#  @norbertgehrke Norbert Gehrke Norbert Gehrke posts on X about japan, fintech, investment, $8053t the most. They currently have [-----] followers and [---] posts still getting attention that total [---] engagements in the last [--] hours. ### Engagements: [---] [#](/creator/twitter::276945336/interactions)  - [--] Week [-----] +42% - [--] Month [-----] -0.03% - [--] Months [------] +39% - [--] Year [------] -20% ### Mentions: [--] [#](/creator/twitter::276945336/posts_active)  - [--] Month [--] -76% - [--] Months [---] +22% - [--] Year [---] +46% ### Followers: [-----] [#](/creator/twitter::276945336/followers)  - [--] Week [-----] +0.14% - [--] Month [-----] +0.27% - [--] Months [-----] +6% - [--] Year [-----] +14% ### CreatorRank: [---------] [#](/creator/twitter::276945336/influencer_rank)  ### Social Influence **Social category influence** [finance](/list/finance) 60.69% [countries](/list/countries) 31.03% [stocks](/list/stocks) 17.24% [currencies](/list/currencies) 12.41% [automotive brands](/list/automotive-brands) 11.72% [technology brands](/list/technology-brands) 8.28% [travel destinations](/list/travel-destinations) 7.59% [cryptocurrencies](/list/cryptocurrencies) 5.52% [exchanges](/list/exchanges) 4.14% [social networks](/list/social-networks) 1.38% **Social topic influence** [japan](/topic/japan) 26.21%, [fintech](/topic/fintech) #280, [investment](/topic/investment) 13.1%, [$8053t](/topic/$8053t) #40, [$8031t](/topic/$8031t) #68, [finance](/topic/finance) 10.34%, [mitsubishi](/topic/mitsubishi) #454, [$8306t](/topic/$8306t) #455, [$8058t](/topic/$8058t) #454, [$8309t](/topic/$8309t) #4 **Top accounts mentioned or mentioned by** [@webxasia](/creator/undefined) [@mitsushiono](/creator/undefined) [@infcurion](/creator/undefined) [@startalegroup](/creator/undefined) [@binance](/creator/undefined) [@startalegroups](/creator/undefined) [@sony](/creator/undefined) [@soneium](/creator/undefined) [@securedfi](/creator/undefined) [@digifttech](/creator/undefined) [@digitalgarage](/creator/undefined) [@officialkddi](/creator/undefined) [@paypayofficials](/creator/undefined) [@visa](/creator/undefined) [@olyvindia](/creator/undefined) [@smbcmidosuke](/creator/undefined) [@b2c2group](/creator/undefined) [@stancharts](/creator/undefined) [@defimans](/creator/undefined) [@roisarak](/creator/undefined) **Top assets mentioned** [Ethereum (ETH)](/topic/ethereum) [Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (MFG)](/topic/mizuho-financial) [Bitcoin (BTC)](/topic/bitcoin) [USDC (USDC)](/topic/usdc) ### Top Social Posts Top posts by engagements in the last [--] hours "Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has further solidified its foothold in the Southeast Asian market announcing on Monday the acquisition of an additional 4.46% equity stake in the Philippines' Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). The transaction valued at PHP [---] billion (approx. JPY [--] billion) raises SMBCs total shareholding in the Manila-based lender to 24.46%. The deal was executed at a price-to-book ratio (PBR) of 1.0x. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/smbc-raises-stake-in-philippines-rcbc-to-24-5-in-y-17-billion-deal/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2003313265351491614) 2025-12-23T03:54Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "2025 Chartbook: The Japanese FinTech Sector on the Tokyo Stock Exchange GMO Payment Gateway Inc. GMO Financial Gate Digital Garage Inc. Infcurion TIS Inc. Money Forward Inc. freee.k.k. Finatext Holdings Ltd. Speee Avant Group Rakuten Bank SBI Shinsei Bank Advance Create Co Ltd FUNDINNO LY Corporation Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/2025-chartbook-the-japanese-fintech-sector-on-the-tokyo-stock-exchange/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/2025-chartbook-the-japanese-fintech-sector-on-the-tokyo-stock-exchange/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2007342482229735754) 2026-01-03T06:45Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Infcurion has announced its formal participation as a design and development partner for "Trunk" a comprehensive digital financial service for corporate clients operated by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group). @infcurion is integrating new functionality into the platform that leverages its proprietary "Winvoice" infrastructure. This integration is designed to streamline payment processes for businesses by combining automated invoice data extraction with credit card payment capabilities. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2013059944766132312) 2026-01-19T01:24Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "SMBC Edge a strategic subsidiary of the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) Group has executed approximately [--] billion in capital investments across five domestic startups. This marks the first major deployment of capital from the SMBC Edge Fund I L.P. which was established in October [----] to accelerate the creation of new industries in Japan. The initial cohort of five portfolio companies represents a diverse cross-section of deep tech and service platforms. The recipients of the investment are: 🔹 Interstellar Technologies(Space/Rocket Development) 🔹" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2018147890544455948) 2026-02-02T02:22Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group) continues to demonstrate exceptional momentum as of the third quarter of FY3/2026 benefiting significantly from the normalization of the Japanese macro-financial landscape. The results through December [--] [----] indicate a robust transition into a higher-interest-rate environment with top-line growth fueled by domestic margin expansion and disciplined corporate lending. While the headline figures suggest record-breaking pace a deeper analysis reveals a divergence between core operating performance and bottom-line results propped up by strategic asset" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2018456018041405845) 2026-02-02T22:46Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group) is deepening its engagement with the global venture capital ecosystem launching a new video pitch platform designed to connect Japanese seed-stage startups with institutional capital. The initiative launched in collaboration with Silicon Valley-based GoAhead Ventures aims to democratize access to funding by removing traditional geographical and networking barriers. According to the banking group the platform is a Japan-adapted version of a system GoAhead currently operates in the United States which processes over [----] applications annually. By" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2021060891874312356) 2026-02-10T03:17Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Mizuho's Finance-Specialized LLM Achieves Passing Level on Banking Practical Exams Mizuho Financial Group has developed a "finance-specialized LLM (Large Language Model)" trained on banking-specific business knowledge rules and procedures which has achieved passing-level performance on banking practical exams. This model has acquired complex industry-specific rules and regulations unique to the financial sector as well as internal procedures and business knowledge not typically learned by general AI systems. With this achievement Mizuho aims to first improve internal operational efficiency" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2000346032484634774) 2025-12-14T23:23Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "NTT DOCOMO Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and SBI Sumishin Net Bank have decided to change the latter's trade name to "DOCOMO SMTB Net Bank" effective Monday August [--] [----]. This name change is subject to approval by the relevant authorities. Additionally with the aim of further growth of SBI Sumishin Net Bank and strengthening the partnership between DOCOMO and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank in joint management a capital restructuring of SBI Sumishin Net Bank will be implemented on Thursday December [--] [----]. Furthermore collaborative initiatives aimed at creating new value by leveraging each" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2002275291394420967) 2025-12-20T07:10Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The Global State of Web3 from WebX [----] (Bi-lingual: Japanese original English auto-dubbed please check your settings) Panelists: Sota Watanabe @StartaleGroup Takeshi Chino @binance Japan Hidetoshi Yokoyama Robot Consulting Moderator: Wasim Fukase ChainSight https://youtu.be/Hxo6HnqnXBg https://youtu.be/Hxo6HnqnXBg" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2002588253078368377) 2025-12-21T03:53Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "SBI VC Trade and Aplus to Pilot USDC Retail Payments in Japan SBI VC Trade and Aplus both subsidiaries of the financial conglomerate SBI Group will partner to launch a proof-of-concept (PoC) for in-store payments using the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin USD Coin (USDC). The pilot program scheduled to commence in the spring of [----] aims to establish a new commercial model for stablecoin settlement in the Japanese retail sector. The initiative is designed to capture the growing demand from international visitors (inbound tourism) while advancing the "International Financial City OSAKA" project" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2004458636442325151) 2025-12-26T07:45Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "South Koreas Mirae Asset Global Investments Explores $100M Takeover Of Crypto Exchange Korbit Miraes talks come amid rising competition for Korean exchange licenses with Bybit also earlier exploring an acquisition of Korbit. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/south-korea-mirae-asset-group-010500747.htmlguccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJWbGxedHVkPhKpVj9soAk-WnB03tHlOqqWhOEz07N6inrsrZjZwRWOItUGT9QaGjaVrVMGM8v7_zpJZQQPLXBH-JHTqk1qcY3OI0GMjCtsknUvjZ2D-Efn5PPN-2q4yKHckYeh90JDHIgux3gHKypVHR7P_BQozP_bXTQR-K56f" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2005457680232747068) 2025-12-29T01:55Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Japanese banking giant Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has made its first-ever investment through its new corporate venture capital (CVC) fund. The fund named the "SMBC Fin Atlas Beyond Fund" and launched in collaboration with Fin Capital has participated in the recent $58 million funding round for WitnessAI an emerging leader in artificial intelligence security and governance. This inaugural investment marks a clear strategic move by SMBC to back foundational technologies shaping the future of finance. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2011966793741713577) 2026-01-16T01:00Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Startale Group has announced the successful first close of its Series A funding round securing approximately JPY 2bn in additional capital from the Sony Innovation Fund. This latest injection underscores a deepening strategic alliance between the web3 infrastructure firm and the Japanese conglomerate aimed at establishing a robust global infrastructure where entertainment intellectual property (IP) and artificial intelligence intersect. This Series A financing builds upon a foundational partnership established during @StartaleGroup's seed round in September [----] which saw an initial 500" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2017092454110154872) 2026-01-30T04:28Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Yoii's [----] Startup Fundraising Forecast Yoii hasanalyzed the2026 funding landscapefor Japanese startups based on a survey of [---] companies and venture capitalists. While both groups agree that [----] was a difficult yearventure capitalistsmaintain a moreoptimistic outlookfor the future than entrepreneurs. A significantperception gapexists regarding priorities: startups focus onproduct development whereas investors prioritize thecompetence of the management team. The data suggests an increasingmarket polarization where capital is concentrated in high-potential sectors likeAI and deep tech. To" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2018186453998805495) 2026-02-02T04:55Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Global payments giant Visa and Southeast Asian payment gateway Omise have announced a strategic partnership to fortify Thailands digital commerce infrastructure. The collaboration introduces Visas Network Token solution to the Thai market a technological shift aimed at mitigating online fraud while simultaneously increasing transaction approval rates for local merchants. The initiative comes as the regions digital economy faces dual pressures: the increasing sophistication of cyber fraud and the revenue leakage caused by legitimate transactions being declined. For Omise Japanese-founded in" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2018270338245951660) 2026-02-02T10:28Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "In a dual-pronged strategy to combat a saturated domestic market and capitalize on global FinTech adoption Japanese financial services group Credit Saison has announced a major expansion of its international footprint alongside a targeted new product launch in Japan. The Tokyo-based credit card issuer confirmed this week that it plans to launch a full-scale online banking business in Brazil later this year while simultaneously rolling out a new digital-first credit card in Japan designed to meet the immediate liquidity needs of consumers facing inflationary pressures. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2018968515689243058) 2026-02-04T08:42Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "DG Financial Technology (DGFT) the payment processing subsidiary of Digital Garage (TSE Prime: 4819) has expanded its unified QR code payment solution "Cloud Pay" to include support for "AEON Pay." This integration connects DGFTs merchant network with the extensive user base of AEON Financial Service. By enabling acceptance of AEON Pay which reported a membership base exceeding [----] million as of November [----] DGFT aims to significantly broaden the addressable market for its participating merchants. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2019221693022228773) 2026-02-05T01:29Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Penguin Securities has completed its Pre-Series A financing round bringing the Singapore-based groups cumulative funding to USD [--] million. The announcement signals a continued appetite among investors for infrastructure plays that bridge the gap between the burgeoning digital asset economy and traditional financial markets. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/penguin-securities-pushes-for-expansion-in-singapore-and-japan/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/penguin-securities-pushes-for-expansion-in-singapore-and-japan/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020055508523368753) 2026-02-07T08:42Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Secured Finance AG the Japanese-founded Swiss-based developer of the @Secured_Fi DeFi protocol has integrated tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) into its lending platform marking a significant step in bridging traditional capital markets with decentralized finance. Under the new partnership with @DigiFTTech a regulated exchange for real-world assets users can now pledge "uMINT"UBS Asset Managements tokenized money market fundas eligible collateral. This integration allows investors to unlock on-chain liquidity in stablecoins such as USDC and JPYC while maintaining exposure to high-quality" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020082733289287828) 2026-02-07T10:30Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The [----] Tokyo Financial Award winnersImpact Circle Clarity AI Japan Asset Management Platform Group Myna Wallet EduCare and Henry could provide functional components of a broader structural reorganization of the Japanese financial landscape. As the Tokyo Metropolitan Government intensifies its "Global Financial City: Tokyo" initiative these six innovators provide a comprehensive roadmap for addressing Japans most pressing structural challenges: an aging demographic chronic labor shortages in critical sectors the activation of a $14 trillion household asset pool and the digitalization of" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020304639351222519) 2026-02-08T01:12Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and its banking subsidiaries have commenced operations of Artemis Ventures a new general partner entity designed to manage a targeted [--] billion yen ($330 million) equity fund focused on Japans mid-to-late-stage startups. The banking giant has appointed Archibald Ciganera veteran investor formerly with T. Rowe Price Japanas Managing Partner to lead the new firm. