed parton distributions (SPDs) for transitions and determine the contributions from several sources (overlaps of soft light-cone wave functions, quark-antiquark annihilations and meson resonances). The transition form factors, which are relevant in exclusive semi-leptonic and non-leptonic B-decays, are obtained by integrating the b-u SPDs over the momentum fraction x. A phenomenological determination of the relevant parameters allows us to predict the form factors and to obtain the branching ratios for semi-leptonic decays.