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/mufg-taps-ex-t-rowe-price-cio-to-lead-new-y-50-billion-growth-fund/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020701506870354306) 2026-02-09T03:29Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "SBI Shinsei Bank's Third Quarter Financial Results SBI Shinsei Bank has entered a decisive growth phase characterized by robust double-digit increases across all primary profitability metrics for the nine-month period ending December [--] [----]. This performance must be contextualized within the broader shift in the Japanese financial sector as the Bank of Japan is normalizing the interest rate environment. While the banks prior period earnings were significantly inflated by extraordinary items the current results represent high-quality organic growth. The 21.7% increase in net income on such a" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020712368062525955) 2026-02-09T04:12Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Japans Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) is reconvening the Fair Acquisition Study Group a move aimed at revisiting the countrys corporate takeover framework. The decision comes in response to growing concerns regarding market interpretation of existing rules and follows significant statutory changes to Japans financial laws. The ministry originally formulated the "Guidelines for Corporate Takeovers" in August [----] to foster a fairer M&A environment and enhance corporate value. However METI officials acknowledged that despite increasing public attention there is apprehension among" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020727772587622826) 2026-02-09T05:13Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Pacific Meta supported by KDDI and Progmat hosted the second Japan Stablecoin Summit on February [--] [----]. In a forward-looking session regarding the [----] outlook for Japans stablecoin market industry heavyweights from the public and private sectors convened to discuss the friction points and future potential of the digitized Yen. Key Takeaways 🔹 Japans "Three Mega-Banks" are collaborating on stablecoin standardization.Led by MUFG the nation's top banks are moving away from fragmented individual issuance toward a unified standard to ensure interoperability and combat the dominance of the US" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020739724063952919) 2026-02-09T06:01Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "As Japan solidifies its legal framework for stablecoins following the implementation of the revised Payment Services Act the conversation has shifted from "can we do it" to "how do we monetize it" At the second Japan Stablecoin Summit hosted on February [--] [----] by Pacific Meta KDDI and Progmat a panel consisting of industry leaders from Minna Bank Securitize Fireblocks and Circle convened to map out the country's digital asset future in particular the use cases for stablecoins in Japan. The consensus was clear: while Japan has regulatory clarity it lags behind global counterparts in" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020746228670337287) 2026-02-09T06:26Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Digital Garage (TSE Prime: 4819) and its payment subsidiary DG Financial Technology (DGFT) announced today the full-scale operational launch of "NESTA" a next-generation payment platform developed in joint partnership with au Financial Service. The system has officially begun handling billing & settlement processing for the telecommunications charges of au and UQ mobile two of Japans primary mobile carriers under the KDDI umbrella. @DigitalGarage @official_kddi Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2021838964832018784) 2026-02-12T06:49Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "PayPay Corporation Japans dominant QR code payment provider has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Visa to spearhead its international expansion beginning with a significant entry into the United States market. The deal outlines a roadmap for @PayPayOfficial's first major global venture. The companies plan to establish a new PayPay-led entity to develop a digital wallet specifically for the U.S. consumer. This new platform will function as a hybrid payment solution supporting both NFC (contactless) technology and QR code payments. According to the joint statement the U.S." [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022108876481740877) 2026-02-13T00:41Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri) and its parent company Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) have formalized a four-way strategic partnership with the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Security Bank Corporation. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) executed in Manila aims to stimulate the regional digital economy by creating a cross-border corridor for startup capital and market expansion across Japan Thailand and the Philippines. The collaboration leverages the balance sheets and networks of Japans largest financial group and Thailands fifth-largest lender to support the" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022496460970045590) 2026-02-14T02:21Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The entry of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) operating through its subsidiary JASM is a systemic catalyst for the resurgence of Kyushus "Silicon Island." This transition marks a pivot from the regions historical identity as a domestic manufacturing base toward its emergence as a high-value node in the global semiconductor value chain. However data from the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) published in a January report suggests that this resurgence is characterized by a "Structural Decoupling": while macro-indicators like capital investment and land prices show exceptional" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022810542751322287) 2026-02-14T23:09Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "The Japanese mortgage market is undergoing a structural pivot as the era of ultra-low interest rates yields to normalization. Floating-rate (variable) products continue to dominate the landscape capturing approximately 84% of new originations. However the velocity of change is increasing; while variable rates previously sat at a floor of 0.3%0.4% during the negative interest rate era current minimums have migrated toward the 0.6%0.7% range. This shift is accompanied by a significant institutional bifurcation: digital banks and regional banks (particularly those in Kyushu and southern Japan)" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022832562830500158) 2026-02-15T00:37Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "DeCurret DCP has entered into a strategic partnership with Kyushu Financial Group and its banking subsidiariesThe Higo Bank and The Kagoshima Bankto explore the implementation of tokenized deposits using the "DCJPY" digital currency network. This collaboration marks the first initiative of its kind by a regional financial institution within the Kyushu region. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/kyushu-financial-group-deepens-fintech-ties-with-decurret-to-explore-deposit-tokenization/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2006853886141935789) 2026-01-01T22:23Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "At the second annual Japan Stablecoin Summit hosted by Pacific Meta KDDI and Progmat industry leaders from the Ethereum Foundation Solana Foundation Anchorage Digital and Nethermind gathered to discuss the maturation of the digital asset landscape. The panel painted a picture of a sector that has graduated from speculative trading to institutional integration driven by significant regulatory milestones in the United States and continued innovation in Asia. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-stab/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-stab/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020759105464660169) 2026-02-09T07:18Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "At the second Japan Stablecoin Summit hosted by Pacific Meta KDDI and Progmat legal and industry experts (Anderson Mori & Tomotsune Chainalysis Japan Open Chain) gathered to dissect why stablecoin adoption has not yet matched the speed of legislative progress. The consensus was clear: while the laws are in place the practical business environment remains restrictive and a mindset shift regarding security and global integration is overdue. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/j/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/j/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2020762011429384402) 2026-02-09T07:29Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) has demonstrated exceptional strategic resilience through the first nine months of FY2025 navigating a pivot in the domestic macroeconomic environment characterized by yield curve steepening and the initial stages of JPY net interest margin (NIM) expansion. The groups revised net income target of [---] trillion is a benchmark of MUFGs transformed earning power. As of the third quarter ending December [--] [----] MUFG reported a profit attributable to owners of the parent of1813.5 billion achieving an86.4% progress rateagainst the full-year target. This" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2021064960256971183) 2026-02-10T03:33Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Mizuho Financial Groups performance through the third quarter of fiscal year [----] represents a significant point in the Groups medium-term trajectory. Achieving the 90% progress mark toward full-year profit targets as of December [--] [----] Mizuho has established a formidable earnings buffer. This quarter serves as a vital barometer for institutional investors confirming that the Groups pivot toward a "normal interest rate" environment is yielding sustainable operating leverage and providing the capital necessary to accelerate shareholder returns. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2021071463982432269) 2026-02-10T03:59Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending February [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-150/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-150/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2021103413141114891) 2026-02-10T06:06Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Sumitomo Life Insurance Company has released the findings of an internal investigation confirming that employees seconded to independent insurance agencies engaged in the improper acquisition of sensitive business information. The investigation which spanned operations from April [----] through October [----] revealed that seconded staff transmitted proprietary data back to Sumitomo Lifes agency department using inappropriate channels including personal smartphones and physical transfers of hard copies. According to the report the breach affected eight agencies and involved the unauthorized" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2021146242542338268) 2026-02-10T08:56Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Olyv the tech-driven FinTech platform formerly known as SmartCoin has successfully closed a USD [--] million Series B funding round. The investment was led by The Fundamentum Partnership with significant participation from the Singapore-based SMBC Asia Rising Fund the corporate venture capital arm of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. @OlyvIndia @smbc_midosuke Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/indias-olyv-secures-23-million-series-b-to-scale-financial-inclusion-platform-smbc-asia-rising-fund-joins-round/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2021844710407762417) 2026-02-12T07:11Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Standard Chartered has entered a strategic partnership with digital asset market maker @B2C2Group a move designed to bridge the gap between traditional banking infrastructure and the cryptocurrency markets for institutional clients. The collaboration aims to integrate @StanChart's extensive global banking and settlement "rails" with B2C2s deep liquidity across spot and options markets. The initiative targets a sophisticated client baseincluding asset managers hedge funds and family officesseeking to mitigate the counterparty risks and settlement friction often associated with fiat-to-crypto" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2021863847775416635) 2026-02-12T08:28Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Apollo: There are no signs of AI boosting profit margins for companies outside the tech sector see chart below" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022091336669888955) 2026-02-12T23:31Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Japanese financial services giant SBI Holdings is set to significantly expand its footprint in the Southeast Asian crypto market announcing its intention to acquire a majority stake in Coinhako a leading Singapore-based digital asset platform. SBI confirmed that its subsidiary SBI Ventures Asset has signed a letter of intent with Holdbuild the operator of the Coinhako Group. The proposed transaction involves both a fresh capital injection into Coinhako and the acquisition of shares from existing shareholders. Upon completion Coinhako is expected to operate as a consolidated subsidiary of the" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022472318682124701) 2026-02-14T00:45Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Apollo: China now invests more abroad than the rest of the world invests in China see chart below" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022478345171345838) 2026-02-14T01:09Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Kyndryl and IBM Japan have been selected to lead a major modernization of Yamaguchi Financial Groups (Yamaguchi FG) core banking systems a move designed to consolidate the regional lenders IT operations into a single unified platform. The modernization effort is targeted for completion by January [----]. According to the agreement Kyndryl Japan will be responsible for the IT infrastructure domain and foundational management leveraging artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to drive the transformation. IBM Japan has been retained to support the business application side of the" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022485913406972250) 2026-02-14T01:39Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Does anyone here still know C++" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022646622212256186) 2026-02-14T12:18Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Japanese real wages contracted for a fourth consecutive year in [----] though recent data signals that the countrys prolonged struggle with eroding purchasing power may be nearing an end according to a recent report published by the Itochu Research Institute. Monthly Labor Survey data released by the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare on February [--] showed that inflation-adjusted real wages for the full year of [----] fell by 1.3% widening from the 0.3% decline recorded in [----]. While nominal cash earnings grew by 2.3% this pace slowed compared to the previous year weighed down by a significant" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/2022838963522932847) 2026-02-15T01:02Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "NaLaLys which operates the SaaS platform "NaLaLys" for advancing and streamlining corporate compliance has completed a fundraising of [---] million yen in a Pre-Series A round. In this round Delight Ventures served as the lead investor with DNX Ventures and WPower Fund (MPower) participating in a third-party allocation of new shares. This brings the total cumulative fundraising to [---] million yen. Through this funding the company will focus on strengthening its product development structure capital investments talent acquisition and organizational expansion aiming to become the No.1 Compliance" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1949404666938413249) 2025-07-27T09:41Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Visa Worldwide Japan SAP Japan Sumitomo Mitsui Card and Digital Garage have launched an embedded finance solution for B2B payments developed through collaboration between Visa and SAP marking the first deployment of this solution in Japan during fiscal year [----] to improve B2B payment efficiency. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/visa-and-sap-launch-b2b-embedded-finance-solution-in-partnership-with-sumitomo-mitsui-card-and-digital-garage/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/visa-and-sap-launch-b2b-embedded-finance-solution-in-partnership-with-sumitomo-mitsui-card-and-digital-garage/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1949664718769332466) 2025-07-28T02:54Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "SMBC Group has announced the establishment of the USD 300m "SMBC Fin Atlas Beyond Fund" in collaboration with Fin Capital marking the commencement of corporate venture capital activities to invest in U.S financial technology startups" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1949693071861707182) 2025-07-28T04:47Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Major currencies vs USD last week" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1949760649493639647) 2025-07-28T09:15Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending July [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-122/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-122/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1950001678444331223) 2025-07-29T01:13Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "USD 300m FinTech Exit USD 440m Valuation 💰 Mizuho Bank has concluded a share transfer agreement with the shareholders of Upsider Holdings to acquire a majority of UPSIDER Inc.s shares. Mizuho Bank will acquire approximately 70% of Upsiders shares at a price of approximately [--] billion from their current holders which include venture capital firms in and outside Japan and Upsider will become a consolidated subsidiary of Mizuho Bank. Subject to regulatory approval the share transfer will be complete around September [----]. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1950118286269829431) 2025-07-29T08:56Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "HANWHA LIFE CO. LTD.South Korea'sfirst life insurance company has officially completed the acquisition of a 75% stake in U.S.-based global financial services firm. The majority of the stake acquired was owned by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management. The deal marks a bold strategic move into the North American capital marketsbeyond Hanwha Life's traditional insurance business. With this transaction Hanwha Life becomes the first Korean insurance company to acquire a U.S. securities firm "the center of the global capital markets."The acquisition establishes a platform for Hanwha Life to" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1950709592197149022) 2025-07-31T00:06Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Nomura Reports First Quarter Financial Results 🔹 All business divisions booked stronger net revenue and pretax income QoQ; Group net income increased QoQ to Y104.6bn 🔹 Wealth Management had 13th consecutive quarter of net inflows into recurring revenue assets 🔹 Investment Management AuM of Y94.3trn at all-time high underpinned by ninth straight quarter of net inflows 🔹 Global Markets net revenue stronger QoQ while Investment Banking net revenue was at highest level for Q1 since FY2016/17 when comparisons possible 🔹 Banking booked solid revenues from lending and trust and agent operations" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1950737922707325216) 2025-07-31T01:58Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Did you watch the USD/JPY exchange rate move One has to hope that Mrs. Watanabe trading FX on margin was on the right side of that trade" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1951440420338368983) 2025-08-02T00:30Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Fun fact: Trump needs bad employment numbers so that the Fed lowers their policy rate; by firing the labor statistics chief and (presumably) replacing her with a crony to fudge the numbers upwards Trump is leading the Fed towards keeping rates high (unless they shift more to private surveys which they likely will). This all does not make sense but that is not a surprise is it" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1951487942830280764) 2025-08-02T03:39Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Japan Post Insurance Invests USD 2bn in Global Atlantic Vehicle Japan Post Insurance KKR and Global Atlantic a leading provider of retirement security and investment solutions and a wholly-owned subsidiary of KKR have entered into definitive agreements under which Japan Post Insurance will invest $2 billion (approx. JPY [---] billion) in a new vehicle sponsored by Global Atlantic. This transaction marks an additional investment by Japan Post Insurance in a vehicle sponsored by Global Atlantic and is a part of the strategic partnership that Japan Post Insurance KKR and Global Atlantic announced" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1951577583059169425) 2025-08-02T09:35Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed Quantum Solutions has entered into a business collaboration arrangementwith TDX Strategies to cooperate extensively in areas including Bitcoin trade execution asset custody structured product design and market risk managementoffering end-to-end technical and service support for Quantum Solutions'Bitcoin Treasury strategy. Quantum Solutions previously disclosed its plan to accumulate up to [----] Bitcoins over the next [--] months aiming to hedge inflation risks optimize asset structure and enhance the agility of its financial system. The collaboration with TDX" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1951896914578042884) 2025-08-03T06:44Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "GMO Aozora Net Bank and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering Morikawa-Narisue Laboratory have officially launched joint research towards the construction of innovative credit risk assessment models utilizing AI and machine learning. In other news TRABOX has launched a new service called "Finto Invoice Payment" which significantly reduces the burden of accounting operations for corporate clients by using "BaaS by GMO Aozora" provided by GMO Aozora Net Bank to complete the entire process from invoice receipt to payment in a one-stop solution. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1951919403693691320) 2025-08-03T08:13Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Just like for this fiscal year the Japan Cryptoasset Business Association (JCBA) jointly with the Japan Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (JVCEA) has compiled a tax reform request for cryptoassets for FY2026 and submitted it to the government. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/jcba-jvcea-submit-tax-reform-request-for-cryptoassets-for-fy2026/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/jcba-jvcea-submit-tax-reform-request-for-cryptoassets-for-fy2026/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1952499758557470918) 2025-08-04T22:39Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) has commenced the fiscal year ending March [----] with a robust first-quarter performance characterized by strong underlying fundamentals in its core domestic operations. The group reported a Profit Attributable to Owners of Parent of [-----] billion a modest increase of 1.5% year-over-year (YoY) and a more substantial 16.1% YoY surge in Consolidated Net Business Profit to [-----] billion. Both of these key profitability metrics are tracking at a solid 29% of the full-year forecast signaling a strong start and providing a significant buffer against potential" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1952548224394543140) 2025-08-05T01:52Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "MUFG Bank First in Japan to Select Salesforce's "Agentforce for Financial Services" Salesforce Japan announced that The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ has selected the autonomous AI agent "Agentforce for Financial Services" specialized for the financial industry. This case represents Japan's first implementation of Agentforce for Financial Services. Mitsubishi UFJ Bank introduced Salesforce's Financial Services Cloud (FSC) as a new CRM system starting in April [----] aiming to centralize customer data and strengthen sales capabilities while improving customer experience. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1952553436232511632) 2025-08-05T02:13Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "NTT Data Corporation has concluded a sales agent agreement with Lazarus AI which provides multimodal LLM products available in closed network environments particularly to the life insurance industry and property insurance industry and is also a participant in Plug and Play Japan's Summer [----] InsurTech Batch. By combining NTT Data's GPU infrastructure with "Lazarus AI" customers will be able to handle critical information with generative AI without connecting to the internet. Furthermore by collaborating with its domestic data centers NTT Data will respond to all customer needs for generative" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1952559593986621595) 2025-08-05T02:37Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Morgan Stanley Investment Management - Top Ideas for August [----] 👉 Japanese Government Bond (JBG) Yield Curve Flattener Trade Japans Ministry of Finance acting as a backstop to shift future issuances away from the super-long sector and increased foreign demand enticed by attractive FX-hedged JGB long-end yields could drive a partial reversal of the steepening trend" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1953213312881328353) 2025-08-06T21:55Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "GMO Venture Partners lead SMBC Asia Rising Fund participates in DPDzero Series A Debt collections is the backbone of lending however collections today are run by collection agencies who care very little about the borrower and mostly care about their commissions. With a vision to build Indias best collections company DPDzero has announced raising $7million in Series-A funding led by GMO VenturePartners Japans premier fintech focused VC SMBC Asia Rising Fund and Blume Ventures which has doubled down since the previous round. It also saw participation from India Quotient Sinarmas Group and" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1953221006069514710) 2025-08-06T22:25Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) reported a Profit Attributable to Owners of Parent (Net Income) of [-----] billion for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March [--] [----] (Q1 FY25). While this figure represents a modest 1.8% year-over-year (YoY) decline on a reported basis a more telling metric is the adjusted result which shows a [----] billion YoYincreaseafter accounting for the prior-year technical impact of changing a subsidiary's closing period. This performance puts the Japanese megabank on a favorable trajectory having achieved 27.3% of its ambitious [---] trillion full-year net" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1953658325771727272) 2025-08-08T03:23Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Coincheck Group reported a mixed first quarter for fiscal year [----] characterized by a challenging crypto market that impacted trading revenues but underscored by significant strategic progress and strong underlying growth in its user base and assets. Total revenue increased 12% to [----] billion ($583 million) in the first quarter of fiscal [----] from [----] billion ($522 million) in the first quarter of fiscal [----]. Net loss was [----] million ($9.5 million) in the first quarter of fiscal [----] compared to Net profit of [---] million ($3.0 million) in the first quarter of fiscal [----]. Components" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1953697188883857836) 2025-08-08T05:58Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "NBA Top Shot collectibles are now available via Japanese vending machines expanding their reach into the real world. Read more: https://decrypt.co/332118/you-can-buy-nba-top-shot-nfts-vending-machines-japan https://decrypt.co/332118/you-can-buy-nba-top-shot-nfts-vending-machines-japan" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1953728875407499594) 2025-08-08T08:03Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "South Koreas first won-pegged stablecoin was test-launched Tuesday by fanC the developer and issuer of the namesake digital token in partnership with local financial software firm Initech marking a key step toward the adoption of won-denominated stablecoins. Named KRWIN the stablecoin is pegged one-to-one to the Korean won. It is the first time a private entity has issued a won-based digital asset with potential use in the real economy. Read more: https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10547333 https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10547333" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1953733777672609948) 2025-08-08T08:23Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Animoca Brands Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) and HKT have established a joint venture named Anchorpoint Financial Limited to pursue a stablecoin issuer license under Hong Kong's new Stablecoins Ordinance which took effect on August [--] [----] Read more: https://thedefiant.io/news/regulation/anchorpoint-financial-limited-formed-animoca-brands-standard-chartered-hkt-to-b40377deutm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=is-ripple-defi-s-dark-horse" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1953983691849662723) 2025-08-09T00:56Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Sompo Holdings has created a Business Development Department to drive Group-wide growth investments. Launched on August [--] [----] the new department will leverage Sompo Holdings strength and scale and act as a center of excellence across the entire Group. Specifically it will target investment opportunities mainly in Japan to develop new businesses that have a positive social impact as well as to promote and manage venture capital investments. Senior Executive Vice President Koichi Narasaki Executive Officer in charge of Digital Business and Investment has been appointed General Manager to lead" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1954036257195274740) 2025-08-09T04:25Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "WM Partners and AI Capital have completed the fundraising for the [--] billion yen Japan Private Equity Opportunity [----] Investment Limited Partnership. The fund aims to provide liquidity opportunities for investors in domestic buyout funds venture capital funds etc. with the creation of a domestic secondary market as its main theme. Since its establishment the fund has steadily built up a track record in meeting the liquidity needs of investors. In addition to investors in existing funds such as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Development Bank of Japan who supported the significance of" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1954050793906339886) 2025-08-09T05:23Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Japan Launches Fully Domestically Produced Quantum Computer A Japanese superconducting quantum computer fully designed and built with homegrown components and software went live at The University of Osakas Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology (QIQB). This achievement signifies Japans technological prowess in quantum computing demonstrating the nations capacity to design manufacture and integrate a complete quantum system. Visitors to Expo [----] Osaka Kansai Japan will have the opportunity to interact with this cutting-edge technology through a dedicated exhibit. The project" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1954366656786170303) 2025-08-10T02:18Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "PayPay Powers LY Corp's First Quarter as it Prepares for IPO LY Corporation's revenue for the cumulative consolidated first quarter of the fiscal year ending March [--] [----] amounted to [-----] billion yen (up 5.7% year on year) representing the highest cumulative consolidated first quarter revenue to date. This was due to an increased revenue in the Strategic Business accompanied by the growth in PayPay consolidated increased revenue in the Commerce Business accompanied by factors including the favorable performance of the ASKUL Group and ZOZO Group among others as well as increased revenue in" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1954467985101623427) 2025-08-10T09:00Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Takeshi Ueno Chief Economist at the NLI Research Institutepublished an update to his interest rate outlookthis past week. The report analyzes the recent surge in Japan's long-term interest rates (10-year JGB yield) and provides a forecast for the coming [--] months. The key argument is that the recent rise to a 17-year high of 1.6% is not driven by external factors like US rates but by unique domestic developments. NLI's main forecast is for acontinued gradual rise in long-term rates reaching1.7% by the end of fiscal year [----] (March 2026)and1.8% by the end of fiscal year [----] (March 2027)." [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1954487163879567665) 2025-08-10T10:17Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Resona to Increase DG Stake to 30+% as Activist Oasis Exits Resona currently holds 12.42% of Digital Garage's shares (ratio to total voting rights as of March [--] 2025) acquired through third-party allocation and market purchases and Digital Garage positions Resona as a strategic partner for Digital Garage's medium- to long-term growth. By acquiring [-------] shares of Digital Garage (voting right ratio: 18.52%) held by funds managed by Oasis Resona's voting right ratio of Digital Garage's shares will become 30.95% and Digital Garage is expected to become an equity-method affiliate of Resona HD." [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1955088312680714540) 2025-08-12T02:05Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Stellar FinTech Performance Drives Mercari's Full-Year Results The Fintech segment achieved high growth of both sales and profits with core operating profit reaching 4.5B JPY to significantly exceed the full-year target of 3.0B JPY. Mercari reached a cumulative total of more than [--] million Mercards issued and the user base in the credit area is growing steadily. Credit balance grew 32% YoY to land at 248.1B JPY and management eciency improved alongside the growth of the business. In March Mercari released Mercard Gold which has stronger incentives for external payments as a means of" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1955149527595487664) 2025-08-12T06:09Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Heya WebX [----] (August 25-26) is coming up and the Tokyo FinTech Association has a few spare tickets to raffle off. Throw your hat into the ring now 🥳 Register here: https://lu.ma/c34vsgyd https://lu.ma/c34vsgyd" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1955392628293607756) 2025-08-12T22:15Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Heya We also have a few spare tickets for the WebX FinTech Expo in Osaka on August [--] to raffle off. Throw your hat into the ring now 🥳 Register here: https://lu.ma/1wxko7kn https://lu.ma/1wxko7kn" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1955392778462171185) 2025-08-12T22:15Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "JPMorgan Equity Strategy - Japan" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1955596308779290774) 2025-08-13T11:44Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has chosen Japanese blockchain developer SORAMITSU 2016-2025 to design and implement a central bank digital currency (CBDC) following last months federal approval of the Virtual Assets Act [----]. Soramitsu will work with the SBP on a pilot programme to introduce the CBDC part of a broader strategy to regulate and integrate digital assets into Pakistans financial system. The legislation approved on July [--] establishes the Pakistan Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA) an independent federal body tasked with licensing and overseeing entities dealing in" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1955757682574675970) 2025-08-13T22:25Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "@WebX_Asia Subscribe to the Japan FinTech Observer on my LinkedIn feed or directly on the FinTech Observer website: https://www.fintechobserver.com/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1955874700997054938) 2025-08-14T06:10Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "How will Circle's revenue and profitability be impacted by potential Federal Reserve interest rate cuts" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1956174756350156955) 2025-08-15T02:03Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "PayPay Corporation has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form F-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed public listing of American depositary shares representing its common shares on a U.S. stock exchange. The exact schedule size and price for the public listing have not yet been determined. The feasibility of proceeding with the public listing is subject to market and other conditions and is contingent upon the completion of the SECs review process. Just as we wrote in "PayPay Powers LY Corp's First Quarter as it Prepares for IPO"" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1956588230989799872) 2025-08-16T05:26Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Koreas Dual VC Licensing System Leaves Founders Vulnerable and the Startup Ecosystem in Need of Reform In Koreas venture capital market the type of investor backing a startup can determine whether a founders personal assets remain protected or risk exposure in a business collapse. A dual VC licensing system uncommon among major VC hubs means founder protections vary dramatically depending on which regulator oversees the deal creating a legal gap with real consequences for entrepreneurs and investors alike. https://www.koreatechdesk.com/korea-dual-vc-licensing-system-startup-ecosystem-reform" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1956886087357624475) 2025-08-17T01:09Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Real Estate Tech "TRUSTART" Raises JPY 1.3bn in Series C TRUSTART which supports DX transformation of users' real estate-related operations through proprietary real estate big data collection has raised [--] billion yen through third-party allotment to HIRAC FUND (MoneyForward Venture Partners) Daiwa Corporate Investment Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Japan Venture Capital Asia Air Survey Iwagin Future Investment GMO VenturePartners mint SMBC Venture Capital Sagin Capital & Consulting and Terrasky Ventures. Additionally through [---] million yen in debt financing from Resona Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1957269466343182840) 2025-08-18T02:32Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Good to catch up with @mitsushi_ono from @DeFimans before the crazy conference schedule is taking over 🙏" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1957698111985312239) 2025-08-19T06:56Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Finastra completes the first-ever Loan IQ deployment in Japan Leading financial services software firm Finastra has gone live with the Loan IQ platform at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This projectaimsto modernize JICA's core system forprivate-sector investment finance an increasingly expanding initiative that provides loans to private sector projects in developing countries. The implementation for JICA represents the first-ever deployment of Loan IQ inJapan. The solution implemented in partnership with IBM Japan supports JICA's growing need for scalable flexible and" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1958016492253114540) 2025-08-20T04:01Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "12:50 today in Osaka the session right before lunch Crypto ETFs with SBI Global Asset Management Franklin Templeton and OSL. @WebX_Asia WebX FinTech EXPO Osaka" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1958669825724895592) 2025-08-21T23:17Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "SMBC Unveils a Comprehensive Strategy for Africa's Future at TICAD9 This past week has marked a pivotal moment in Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation's (SMBC) engagement with the African continent. Against the backdrop of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) SMBC has announced a series of strategic partnerships and investments that underscore a deep and multi-faceted commitment to fostering sustainable growth driving innovation and promoting financial inclusion across Africa. These initiatives are not isolated deals but a clear cohesive strategy targeting key" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1959410902207529387) 2025-08-24T00:22Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "SBI Holdings Unveils Sweeping Strategy for Tokenization and Stablecoins What a day in Osaka on Friday In a series of coordinated announcements SBI Holdings unveiled a multi-faceted strategy to build and dominate the next generation of digital finance. Through landmark partnerships with global crypto leadersStartale Group Ripple and Circle as well as Japanese financial titanSumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) SBI is laying the groundwork for an all-encompassing ecosystem for tokenized assets and stablecoins. The day's news reveals a clear and ambitious vision: to create the core" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1959428447996096783) 2025-08-24T01:32Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending August [--] - cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-126/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-126/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1959766714402664884) 2025-08-24T23:56Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "WebX [----] (Aug. 25-26) Day [--] kicked of with a discussion on real assets and Shuhei Ochiai Head of the Toyota Blockchain Lab as well as Nikhil Sharma Head of Growth at JP Morgan's Kinexys's Digital Assets. That was followed by "institutional rails" with Betty Sun-Lucas from the Stellar Development Foundation Matt Harrop Co-Founder of Figment and Qin En Looi Partner at Saison Capital. Ending my day with Katherine Dowling from Bitwise Asset Management in a seemless continuation of our panel last year the latest developments in crypto ETF products and the expansion of the Bitwise business (e.g." [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1960230879919587832) 2025-08-26T06:40Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Norinchukin Capital and GMO VenturePartners Participate in Tazapay's Series B Tazapay a leading global cross-border payments infrastructure platform has successfully closed itsSeries Bfunding round with investment fromPeak XV Partners Ripple Circle Ventures Norinchukin Capital andGMO VenturePartners. Existing investor Peak XV Partners led the round and [--] other existing investors January Capital and ARC180 joined the round. Tazapay provides seamless local collection and payout capabilities in over [--] markets supporting a growing base of global enterprises and platforms across industries." [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1960511381314396354) 2025-08-27T01:15Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Is it still a side event if you run a full day conference on the back of WebX Stablecoins everywhere @RoiSarak With thanks to @mitsushi_ono" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1960567820980543824) 2025-08-27T04:59Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The net implications for safe asset demand from stablecoins adoption will largely depend on the source of inflows according to Goldman Sachs" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1960621544511824126) 2025-08-27T08:32Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Densan System has concluded a basic agreement on joint study with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Ava Labs with the aim of creating new services related to future stablecoin payment distribution and management. SMBC Densan System and Ava Labs will study approaches to the sound distribution and utilization of stablecoins while aiming to improve the efficiency of existing financial functions leveraging blockchain characteristics and create new payment distribution and management services. Specifically they will explore various use cases from issuance to distribution payment and" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1960828536786444619) 2025-08-27T22:15Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Capital Leads Visual Bank's JPY 1.1bn Series B Visual Bank has raised [---] billion yen in equity financing through its Series B round. The round was led by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Capital with participation from CDIB Cross Border Innovation Fund Incubate Fund Aozora Corporate Investment SMBC Venture Capital W fund and others. With this new round of funding Visual Bank is preparing to take the next step in its journey: strengthening its role as a hub where new value is created and real challenges are solved at the intersection of IP and AI. In doing so Visual Bank" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1960833126261031278) 2025-08-27T22:33Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "MUFG Completes Stock Transfer of Moneytree Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group its consolidated subsidiary MUFG Bank WealthNavi a consolidated subsidiary of MUFG Bank and shareholders of Moneytree have entered into a stock transfer agreement dated July [--] [----] and as August [--] [----] MUFG Bank has acquired the issued shares of Moneytree. As a result Moneytree will become a consolidated subsidiary of MUFG Bank. Following this stock acquisition WealthNavi plans to acquire some Moneytree shares from MUFG Bank. About Moneytree 🔹 Founded in [----] connects with 2500+ financial institutions/services 🔹" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1961591815343411268) 2025-08-30T00:48Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The FWD Group has published its interim results report for the six months ended June [--] [----] its first since going public on the Hong Kong Exchange in July [----] allowing for a look at its Japanese business. FWD entered the Japanese market in [----] through the acquisition of AIG Fuji Life which was rebranded as FWD Life Japan.The business has a well-established market leadership in protection products. Since [----] FWD Japan has been pivoting away from corporate-owned life insurance (COLI) towards individual protection products. A key strategy is to diversify the product mix. This was marked by" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1961662124582957212) 2025-08-30T05:27Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Systems and Trust have concluded a business partnership agreement aimed at improving system development productivity through the utilization of generative AI. Trust was founded in [----] and is a startup that provides services to streamline system development using generative AI. According to the company this is the first time that a major financial institution and a startup have partnered in the field of system development using generative AI. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1961997136956186888) 2025-08-31T03:39Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Webull Securities the Japanese division of US-based Webull Corporation (NASDAQ: BULL) began offering its Japanese stock trading API on August [--] [----]. This addition to the existing US stock trading API (Webull OpenAPI) enables API-based trading functionality for Japanese stocks making Webull the first major domestic online securities firm to provide a trading API environment supporting both Japanese and US stocks. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/webull-securities-begins-offering-japanese-stock-trading-api/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1962452803588337828) 2025-09-01T09:49Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Minna Bank has signed a business partnership agreement with Merpay to utilize Minna Bank's financial functions and services in the flea market app "Mercari". By combining the strengths of both companies the firms have reached an agreement that allows them to provide Merpay customers with unprecedented highly convenient financial services and realize a new form of BaaS leading to the signing of this business partnership agreement. The companies are preparing for a service release this winter and also plan to establish a Minna Bank "Partner Branch." Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1962468345556664743) 2025-09-01T10:51Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "MUFG Bank and MUFG Innovation Partners (MUIP) both consolidated subsidiaries of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) have made an investment in LayerX a startup focused on equipping society with AI-centered software. MUFG Bank also signed a strategic partnership memorandum of understanding with LayerX to further deepen their collaborative relationship. MUIPs investment through the MUFG Innovation Partners No. [--] Investment Limited Partnership is a follow-on investment after participation in LayerXs Series A round in [----]. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/mufg-ban-invests-in-layerx/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1962666174644396052) 2025-09-01T23:57Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "At the beginning of August S&P Global Ratings assigned its 'B-' issuer credit rating to Sky Protocol. The outlook is stable. Subsequently S&P Global Ratings hosted webinar titled "Understanding Our Credit Approach to Sky" which detailed the methodology and rationale for assigning an inaugural credit rating to the decentralized lending protocol. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/s-p-global-assigns-sky-protocol-b-rating-outlook-stable/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/s-p-global-assigns-sky-protocol-b-rating-outlook-stable/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1962700202453987558) 2025-09-02T02:12Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Coincheck Group the holding company of Coincheck one of Japans leading crypto asset exchanges has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire Aplo a digital asset prime brokerage for institutional crypto investors. Pursuant to the agreement all issued and outstanding shares of Aplo are to be exchanged for newly issued ordinary shares of Coincheck Group. Closing of the transaction subject to certain undertakings and conditions is expected in October [----]. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1962778141044433225) 2025-09-02T07:22Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Stripe Tour Tokyo - Roundtable: A Policy Discussion on Stablecoins Prior to the start of the Stripe Tour Tokyo main event Stripe hosted a policy-themed breakfast discussion to explore the transformative potential of stablecoins bringing together representatives from finance technology and regulatory bodies. The session provided a deep dive into the past present and future of this emerging financial technology focusing on its global utility key use cases regulatory importance and specific implications for the Japanese market. In reporting on the event we adhere to Chathan House rules i.e." [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1964172946890772903) 2025-09-06T03:44Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "PayPay Integrates with WeChat Pay PayPay announced that WeChat Pay () will become available for use at PayPay merchants nationwide through HIVEX starting from mid-September this year. HIVEX offers common business rules system integration for cashless payment providers (MPSP) and a consistent neutral brand bringing greater scalability at a commercial level to deliver a better user experience. By collaborating with HIVEX it becomes possible to conduct cross-border payments that were previously unattainable. WeChat Pay is the payment feature of Chinas WeChat (). With this initiative together" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1964212540134879276) 2025-09-06T06:22Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Saison Capital Participates in Pointsville's Series A Pointsville a pioneering platform for digital asset infrastructure and loyalty has completed itsSeries A funding roundled byValor Capital Group with participation from an exceptional group of global investors and industry leaders. Backers includeTetherIta Unibanco's founding family Nubank's co-founder Temasek-backedSuperscrypt SNZ Saison CapitalK2 Integrity Citrino and Dynamo's partners. The steady maturation of the digital asset ecosystem has fueled unprecedented demand for the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA). Existing" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1964216188067815448) 2025-09-06T06:36Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Himeno's Hokkaido Speech Bank of Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Himeno provided insights into Japan's economic outlook monetary policy and regional economic conditions during a press conference and a speech in eastern Hokkaido on September [--] [----]. Given the next Monetary Policy Meeting taking place on September [--] & [--] [----] we parse the speech for further clues on the bank's thought process. Key themes include the ongoing impact of US trade policy the trajectory of underlying inflation the BOJ's cautious approach to rate hikes and the strategy for reducing the BOJ's" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1964248740052816211) 2025-09-06T08:46Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Speculators have been rebuilding short JPY positions" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1964273108606435836) 2025-09-06T10:22Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "🚨 eXponential Finance Podcast Alert Michinori Kanokogi CFA Nissay Asset Management - ChatGPT and GenAI: What They Mean for Investment Professionals (S3E50) Michinori Kanokogi CFA is Head of Solution Research at Nissay Asset Management. He leads the research and development of digital investment solutions for investors. Previously he led the launch of AQR Capital Managements Japan business as head of investment management. He also has experience in multi-manager investment at Russell Investments equity portfolio management at UBS and management consulting at PwC and Deloitte. He translated" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1964519313181974888) 2025-09-07T02:41Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Over the past week there were two additional announcements regarding SBI Group's strategic expansion within the Japanese cryptocurrency market. These key developments include a new partnership between SBI VC Trade and Convano for large-scale Bitcoin operations and SBI Securities' launch of crypto CFDs underpinned by B2C2 as a liquidity provider. With crypto ETFs most likely to launch only in January [----] the crypto CFDs provide the first product to gain direct crypto exposure in the domestic securities market. SBI Group is leveraging its various subsidiaries (SBI VC Trade SBI Securities and" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1964879595888587089) 2025-09-08T02:32Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending September [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-128/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-128/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1964977543616077928) 2025-09-08T09:02Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings will launch its new subsidiary MUFG Securities (India) Private Limited in Mumbai on Monday September [--] [----]. MUS(INDIA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of MUFG Securities Asia Limited. This strategic expansion marks a significant milestone in MUFGs commitment to India and its broader Asia Pacific growth strategy and significantly enhances MUFGs ability to offer end-to-end financing solutions in India by complementing its well-established leading position in offshore capital markets. The INR financing platform will enable MUFG to provide holistic funding" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1966423224893530168) 2025-09-12T08:46Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Dissolution of the SBI Holdings and Zodia Custody Joint Venture in Japan Zodia Custody the institutional digital asset custodian backed by Standard Chartered and Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings have mutually agreed to terminate their much-anticipated joint venture "SBI Zodia Custody" nearly two years after its inception. The venture which aimed to provide bank-grade crypto-asset custody for institutions in Japan was dissolved before it could secure regulatory approval or commence formal operations. The dissolution was framed by both parties as a strategic realignment. In a statement" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1966677290458509603) 2025-09-13T01:36Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "This week the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has published a new paper out of the "Bank of Japan Review" seriesexamining the recent trends in Private Equity (PE) and Private Debt (PD) funds which have significantly expanded their assets under management (AUM) since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) particularly in the United States. The paper finds a divergence in performance: 🔹 PE fundsare facing headwinds with performance weakening due to lower portfolio company valuations and higher financing costs amid global interest rate hikes. This has led to a significant slowdown in "exits" (selling portfolio" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1967385392199700815) 2025-09-15T00:30Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The purchasing power of Japanese individual investors is growing. The total net assets (balance) of Money Reserve Funds (MRFs) which serve as a pool of idle money invested in highly safe assets like short-term public and corporate bonds have recently surpassed JPY16 tn to reach a record high. From a supply and demand perspective the current stock market rally is driven by continued corporate share buybacks and foreign investors active buying of Japanese stocks. Meanwhile this idle money is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to buy on dips. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1967473097734553619) 2025-09-15T06:18Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "The Deutsche Bundesbank Representative Office jointly with Japan's Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan held an event titled "CBDC Insights: Digital Euro and Japan's Approach" on Thursday September [--] [----] on the occasion of Burkhard Balz's visit the board member responsible for cash management payments and settlement systems the digital Euro and the Centre for International Central Bank Dialogue. Overall we identified the following key takeaways: 🔹 Strategic Autonomy is a Core Driver for Europe:A primary motivation for the Digital Euro is to reduce Europe's heavy reliance on" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1967824827538084040) 2025-09-16T05:36Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Densan System has concluded a basic agreement with JPYC Corporation for a joint study toward the social implementation of payment remittance and settlement services utilizing the Japanese yen stablecoin "JPYC". By adopting the Japanese yen stablecoin "JPYC" as the payment infrastructure they will ensure connectivity with external services and advanced scalability while emphasizing ease and convenience for general consumers without significantly changing their existing payment experience. They will further examine the feasibility of payment experiences that combine institutional compliance" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1968482988930564311) 2025-09-18T01:11Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "At the Monetary Policy Meeting ending today the Policy Board of the Bank of Japan decided by a 7-2 majority vote to set the following guideline for money market operations for the intermeeting period: The Bank will encourage the uncollateralized overnight call rate to remain at around [---] percent. In a significant move the BOJ decided to begin selling its massive holdings of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and Japan Real Estate Investment Trusts (J-REITs). The sales will be conducted at a very slow pace to avoid market disruption: approximately [---] billion per year for ETFs and [--] billion per" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1968977215896625156) 2025-09-19T09:55Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Uniqlo announced that it would be shutting down "UNIQLO Pay" the QR code payment feature on its official smartphone app the "UNIQLO app" in January [----]. "With the diversification of payment methods the use of QR code payments and credit cards has increased. We have decided to shut down the service in light of these changes in the environment and the recent usage of UNIQLO Pay" the company said. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/uniqlo-pay-to-be-discontinued/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/uniqlo-pay-to-be-discontinued/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1969549601171783818) 2025-09-20T23:49Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "AlpacaTech a subsidiary of FOLIO Holdings which provides innovative financial solutions within the SBI Group has commenced a partnership for joint research and development with Vertex Investment Solutions a 100% subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings with strengths in quantitative investment management. AlpacaTech which possesses high expertise in AI technology research and development has begun collaboration with Vertex which has cutting-edge financial technology and long-term investment knowledge to create new asset management solutions. Vertex is considering practical implementation of the" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1970037302509650025) 2025-09-22T08:07Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "SC Ventures by Standard Chartered Bank which builds and invests in breakthrough ventures in and beyond banking together with Fujitsu a leading developer of quantum software and hardware are set to join forces to incubate Project Quanta. The project will integrate multiple software and hardware technologies to provide clients a platform to rapidly explore develop and integrate quantum computing and quantum-inspired applications. The joint venture will leverage Fujitsus expertise in quantum computing R&D and software-and-algorithm development as well as insights gained through the development" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1971407921826365892) 2025-09-26T02:54Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Amid the rise of agent commerce GMO Venture Partners have invested in Crossmint alongside Circle and other investors. Crossmint provides infrastructure that enables seamless integration of payments and remittances across both fiat currencies and stablecoins. Crossmint offers a unified API and wallet SDK that bridges fiat and stablecoins allowing enterprises and AI agents to implement payments and transfers with ease. GMO Venture Partners believe removing the need to grapple with blockchain complexity is a critical factor in driving seamless adoption of wallets by enterprises and end users" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1971738485670420967) 2025-09-27T00:47Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "VinFast has secured a USD [---] million Green Loan facility from MUFG Bank to be used for VinFast's development and international expansion strategy. The loan marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between the parties demonstrative of the commitment of both VinFast and MUFG to advance the green transition in Vietnam and globally. The USD [---] million credit facility is structured as a green loan. Under this arrangement the loan proceeds will be used to support VinFasts development and expansion as a pure-electric vehicle company. VinFast aims to strategically deploy the new capital on" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1972163296456593638) 2025-09-28T04:55Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "FormX has completed a seed round funding of [---] million yen in total. The lead investor is Genesia Ventures with additional participation from Chiba Dojo Fund and multiple CFO angel investors. This funding will accelerate the development of its "Disclosure Platform" and strengthen its organizational foundation. Representative Tokita founded the company in [----] to solve disclosure-related challenges he experienced at listed companies IPO preparation companies and audit firms. Currently FormX is conducting proof of concepts with six listed companies and three unlisted companies. Leveraging" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1972175700435390955) 2025-09-28T05:45Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Heiwa Real Estate will openFinGATE SAPPORO in IKEUCHI LAB the first FinGATE facility in Sapporo on Monday October [--] [----]. At FinGATE SAPPORO in IKEUCHI LAB Heiwa Real Estate will draw on the financial hub operational experience and knowhow it has cultivated since [----] in the Nihonbashi Kabutocho and Kayabacho district of Tokyo to attract global financial companies to Hokkaido and Sapporo. The hub will also help Japans financial services industry become more diverse and sophisticated by strengthening the exchange of People Information and Capital between Tokyo and Sapporo. In recent years the" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1972812220338999693) 2025-09-29T23:54Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Samantha Ghiotti Co-Founder & CEO of @habitto_jp shared her bold journey from building fintech businesses in London New York and Singapore to tackling Japans most pressing challenge: ending financial anxiety at the Impact Future Weekend hosted by We Are The Impact recently. Watch Sam's presentation here: 👉 Key takeaways from Sams story: 🔹 Japan is the 4th largest economy but has surprisingly few fintech platforms 🔹 Habittos mission: helping the sandwich generation make money work for them 🔹 Why savings culture in Japan is a powerful entry point to win trust 🔹 The real challenges of" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1973154772669833515) 2025-09-30T22:35Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "UNLEASH Capital Partners a venture capital fund management company dedicated to driving financial inclusion has announced the final close of its first fund at INR [---] crores(approximately USD [--] million) which was oversubscribed against the initial target. The fund co-general partnered by Natsuki Sugai and Gojo & Company is poised to invest in innovative early-stage startups revolutionizing the financial ecosystem in India. The fund attracted approximately [--] Japanese Limited Partners (LPs). This significant backing from Japanese investors underscores a shared mission to extend financial" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1973524297043026202) 2025-10-01T23:03Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) is in advanced talks to acquire a 20% stake in Shriram Finance Limited for [-----] crore ($2.6 billion) potentially the largest FDI in an Indian NBFC. The investment would be via a primary issuance with MUFG open to a larger stake over time. Shriram Finance Indias second-largest NBFC has [----] lakh crore AUM and a strong retail lending presence. MUFG's comment yesterday: "Today some media reported on our banks investment in India but it is not made public from our company or our bank." This typically means it will just take a few days for the leak to be" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1973527211379712308) 2025-10-01T23:15Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) MUFG Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUTB) have announced that they would establish an equity fund to principally invest in middle and later-stage startups (growth companies) in Japan. Endeavoring to develop the Japanese market MUFG has decided to establish the Fund to invest in equities targeting Japanese growth companies. The investment team will be led by a Chief Investment Officer (CIO) to be appointed through external recruitment and will start fund management with LP investments from MUFG Bank and MUTB. Additionally MUFG plans" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1974254825379688702) 2025-10-03T23:26Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Sompo Holdings has established Sompo Wellbeing a new company that will alleviate the three concerns of health nursing care and retirement finances which arise from the declining birthrate and aging population and will provide services that support balancing work with nursing care. By working to alleviate these social challenges with a sense of speed and with fresh ideas that go beyond existing frameworks Sompo Wellbeing aims to realize a society where people think positively about aging. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/establishment-of-sompo-wellbeing/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1974634565370282233) 2025-10-05T00:35Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "The Future Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI) and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance (ADI) the core non-life insurance companies of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings are progressing with merger discussions as announced on March [--] [----]. Now decisions have been made regarding changes to the company name and related details as well as the corporate overview of the new company resulting from the merger subject to the approval of shareholders' meetings and relevant authorities. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/the-future-mitsui-sumitomo-insurance-group/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1974679364995330229) 2025-10-05T03:33Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Nomura's Global Markets Franchise" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1975113213789532284) 2025-10-06T08:17Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "The DCC's Report on a Fully On-chain Settled Tokenized MMF in Japan The Digital Asset Co-Creation Consortium (DCC) has unveiled a detailed blueprint for launching a fully on-chain settled tokenized Money Market Fund (MMF) aiming to bridge Japan's established financial markets with the rapidly expanding global digital asset ecosystem. The report authored by the DCC's "On-Chain Settled Security Token (ST) Working Group" provides a candid and exhaustive analysis of the opportunities and the significant legal hurdles involved in creating a Japanese equivalent to successful global products like" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1975133403809980886) 2025-10-06T09:37Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending October [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-132/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-132/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1975384641617207741) 2025-10-07T02:16Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "MUFG Participates in India-based Raise Financial's Series B to Fund Dhan's Growth Raise Financial Services the innovative fintech company behind the popular stock trading and investing platform Dhan has successfully concluded a significant Series B funding round raising an impressive $120 million. This latest investment propels the Mumbai-based company into the coveted unicorn club with a post-money valuation of $1.2 billion. The funding round was spearheaded by Hornbill Capital demonstrating strong investor confidence in Raise Financial's vision and growth trajectory. Other notable" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1975791910267838668) 2025-10-08T05:14Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "MUFG to Issue Public Offering Digital Unsecured Subordinated Bond as a Security Token Via @progmat_en MUFG has announced that as part of preparations to issue the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group 1st series unsecured subordinated security token bond with optional-redemption clause write-down upon the occurrence of a non-viability event clause and transfer restriction clause (the ST Bond) it has submitted an amended registration statement to the Director-General of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau. The ST Bond is expected to be Tier [--] capital eligible under the Basel III International Regulations." [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1976195677953851627) 2025-10-09T07:59Z [----] followers, [---] engagements "Laser Digital Partners with Solidus Labs to Advance Crypto-Native Market Surveillance Laser Digital the digital asset subsidiary of Nomura Group andSolidus Labs the category-definer for crypto-native trade surveillance and risk monitoring have announced a partnership to deliver crypto-native on-chain and off-chain market surveillance. Under this partnership @Solidus_Labs will equip Laser Digital with advanced detection capabilities that monitor trading behavior across exchanges OTC markets and DeFi venues - reinforcing Laser Digital's risk and compliance operations and supporting evolving" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1976534133586457007) 2025-10-10T06:23Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Happy Fourth Year Anniversary Nudge Nudge has developed and operates a next-generation credit card that combines the security safety and convenience of financial services with highly entertaining experience design featuring elements like "choosing by design" and "supporting your favorites." Through this approach Nudge is working toward realizing a world where people naturally integrate financial services into their daily lives. Under this mission Nudge has added various Japan-first innovations to its cloud-native credit card service platform "Nudge Platform" enabling not only further" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1977562420035154148) 2025-10-13T02:29Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Dassai a sake brewer in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said that a Japanese H3 rocket will carry ingredients for Dassai sake as well as brewing equipment developed by the two for use in space. Read more: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/10/japan/sake-brewing-test-space/utm_medium=social&utm_type=image&utm_source=linkedin#Echobox=1760088533 https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/10/japan/sake-brewing-test-space/utm_medium=social&utm_type=image&utm_source=linkedin#Echobox=1760088533" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1977563675381883373) 2025-10-13T02:34Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending October [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-133/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-133/" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1977888914917732483) 2025-10-14T00:07Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Sony Financial Ventures and Global Brain Corporation have established a new joint venture company through a co-investment. The new company aims to build an environment for Japanese and overseas entrepreneurs to pursue their endeavors and evolve into a platform that creates long-term growth opportunities. It will bring together Global Brains investment knowhow and Sony Groups technology and adopt an AI-powered and data-driven investment mode to support entrepreneurs challenges with greater precision and speed and unlock global growth opportunities. Read more:" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/1978371480242237447) 2025-10-15T08:04Z [----] followers, [--] engagements ""Blockchain All-Stars" THE MOVIE - a great discussion about #ETHEREUM #corda #hyperledger #fintech https://youtu.be/J3kbtmkbuRk https://youtu.be/J3kbtmkbuRk" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/906424183181123584) 2017-09-09T07:49Z [----] followers, [--] engagements "Absolutely thrilled to have had the opportunity to enjoy dinner with @IOHK_Charles Hoskinson co-founder of #Ethereum and #InputOutputHK. #Cardano $ADA" [X Link](https://x.com/norbertgehrke/status/969213238951866368) 2018-03-01T14:10Z [----] followers, [--] engagements Limited data mode. Full metrics available with subscription: lunarcrush.com/pricing
@norbertgehrke Norbert Gehrke
Norbert Gehrke posts on X about japan, fintech, investment, $8053t the most. They currently have [-----] followers and [---] posts still getting attention that total [---] engagements in the last [--] hours.
Engagements: [---] #
- [--] Week [-----] +42%
- [--] Month [-----] -0.03%
- [--] Months [------] +39%
- [--] Year [------] -20%
Mentions: [--] #
- [--] Month [--] -76%
- [--] Months [---] +22%
- [--] Year [---] +46%
Followers: [-----] #
- [--] Week [-----] +0.14%
- [--] Month [-----] +0.27%
- [--] Months [-----] +6%
- [--] Year [-----] +14%
CreatorRank: [---------] #
Social Influence
Social category influence finance 60.69% countries 31.03% stocks 17.24% currencies 12.41% automotive brands 11.72% technology brands 8.28% travel destinations 7.59% cryptocurrencies 5.52% exchanges 4.14% social networks 1.38%
Social topic influence japan 26.21%, fintech #280, investment 13.1%, $8053t #40, $8031t #68, finance 10.34%, mitsubishi #454, $8306t #455, $8058t #454, $8309t #4
Top accounts mentioned or mentioned by @webxasia @mitsushiono @infcurion @startalegroup @binance @startalegroups @sony @soneium @securedfi @digifttech @digitalgarage @officialkddi @paypayofficials @visa @olyvindia @smbcmidosuke @b2c2group @stancharts @defimans @roisarak
Top assets mentioned Ethereum (ETH) Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (MFG) Bitcoin (BTC) USDC (USDC)
Top Social Posts
Top posts by engagements in the last [--] hours
"Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has further solidified its foothold in the Southeast Asian market announcing on Monday the acquisition of an additional 4.46% equity stake in the Philippines' Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). The transaction valued at PHP [---] billion (approx. JPY [--] billion) raises SMBCs total shareholding in the Manila-based lender to 24.46%. The deal was executed at a price-to-book ratio (PBR) of 1.0x. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/smbc-raises-stake-in-philippines-rcbc-to-24-5-in-y-17-billion-deal/"
X Link 2025-12-23T03:54Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"2025 Chartbook: The Japanese FinTech Sector on the Tokyo Stock Exchange GMO Payment Gateway Inc. GMO Financial Gate Digital Garage Inc. Infcurion TIS Inc. Money Forward Inc. freee.k.k. Finatext Holdings Ltd. Speee Avant Group Rakuten Bank SBI Shinsei Bank Advance Create Co Ltd FUNDINNO LY Corporation Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/2025-chartbook-the-japanese-fintech-sector-on-the-tokyo-stock-exchange/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/2025-chartbook-the-japanese-fintech-sector-on-the-tokyo-stock-exchange/"
X Link 2026-01-03T06:45Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Infcurion has announced its formal participation as a design and development partner for "Trunk" a comprehensive digital financial service for corporate clients operated by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group). @infcurion is integrating new functionality into the platform that leverages its proprietary "Winvoice" infrastructure. This integration is designed to streamline payment processes for businesses by combining automated invoice data extraction with credit card payment capabilities. Read more:"
X Link 2026-01-19T01:24Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"SMBC Edge a strategic subsidiary of the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) Group has executed approximately [--] billion in capital investments across five domestic startups. This marks the first major deployment of capital from the SMBC Edge Fund I L.P. which was established in October [----] to accelerate the creation of new industries in Japan. The initial cohort of five portfolio companies represents a diverse cross-section of deep tech and service platforms. The recipients of the investment are: 🔹 Interstellar Technologies(Space/Rocket Development) 🔹"
X Link 2026-02-02T02:22Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group) continues to demonstrate exceptional momentum as of the third quarter of FY3/2026 benefiting significantly from the normalization of the Japanese macro-financial landscape. The results through December [--] [----] indicate a robust transition into a higher-interest-rate environment with top-line growth fueled by domestic margin expansion and disciplined corporate lending. While the headline figures suggest record-breaking pace a deeper analysis reveals a divergence between core operating performance and bottom-line results propped up by strategic asset"
X Link 2026-02-02T22:46Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group) is deepening its engagement with the global venture capital ecosystem launching a new video pitch platform designed to connect Japanese seed-stage startups with institutional capital. The initiative launched in collaboration with Silicon Valley-based GoAhead Ventures aims to democratize access to funding by removing traditional geographical and networking barriers. According to the banking group the platform is a Japan-adapted version of a system GoAhead currently operates in the United States which processes over [----] applications annually. By"
X Link 2026-02-10T03:17Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Mizuho's Finance-Specialized LLM Achieves Passing Level on Banking Practical Exams Mizuho Financial Group has developed a "finance-specialized LLM (Large Language Model)" trained on banking-specific business knowledge rules and procedures which has achieved passing-level performance on banking practical exams. This model has acquired complex industry-specific rules and regulations unique to the financial sector as well as internal procedures and business knowledge not typically learned by general AI systems. With this achievement Mizuho aims to first improve internal operational efficiency"
X Link 2025-12-14T23:23Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"NTT DOCOMO Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and SBI Sumishin Net Bank have decided to change the latter's trade name to "DOCOMO SMTB Net Bank" effective Monday August [--] [----]. This name change is subject to approval by the relevant authorities. Additionally with the aim of further growth of SBI Sumishin Net Bank and strengthening the partnership between DOCOMO and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank in joint management a capital restructuring of SBI Sumishin Net Bank will be implemented on Thursday December [--] [----]. Furthermore collaborative initiatives aimed at creating new value by leveraging each"
X Link 2025-12-20T07:10Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The Global State of Web3 from WebX [----] (Bi-lingual: Japanese original English auto-dubbed please check your settings) Panelists: Sota Watanabe @StartaleGroup Takeshi Chino @binance Japan Hidetoshi Yokoyama Robot Consulting Moderator: Wasim Fukase ChainSight https://youtu.be/Hxo6HnqnXBg https://youtu.be/Hxo6HnqnXBg"
X Link 2025-12-21T03:53Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"SBI VC Trade and Aplus to Pilot USDC Retail Payments in Japan SBI VC Trade and Aplus both subsidiaries of the financial conglomerate SBI Group will partner to launch a proof-of-concept (PoC) for in-store payments using the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin USD Coin (USDC). The pilot program scheduled to commence in the spring of [----] aims to establish a new commercial model for stablecoin settlement in the Japanese retail sector. The initiative is designed to capture the growing demand from international visitors (inbound tourism) while advancing the "International Financial City OSAKA" project"
X Link 2025-12-26T07:45Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"South Koreas Mirae Asset Global Investments Explores $100M Takeover Of Crypto Exchange Korbit Miraes talks come amid rising competition for Korean exchange licenses with Bybit also earlier exploring an acquisition of Korbit. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/south-korea-mirae-asset-group-010500747.htmlguccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJWbGxedHVkPhKpVj9soAk-WnB03tHlOqqWhOEz07N6inrsrZjZwRWOItUGT9QaGjaVrVMGM8v7_zpJZQQPLXBH-JHTqk1qcY3OI0GMjCtsknUvjZ2D-Efn5PPN-2q4yKHckYeh90JDHIgux3gHKypVHR7P_BQozP_bXTQR-K56f"
X Link 2025-12-29T01:55Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Japanese banking giant Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has made its first-ever investment through its new corporate venture capital (CVC) fund. The fund named the "SMBC Fin Atlas Beyond Fund" and launched in collaboration with Fin Capital has participated in the recent $58 million funding round for WitnessAI an emerging leader in artificial intelligence security and governance. This inaugural investment marks a clear strategic move by SMBC to back foundational technologies shaping the future of finance. Read more:"
X Link 2026-01-16T01:00Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Startale Group has announced the successful first close of its Series A funding round securing approximately JPY 2bn in additional capital from the Sony Innovation Fund. This latest injection underscores a deepening strategic alliance between the web3 infrastructure firm and the Japanese conglomerate aimed at establishing a robust global infrastructure where entertainment intellectual property (IP) and artificial intelligence intersect. This Series A financing builds upon a foundational partnership established during @StartaleGroup's seed round in September [----] which saw an initial 500"
X Link 2026-01-30T04:28Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Yoii's [----] Startup Fundraising Forecast Yoii hasanalyzed the2026 funding landscapefor Japanese startups based on a survey of [---] companies and venture capitalists. While both groups agree that [----] was a difficult yearventure capitalistsmaintain a moreoptimistic outlookfor the future than entrepreneurs. A significantperception gapexists regarding priorities: startups focus onproduct development whereas investors prioritize thecompetence of the management team. The data suggests an increasingmarket polarization where capital is concentrated in high-potential sectors likeAI and deep tech. To"
X Link 2026-02-02T04:55Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Global payments giant Visa and Southeast Asian payment gateway Omise have announced a strategic partnership to fortify Thailands digital commerce infrastructure. The collaboration introduces Visas Network Token solution to the Thai market a technological shift aimed at mitigating online fraud while simultaneously increasing transaction approval rates for local merchants. The initiative comes as the regions digital economy faces dual pressures: the increasing sophistication of cyber fraud and the revenue leakage caused by legitimate transactions being declined. For Omise Japanese-founded in"
X Link 2026-02-02T10:28Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"In a dual-pronged strategy to combat a saturated domestic market and capitalize on global FinTech adoption Japanese financial services group Credit Saison has announced a major expansion of its international footprint alongside a targeted new product launch in Japan. The Tokyo-based credit card issuer confirmed this week that it plans to launch a full-scale online banking business in Brazil later this year while simultaneously rolling out a new digital-first credit card in Japan designed to meet the immediate liquidity needs of consumers facing inflationary pressures. Read more:"
X Link 2026-02-04T08:42Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"DG Financial Technology (DGFT) the payment processing subsidiary of Digital Garage (TSE Prime: 4819) has expanded its unified QR code payment solution "Cloud Pay" to include support for "AEON Pay." This integration connects DGFTs merchant network with the extensive user base of AEON Financial Service. By enabling acceptance of AEON Pay which reported a membership base exceeding [----] million as of November [----] DGFT aims to significantly broaden the addressable market for its participating merchants. Read more:"
X Link 2026-02-05T01:29Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Penguin Securities has completed its Pre-Series A financing round bringing the Singapore-based groups cumulative funding to USD [--] million. The announcement signals a continued appetite among investors for infrastructure plays that bridge the gap between the burgeoning digital asset economy and traditional financial markets. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/penguin-securities-pushes-for-expansion-in-singapore-and-japan/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/penguin-securities-pushes-for-expansion-in-singapore-and-japan/"
X Link 2026-02-07T08:42Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Secured Finance AG the Japanese-founded Swiss-based developer of the @Secured_Fi DeFi protocol has integrated tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) into its lending platform marking a significant step in bridging traditional capital markets with decentralized finance. Under the new partnership with @DigiFTTech a regulated exchange for real-world assets users can now pledge "uMINT"UBS Asset Managements tokenized money market fundas eligible collateral. This integration allows investors to unlock on-chain liquidity in stablecoins such as USDC and JPYC while maintaining exposure to high-quality"
X Link 2026-02-07T10:30Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The [----] Tokyo Financial Award winnersImpact Circle Clarity AI Japan Asset Management Platform Group Myna Wallet EduCare and Henry could provide functional components of a broader structural reorganization of the Japanese financial landscape. As the Tokyo Metropolitan Government intensifies its "Global Financial City: Tokyo" initiative these six innovators provide a comprehensive roadmap for addressing Japans most pressing structural challenges: an aging demographic chronic labor shortages in critical sectors the activation of a $14 trillion household asset pool and the digitalization of"
X Link 2026-02-08T01:12Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and its banking subsidiaries have commenced operations of Artemis Ventures a new general partner entity designed to manage a targeted [--] billion yen ($330 million) equity fund focused on Japans mid-to-late-stage startups. The banking giant has appointed Archibald Ciganera veteran investor formerly with T. Rowe Price Japanas Managing Partner to lead the new firm. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/mufg-taps-ex-t-rowe-price-cio-to-lead-new-y-50-billion-growth-fund/"
X Link 2026-02-09T03:29Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"SBI Shinsei Bank's Third Quarter Financial Results SBI Shinsei Bank has entered a decisive growth phase characterized by robust double-digit increases across all primary profitability metrics for the nine-month period ending December [--] [----]. This performance must be contextualized within the broader shift in the Japanese financial sector as the Bank of Japan is normalizing the interest rate environment. While the banks prior period earnings were significantly inflated by extraordinary items the current results represent high-quality organic growth. The 21.7% increase in net income on such a"
X Link 2026-02-09T04:12Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Japans Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) is reconvening the Fair Acquisition Study Group a move aimed at revisiting the countrys corporate takeover framework. The decision comes in response to growing concerns regarding market interpretation of existing rules and follows significant statutory changes to Japans financial laws. The ministry originally formulated the "Guidelines for Corporate Takeovers" in August [----] to foster a fairer M&A environment and enhance corporate value. However METI officials acknowledged that despite increasing public attention there is apprehension among"
X Link 2026-02-09T05:13Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Pacific Meta supported by KDDI and Progmat hosted the second Japan Stablecoin Summit on February [--] [----]. In a forward-looking session regarding the [----] outlook for Japans stablecoin market industry heavyweights from the public and private sectors convened to discuss the friction points and future potential of the digitized Yen. Key Takeaways 🔹 Japans "Three Mega-Banks" are collaborating on stablecoin standardization.Led by MUFG the nation's top banks are moving away from fragmented individual issuance toward a unified standard to ensure interoperability and combat the dominance of the US"
X Link 2026-02-09T06:01Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"As Japan solidifies its legal framework for stablecoins following the implementation of the revised Payment Services Act the conversation has shifted from "can we do it" to "how do we monetize it" At the second Japan Stablecoin Summit hosted on February [--] [----] by Pacific Meta KDDI and Progmat a panel consisting of industry leaders from Minna Bank Securitize Fireblocks and Circle convened to map out the country's digital asset future in particular the use cases for stablecoins in Japan. The consensus was clear: while Japan has regulatory clarity it lags behind global counterparts in"
X Link 2026-02-09T06:26Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Digital Garage (TSE Prime: 4819) and its payment subsidiary DG Financial Technology (DGFT) announced today the full-scale operational launch of "NESTA" a next-generation payment platform developed in joint partnership with au Financial Service. The system has officially begun handling billing & settlement processing for the telecommunications charges of au and UQ mobile two of Japans primary mobile carriers under the KDDI umbrella. @DigitalGarage @official_kddi Read more:"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:49Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"PayPay Corporation Japans dominant QR code payment provider has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Visa to spearhead its international expansion beginning with a significant entry into the United States market. The deal outlines a roadmap for @PayPayOfficial's first major global venture. The companies plan to establish a new PayPay-led entity to develop a digital wallet specifically for the U.S. consumer. This new platform will function as a hybrid payment solution supporting both NFC (contactless) technology and QR code payments. According to the joint statement the U.S."
X Link 2026-02-13T00:41Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri) and its parent company Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) have formalized a four-way strategic partnership with the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Security Bank Corporation. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) executed in Manila aims to stimulate the regional digital economy by creating a cross-border corridor for startup capital and market expansion across Japan Thailand and the Philippines. The collaboration leverages the balance sheets and networks of Japans largest financial group and Thailands fifth-largest lender to support the"
X Link 2026-02-14T02:21Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The entry of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) operating through its subsidiary JASM is a systemic catalyst for the resurgence of Kyushus "Silicon Island." This transition marks a pivot from the regions historical identity as a domestic manufacturing base toward its emergence as a high-value node in the global semiconductor value chain. However data from the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) published in a January report suggests that this resurgence is characterized by a "Structural Decoupling": while macro-indicators like capital investment and land prices show exceptional"
X Link 2026-02-14T23:09Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"The Japanese mortgage market is undergoing a structural pivot as the era of ultra-low interest rates yields to normalization. Floating-rate (variable) products continue to dominate the landscape capturing approximately 84% of new originations. However the velocity of change is increasing; while variable rates previously sat at a floor of 0.3%0.4% during the negative interest rate era current minimums have migrated toward the 0.6%0.7% range. This shift is accompanied by a significant institutional bifurcation: digital banks and regional banks (particularly those in Kyushu and southern Japan)"
X Link 2026-02-15T00:37Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"DeCurret DCP has entered into a strategic partnership with Kyushu Financial Group and its banking subsidiariesThe Higo Bank and The Kagoshima Bankto explore the implementation of tokenized deposits using the "DCJPY" digital currency network. This collaboration marks the first initiative of its kind by a regional financial institution within the Kyushu region. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/kyushu-financial-group-deepens-fintech-ties-with-decurret-to-explore-deposit-tokenization/"
X Link 2026-01-01T22:23Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"At the second annual Japan Stablecoin Summit hosted by Pacific Meta KDDI and Progmat industry leaders from the Ethereum Foundation Solana Foundation Anchorage Digital and Nethermind gathered to discuss the maturation of the digital asset landscape. The panel painted a picture of a sector that has graduated from speculative trading to institutional integration driven by significant regulatory milestones in the United States and continued innovation in Asia. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-stab/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-stab/"
X Link 2026-02-09T07:18Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"At the second Japan Stablecoin Summit hosted by Pacific Meta KDDI and Progmat legal and industry experts (Anderson Mori & Tomotsune Chainalysis Japan Open Chain) gathered to dissect why stablecoin adoption has not yet matched the speed of legislative progress. The consensus was clear: while the laws are in place the practical business environment remains restrictive and a mindset shift regarding security and global integration is overdue. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/j/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/j/"
X Link 2026-02-09T07:29Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) has demonstrated exceptional strategic resilience through the first nine months of FY2025 navigating a pivot in the domestic macroeconomic environment characterized by yield curve steepening and the initial stages of JPY net interest margin (NIM) expansion. The groups revised net income target of [---] trillion is a benchmark of MUFGs transformed earning power. As of the third quarter ending December [--] [----] MUFG reported a profit attributable to owners of the parent of1813.5 billion achieving an86.4% progress rateagainst the full-year target. This"
X Link 2026-02-10T03:33Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Mizuho Financial Groups performance through the third quarter of fiscal year [----] represents a significant point in the Groups medium-term trajectory. Achieving the 90% progress mark toward full-year profit targets as of December [--] [----] Mizuho has established a formidable earnings buffer. This quarter serves as a vital barometer for institutional investors confirming that the Groups pivot toward a "normal interest rate" environment is yielding sustainable operating leverage and providing the capital necessary to accelerate shareholder returns. Read more:"
X Link 2026-02-10T03:59Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending February [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-150/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-150/"
X Link 2026-02-10T06:06Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Sumitomo Life Insurance Company has released the findings of an internal investigation confirming that employees seconded to independent insurance agencies engaged in the improper acquisition of sensitive business information. The investigation which spanned operations from April [----] through October [----] revealed that seconded staff transmitted proprietary data back to Sumitomo Lifes agency department using inappropriate channels including personal smartphones and physical transfers of hard copies. According to the report the breach affected eight agencies and involved the unauthorized"
X Link 2026-02-10T08:56Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Olyv the tech-driven FinTech platform formerly known as SmartCoin has successfully closed a USD [--] million Series B funding round. The investment was led by The Fundamentum Partnership with significant participation from the Singapore-based SMBC Asia Rising Fund the corporate venture capital arm of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. @OlyvIndia @smbc_midosuke Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/indias-olyv-secures-23-million-series-b-to-scale-financial-inclusion-platform-smbc-asia-rising-fund-joins-round/"
X Link 2026-02-12T07:11Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Standard Chartered has entered a strategic partnership with digital asset market maker @B2C2Group a move designed to bridge the gap between traditional banking infrastructure and the cryptocurrency markets for institutional clients. The collaboration aims to integrate @StanChart's extensive global banking and settlement "rails" with B2C2s deep liquidity across spot and options markets. The initiative targets a sophisticated client baseincluding asset managers hedge funds and family officesseeking to mitigate the counterparty risks and settlement friction often associated with fiat-to-crypto"
X Link 2026-02-12T08:28Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Apollo: There are no signs of AI boosting profit margins for companies outside the tech sector see chart below"
X Link 2026-02-12T23:31Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Japanese financial services giant SBI Holdings is set to significantly expand its footprint in the Southeast Asian crypto market announcing its intention to acquire a majority stake in Coinhako a leading Singapore-based digital asset platform. SBI confirmed that its subsidiary SBI Ventures Asset has signed a letter of intent with Holdbuild the operator of the Coinhako Group. The proposed transaction involves both a fresh capital injection into Coinhako and the acquisition of shares from existing shareholders. Upon completion Coinhako is expected to operate as a consolidated subsidiary of the"
X Link 2026-02-14T00:45Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Apollo: China now invests more abroad than the rest of the world invests in China see chart below"
X Link 2026-02-14T01:09Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Kyndryl and IBM Japan have been selected to lead a major modernization of Yamaguchi Financial Groups (Yamaguchi FG) core banking systems a move designed to consolidate the regional lenders IT operations into a single unified platform. The modernization effort is targeted for completion by January [----]. According to the agreement Kyndryl Japan will be responsible for the IT infrastructure domain and foundational management leveraging artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to drive the transformation. IBM Japan has been retained to support the business application side of the"
X Link 2026-02-14T01:39Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Does anyone here still know C++"
X Link 2026-02-14T12:18Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Japanese real wages contracted for a fourth consecutive year in [----] though recent data signals that the countrys prolonged struggle with eroding purchasing power may be nearing an end according to a recent report published by the Itochu Research Institute. Monthly Labor Survey data released by the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare on February [--] showed that inflation-adjusted real wages for the full year of [----] fell by 1.3% widening from the 0.3% decline recorded in [----]. While nominal cash earnings grew by 2.3% this pace slowed compared to the previous year weighed down by a significant"
X Link 2026-02-15T01:02Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"NaLaLys which operates the SaaS platform "NaLaLys" for advancing and streamlining corporate compliance has completed a fundraising of [---] million yen in a Pre-Series A round. In this round Delight Ventures served as the lead investor with DNX Ventures and WPower Fund (MPower) participating in a third-party allocation of new shares. This brings the total cumulative fundraising to [---] million yen. Through this funding the company will focus on strengthening its product development structure capital investments talent acquisition and organizational expansion aiming to become the No.1 Compliance"
X Link 2025-07-27T09:41Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Visa Worldwide Japan SAP Japan Sumitomo Mitsui Card and Digital Garage have launched an embedded finance solution for B2B payments developed through collaboration between Visa and SAP marking the first deployment of this solution in Japan during fiscal year [----] to improve B2B payment efficiency. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/visa-and-sap-launch-b2b-embedded-finance-solution-in-partnership-with-sumitomo-mitsui-card-and-digital-garage/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/visa-and-sap-launch-b2b-embedded-finance-solution-in-partnership-with-sumitomo-mitsui-card-and-digital-garage/"
X Link 2025-07-28T02:54Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"SMBC Group has announced the establishment of the USD 300m "SMBC Fin Atlas Beyond Fund" in collaboration with Fin Capital marking the commencement of corporate venture capital activities to invest in U.S financial technology startups"
X Link 2025-07-28T04:47Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Major currencies vs USD last week"
X Link 2025-07-28T09:15Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending July [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-122/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-122/"
X Link 2025-07-29T01:13Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"USD 300m FinTech Exit USD 440m Valuation 💰 Mizuho Bank has concluded a share transfer agreement with the shareholders of Upsider Holdings to acquire a majority of UPSIDER Inc.s shares. Mizuho Bank will acquire approximately 70% of Upsiders shares at a price of approximately [--] billion from their current holders which include venture capital firms in and outside Japan and Upsider will become a consolidated subsidiary of Mizuho Bank. Subject to regulatory approval the share transfer will be complete around September [----]. Read more:"
X Link 2025-07-29T08:56Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"HANWHA LIFE CO. LTD.South Korea'sfirst life insurance company has officially completed the acquisition of a 75% stake in U.S.-based global financial services firm. The majority of the stake acquired was owned by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management. The deal marks a bold strategic move into the North American capital marketsbeyond Hanwha Life's traditional insurance business. With this transaction Hanwha Life becomes the first Korean insurance company to acquire a U.S. securities firm "the center of the global capital markets."The acquisition establishes a platform for Hanwha Life to"
X Link 2025-07-31T00:06Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Nomura Reports First Quarter Financial Results 🔹 All business divisions booked stronger net revenue and pretax income QoQ; Group net income increased QoQ to Y104.6bn 🔹 Wealth Management had 13th consecutive quarter of net inflows into recurring revenue assets 🔹 Investment Management AuM of Y94.3trn at all-time high underpinned by ninth straight quarter of net inflows 🔹 Global Markets net revenue stronger QoQ while Investment Banking net revenue was at highest level for Q1 since FY2016/17 when comparisons possible 🔹 Banking booked solid revenues from lending and trust and agent operations"
X Link 2025-07-31T01:58Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Did you watch the USD/JPY exchange rate move One has to hope that Mrs. Watanabe trading FX on margin was on the right side of that trade"
X Link 2025-08-02T00:30Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Fun fact: Trump needs bad employment numbers so that the Fed lowers their policy rate; by firing the labor statistics chief and (presumably) replacing her with a crony to fudge the numbers upwards Trump is leading the Fed towards keeping rates high (unless they shift more to private surveys which they likely will). This all does not make sense but that is not a surprise is it"
X Link 2025-08-02T03:39Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Japan Post Insurance Invests USD 2bn in Global Atlantic Vehicle Japan Post Insurance KKR and Global Atlantic a leading provider of retirement security and investment solutions and a wholly-owned subsidiary of KKR have entered into definitive agreements under which Japan Post Insurance will invest $2 billion (approx. JPY [---] billion) in a new vehicle sponsored by Global Atlantic. This transaction marks an additional investment by Japan Post Insurance in a vehicle sponsored by Global Atlantic and is a part of the strategic partnership that Japan Post Insurance KKR and Global Atlantic announced"
X Link 2025-08-02T09:35Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed Quantum Solutions has entered into a business collaboration arrangementwith TDX Strategies to cooperate extensively in areas including Bitcoin trade execution asset custody structured product design and market risk managementoffering end-to-end technical and service support for Quantum Solutions'Bitcoin Treasury strategy. Quantum Solutions previously disclosed its plan to accumulate up to [----] Bitcoins over the next [--] months aiming to hedge inflation risks optimize asset structure and enhance the agility of its financial system. The collaboration with TDX"
X Link 2025-08-03T06:44Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"GMO Aozora Net Bank and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering Morikawa-Narisue Laboratory have officially launched joint research towards the construction of innovative credit risk assessment models utilizing AI and machine learning. In other news TRABOX has launched a new service called "Finto Invoice Payment" which significantly reduces the burden of accounting operations for corporate clients by using "BaaS by GMO Aozora" provided by GMO Aozora Net Bank to complete the entire process from invoice receipt to payment in a one-stop solution. Read more:"
X Link 2025-08-03T08:13Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Just like for this fiscal year the Japan Cryptoasset Business Association (JCBA) jointly with the Japan Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (JVCEA) has compiled a tax reform request for cryptoassets for FY2026 and submitted it to the government. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/jcba-jvcea-submit-tax-reform-request-for-cryptoassets-for-fy2026/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/jcba-jvcea-submit-tax-reform-request-for-cryptoassets-for-fy2026/"
X Link 2025-08-04T22:39Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) has commenced the fiscal year ending March [----] with a robust first-quarter performance characterized by strong underlying fundamentals in its core domestic operations. The group reported a Profit Attributable to Owners of Parent of [-----] billion a modest increase of 1.5% year-over-year (YoY) and a more substantial 16.1% YoY surge in Consolidated Net Business Profit to [-----] billion. Both of these key profitability metrics are tracking at a solid 29% of the full-year forecast signaling a strong start and providing a significant buffer against potential"
X Link 2025-08-05T01:52Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"MUFG Bank First in Japan to Select Salesforce's "Agentforce for Financial Services" Salesforce Japan announced that The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ has selected the autonomous AI agent "Agentforce for Financial Services" specialized for the financial industry. This case represents Japan's first implementation of Agentforce for Financial Services. Mitsubishi UFJ Bank introduced Salesforce's Financial Services Cloud (FSC) as a new CRM system starting in April [----] aiming to centralize customer data and strengthen sales capabilities while improving customer experience. Read more:"
X Link 2025-08-05T02:13Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"NTT Data Corporation has concluded a sales agent agreement with Lazarus AI which provides multimodal LLM products available in closed network environments particularly to the life insurance industry and property insurance industry and is also a participant in Plug and Play Japan's Summer [----] InsurTech Batch. By combining NTT Data's GPU infrastructure with "Lazarus AI" customers will be able to handle critical information with generative AI without connecting to the internet. Furthermore by collaborating with its domestic data centers NTT Data will respond to all customer needs for generative"
X Link 2025-08-05T02:37Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Morgan Stanley Investment Management - Top Ideas for August [----] 👉 Japanese Government Bond (JBG) Yield Curve Flattener Trade Japans Ministry of Finance acting as a backstop to shift future issuances away from the super-long sector and increased foreign demand enticed by attractive FX-hedged JGB long-end yields could drive a partial reversal of the steepening trend"
X Link 2025-08-06T21:55Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"GMO Venture Partners lead SMBC Asia Rising Fund participates in DPDzero Series A Debt collections is the backbone of lending however collections today are run by collection agencies who care very little about the borrower and mostly care about their commissions. With a vision to build Indias best collections company DPDzero has announced raising $7million in Series-A funding led by GMO VenturePartners Japans premier fintech focused VC SMBC Asia Rising Fund and Blume Ventures which has doubled down since the previous round. It also saw participation from India Quotient Sinarmas Group and"
X Link 2025-08-06T22:25Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) reported a Profit Attributable to Owners of Parent (Net Income) of [-----] billion for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March [--] [----] (Q1 FY25). While this figure represents a modest 1.8% year-over-year (YoY) decline on a reported basis a more telling metric is the adjusted result which shows a [----] billion YoYincreaseafter accounting for the prior-year technical impact of changing a subsidiary's closing period. This performance puts the Japanese megabank on a favorable trajectory having achieved 27.3% of its ambitious [---] trillion full-year net"
X Link 2025-08-08T03:23Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Coincheck Group reported a mixed first quarter for fiscal year [----] characterized by a challenging crypto market that impacted trading revenues but underscored by significant strategic progress and strong underlying growth in its user base and assets. Total revenue increased 12% to [----] billion ($583 million) in the first quarter of fiscal [----] from [----] billion ($522 million) in the first quarter of fiscal [----]. Net loss was [----] million ($9.5 million) in the first quarter of fiscal [----] compared to Net profit of [---] million ($3.0 million) in the first quarter of fiscal [----]. Components"
X Link 2025-08-08T05:58Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"NBA Top Shot collectibles are now available via Japanese vending machines expanding their reach into the real world. Read more: https://decrypt.co/332118/you-can-buy-nba-top-shot-nfts-vending-machines-japan https://decrypt.co/332118/you-can-buy-nba-top-shot-nfts-vending-machines-japan"
X Link 2025-08-08T08:03Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"South Koreas first won-pegged stablecoin was test-launched Tuesday by fanC the developer and issuer of the namesake digital token in partnership with local financial software firm Initech marking a key step toward the adoption of won-denominated stablecoins. Named KRWIN the stablecoin is pegged one-to-one to the Korean won. It is the first time a private entity has issued a won-based digital asset with potential use in the real economy. Read more: https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10547333 https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10547333"
X Link 2025-08-08T08:23Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Animoca Brands Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) and HKT have established a joint venture named Anchorpoint Financial Limited to pursue a stablecoin issuer license under Hong Kong's new Stablecoins Ordinance which took effect on August [--] [----] Read more: https://thedefiant.io/news/regulation/anchorpoint-financial-limited-formed-animoca-brands-standard-chartered-hkt-to-b40377deutm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=is-ripple-defi-s-dark-horse"
X Link 2025-08-09T00:56Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Sompo Holdings has created a Business Development Department to drive Group-wide growth investments. Launched on August [--] [----] the new department will leverage Sompo Holdings strength and scale and act as a center of excellence across the entire Group. Specifically it will target investment opportunities mainly in Japan to develop new businesses that have a positive social impact as well as to promote and manage venture capital investments. Senior Executive Vice President Koichi Narasaki Executive Officer in charge of Digital Business and Investment has been appointed General Manager to lead"
X Link 2025-08-09T04:25Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"WM Partners and AI Capital have completed the fundraising for the [--] billion yen Japan Private Equity Opportunity [----] Investment Limited Partnership. The fund aims to provide liquidity opportunities for investors in domestic buyout funds venture capital funds etc. with the creation of a domestic secondary market as its main theme. Since its establishment the fund has steadily built up a track record in meeting the liquidity needs of investors. In addition to investors in existing funds such as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Development Bank of Japan who supported the significance of"
X Link 2025-08-09T05:23Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Japan Launches Fully Domestically Produced Quantum Computer A Japanese superconducting quantum computer fully designed and built with homegrown components and software went live at The University of Osakas Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology (QIQB). This achievement signifies Japans technological prowess in quantum computing demonstrating the nations capacity to design manufacture and integrate a complete quantum system. Visitors to Expo [----] Osaka Kansai Japan will have the opportunity to interact with this cutting-edge technology through a dedicated exhibit. The project"
X Link 2025-08-10T02:18Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"PayPay Powers LY Corp's First Quarter as it Prepares for IPO LY Corporation's revenue for the cumulative consolidated first quarter of the fiscal year ending March [--] [----] amounted to [-----] billion yen (up 5.7% year on year) representing the highest cumulative consolidated first quarter revenue to date. This was due to an increased revenue in the Strategic Business accompanied by the growth in PayPay consolidated increased revenue in the Commerce Business accompanied by factors including the favorable performance of the ASKUL Group and ZOZO Group among others as well as increased revenue in"
X Link 2025-08-10T09:00Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Takeshi Ueno Chief Economist at the NLI Research Institutepublished an update to his interest rate outlookthis past week. The report analyzes the recent surge in Japan's long-term interest rates (10-year JGB yield) and provides a forecast for the coming [--] months. The key argument is that the recent rise to a 17-year high of 1.6% is not driven by external factors like US rates but by unique domestic developments. NLI's main forecast is for acontinued gradual rise in long-term rates reaching1.7% by the end of fiscal year [----] (March 2026)and1.8% by the end of fiscal year [----] (March 2027)."
X Link 2025-08-10T10:17Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Resona to Increase DG Stake to 30+% as Activist Oasis Exits Resona currently holds 12.42% of Digital Garage's shares (ratio to total voting rights as of March [--] 2025) acquired through third-party allocation and market purchases and Digital Garage positions Resona as a strategic partner for Digital Garage's medium- to long-term growth. By acquiring [-------] shares of Digital Garage (voting right ratio: 18.52%) held by funds managed by Oasis Resona's voting right ratio of Digital Garage's shares will become 30.95% and Digital Garage is expected to become an equity-method affiliate of Resona HD."
X Link 2025-08-12T02:05Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Stellar FinTech Performance Drives Mercari's Full-Year Results The Fintech segment achieved high growth of both sales and profits with core operating profit reaching 4.5B JPY to significantly exceed the full-year target of 3.0B JPY. Mercari reached a cumulative total of more than [--] million Mercards issued and the user base in the credit area is growing steadily. Credit balance grew 32% YoY to land at 248.1B JPY and management eciency improved alongside the growth of the business. In March Mercari released Mercard Gold which has stronger incentives for external payments as a means of"
X Link 2025-08-12T06:09Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Heya WebX [----] (August 25-26) is coming up and the Tokyo FinTech Association has a few spare tickets to raffle off. Throw your hat into the ring now 🥳 Register here: https://lu.ma/c34vsgyd https://lu.ma/c34vsgyd"
X Link 2025-08-12T22:15Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Heya We also have a few spare tickets for the WebX FinTech Expo in Osaka on August [--] to raffle off. Throw your hat into the ring now 🥳 Register here: https://lu.ma/1wxko7kn https://lu.ma/1wxko7kn"
X Link 2025-08-12T22:15Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"JPMorgan Equity Strategy - Japan"
X Link 2025-08-13T11:44Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has chosen Japanese blockchain developer SORAMITSU 2016-2025 to design and implement a central bank digital currency (CBDC) following last months federal approval of the Virtual Assets Act [----]. Soramitsu will work with the SBP on a pilot programme to introduce the CBDC part of a broader strategy to regulate and integrate digital assets into Pakistans financial system. The legislation approved on July [--] establishes the Pakistan Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA) an independent federal body tasked with licensing and overseeing entities dealing in"
X Link 2025-08-13T22:25Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"@WebX_Asia Subscribe to the Japan FinTech Observer on my LinkedIn feed or directly on the FinTech Observer website: https://www.fintechobserver.com/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/"
X Link 2025-08-14T06:10Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"How will Circle's revenue and profitability be impacted by potential Federal Reserve interest rate cuts"
X Link 2025-08-15T02:03Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"PayPay Corporation has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form F-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed public listing of American depositary shares representing its common shares on a U.S. stock exchange. The exact schedule size and price for the public listing have not yet been determined. The feasibility of proceeding with the public listing is subject to market and other conditions and is contingent upon the completion of the SECs review process. Just as we wrote in "PayPay Powers LY Corp's First Quarter as it Prepares for IPO""
X Link 2025-08-16T05:26Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Koreas Dual VC Licensing System Leaves Founders Vulnerable and the Startup Ecosystem in Need of Reform In Koreas venture capital market the type of investor backing a startup can determine whether a founders personal assets remain protected or risk exposure in a business collapse. A dual VC licensing system uncommon among major VC hubs means founder protections vary dramatically depending on which regulator oversees the deal creating a legal gap with real consequences for entrepreneurs and investors alike. https://www.koreatechdesk.com/korea-dual-vc-licensing-system-startup-ecosystem-reform"
X Link 2025-08-17T01:09Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Real Estate Tech "TRUSTART" Raises JPY 1.3bn in Series C TRUSTART which supports DX transformation of users' real estate-related operations through proprietary real estate big data collection has raised [--] billion yen through third-party allotment to HIRAC FUND (MoneyForward Venture Partners) Daiwa Corporate Investment Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Japan Venture Capital Asia Air Survey Iwagin Future Investment GMO VenturePartners mint SMBC Venture Capital Sagin Capital & Consulting and Terrasky Ventures. Additionally through [---] million yen in debt financing from Resona Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui"
X Link 2025-08-18T02:32Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Good to catch up with @mitsushi_ono from @DeFimans before the crazy conference schedule is taking over 🙏"
X Link 2025-08-19T06:56Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Finastra completes the first-ever Loan IQ deployment in Japan Leading financial services software firm Finastra has gone live with the Loan IQ platform at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This projectaimsto modernize JICA's core system forprivate-sector investment finance an increasingly expanding initiative that provides loans to private sector projects in developing countries. The implementation for JICA represents the first-ever deployment of Loan IQ inJapan. The solution implemented in partnership with IBM Japan supports JICA's growing need for scalable flexible and"
X Link 2025-08-20T04:01Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"12:50 today in Osaka the session right before lunch Crypto ETFs with SBI Global Asset Management Franklin Templeton and OSL. @WebX_Asia WebX FinTech EXPO Osaka"
X Link 2025-08-21T23:17Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"SMBC Unveils a Comprehensive Strategy for Africa's Future at TICAD9 This past week has marked a pivotal moment in Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation's (SMBC) engagement with the African continent. Against the backdrop of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) SMBC has announced a series of strategic partnerships and investments that underscore a deep and multi-faceted commitment to fostering sustainable growth driving innovation and promoting financial inclusion across Africa. These initiatives are not isolated deals but a clear cohesive strategy targeting key"
X Link 2025-08-24T00:22Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"SBI Holdings Unveils Sweeping Strategy for Tokenization and Stablecoins What a day in Osaka on Friday In a series of coordinated announcements SBI Holdings unveiled a multi-faceted strategy to build and dominate the next generation of digital finance. Through landmark partnerships with global crypto leadersStartale Group Ripple and Circle as well as Japanese financial titanSumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) SBI is laying the groundwork for an all-encompassing ecosystem for tokenized assets and stablecoins. The day's news reveals a clear and ambitious vision: to create the core"
X Link 2025-08-24T01:32Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending August [--] - cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-126/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-126/"
X Link 2025-08-24T23:56Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"WebX [----] (Aug. 25-26) Day [--] kicked of with a discussion on real assets and Shuhei Ochiai Head of the Toyota Blockchain Lab as well as Nikhil Sharma Head of Growth at JP Morgan's Kinexys's Digital Assets. That was followed by "institutional rails" with Betty Sun-Lucas from the Stellar Development Foundation Matt Harrop Co-Founder of Figment and Qin En Looi Partner at Saison Capital. Ending my day with Katherine Dowling from Bitwise Asset Management in a seemless continuation of our panel last year the latest developments in crypto ETF products and the expansion of the Bitwise business (e.g."
X Link 2025-08-26T06:40Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Norinchukin Capital and GMO VenturePartners Participate in Tazapay's Series B Tazapay a leading global cross-border payments infrastructure platform has successfully closed itsSeries Bfunding round with investment fromPeak XV Partners Ripple Circle Ventures Norinchukin Capital andGMO VenturePartners. Existing investor Peak XV Partners led the round and [--] other existing investors January Capital and ARC180 joined the round. Tazapay provides seamless local collection and payout capabilities in over [--] markets supporting a growing base of global enterprises and platforms across industries."
X Link 2025-08-27T01:15Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Is it still a side event if you run a full day conference on the back of WebX Stablecoins everywhere @RoiSarak With thanks to @mitsushi_ono"
X Link 2025-08-27T04:59Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The net implications for safe asset demand from stablecoins adoption will largely depend on the source of inflows according to Goldman Sachs"
X Link 2025-08-27T08:32Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Densan System has concluded a basic agreement on joint study with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Ava Labs with the aim of creating new services related to future stablecoin payment distribution and management. SMBC Densan System and Ava Labs will study approaches to the sound distribution and utilization of stablecoins while aiming to improve the efficiency of existing financial functions leveraging blockchain characteristics and create new payment distribution and management services. Specifically they will explore various use cases from issuance to distribution payment and"
X Link 2025-08-27T22:15Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Capital Leads Visual Bank's JPY 1.1bn Series B Visual Bank has raised [---] billion yen in equity financing through its Series B round. The round was led by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Capital with participation from CDIB Cross Border Innovation Fund Incubate Fund Aozora Corporate Investment SMBC Venture Capital W fund and others. With this new round of funding Visual Bank is preparing to take the next step in its journey: strengthening its role as a hub where new value is created and real challenges are solved at the intersection of IP and AI. In doing so Visual Bank"
X Link 2025-08-27T22:33Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"MUFG Completes Stock Transfer of Moneytree Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group its consolidated subsidiary MUFG Bank WealthNavi a consolidated subsidiary of MUFG Bank and shareholders of Moneytree have entered into a stock transfer agreement dated July [--] [----] and as August [--] [----] MUFG Bank has acquired the issued shares of Moneytree. As a result Moneytree will become a consolidated subsidiary of MUFG Bank. Following this stock acquisition WealthNavi plans to acquire some Moneytree shares from MUFG Bank. About Moneytree 🔹 Founded in [----] connects with 2500+ financial institutions/services 🔹"
X Link 2025-08-30T00:48Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The FWD Group has published its interim results report for the six months ended June [--] [----] its first since going public on the Hong Kong Exchange in July [----] allowing for a look at its Japanese business. FWD entered the Japanese market in [----] through the acquisition of AIG Fuji Life which was rebranded as FWD Life Japan.The business has a well-established market leadership in protection products. Since [----] FWD Japan has been pivoting away from corporate-owned life insurance (COLI) towards individual protection products. A key strategy is to diversify the product mix. This was marked by"
X Link 2025-08-30T05:27Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Systems and Trust have concluded a business partnership agreement aimed at improving system development productivity through the utilization of generative AI. Trust was founded in [----] and is a startup that provides services to streamline system development using generative AI. According to the company this is the first time that a major financial institution and a startup have partnered in the field of system development using generative AI. Read more:"
X Link 2025-08-31T03:39Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Webull Securities the Japanese division of US-based Webull Corporation (NASDAQ: BULL) began offering its Japanese stock trading API on August [--] [----]. This addition to the existing US stock trading API (Webull OpenAPI) enables API-based trading functionality for Japanese stocks making Webull the first major domestic online securities firm to provide a trading API environment supporting both Japanese and US stocks. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/webull-securities-begins-offering-japanese-stock-trading-api/"
X Link 2025-09-01T09:49Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Minna Bank has signed a business partnership agreement with Merpay to utilize Minna Bank's financial functions and services in the flea market app "Mercari". By combining the strengths of both companies the firms have reached an agreement that allows them to provide Merpay customers with unprecedented highly convenient financial services and realize a new form of BaaS leading to the signing of this business partnership agreement. The companies are preparing for a service release this winter and also plan to establish a Minna Bank "Partner Branch." Read more:"
X Link 2025-09-01T10:51Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"MUFG Bank and MUFG Innovation Partners (MUIP) both consolidated subsidiaries of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) have made an investment in LayerX a startup focused on equipping society with AI-centered software. MUFG Bank also signed a strategic partnership memorandum of understanding with LayerX to further deepen their collaborative relationship. MUIPs investment through the MUFG Innovation Partners No. [--] Investment Limited Partnership is a follow-on investment after participation in LayerXs Series A round in [----]. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/mufg-ban-invests-in-layerx/"
X Link 2025-09-01T23:57Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"At the beginning of August S&P Global Ratings assigned its 'B-' issuer credit rating to Sky Protocol. The outlook is stable. Subsequently S&P Global Ratings hosted webinar titled "Understanding Our Credit Approach to Sky" which detailed the methodology and rationale for assigning an inaugural credit rating to the decentralized lending protocol. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/s-p-global-assigns-sky-protocol-b-rating-outlook-stable/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/s-p-global-assigns-sky-protocol-b-rating-outlook-stable/"
X Link 2025-09-02T02:12Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Coincheck Group the holding company of Coincheck one of Japans leading crypto asset exchanges has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire Aplo a digital asset prime brokerage for institutional crypto investors. Pursuant to the agreement all issued and outstanding shares of Aplo are to be exchanged for newly issued ordinary shares of Coincheck Group. Closing of the transaction subject to certain undertakings and conditions is expected in October [----]. Read more:"
X Link 2025-09-02T07:22Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Stripe Tour Tokyo - Roundtable: A Policy Discussion on Stablecoins Prior to the start of the Stripe Tour Tokyo main event Stripe hosted a policy-themed breakfast discussion to explore the transformative potential of stablecoins bringing together representatives from finance technology and regulatory bodies. The session provided a deep dive into the past present and future of this emerging financial technology focusing on its global utility key use cases regulatory importance and specific implications for the Japanese market. In reporting on the event we adhere to Chathan House rules i.e."
X Link 2025-09-06T03:44Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"PayPay Integrates with WeChat Pay PayPay announced that WeChat Pay () will become available for use at PayPay merchants nationwide through HIVEX starting from mid-September this year. HIVEX offers common business rules system integration for cashless payment providers (MPSP) and a consistent neutral brand bringing greater scalability at a commercial level to deliver a better user experience. By collaborating with HIVEX it becomes possible to conduct cross-border payments that were previously unattainable. WeChat Pay is the payment feature of Chinas WeChat (). With this initiative together"
X Link 2025-09-06T06:22Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Saison Capital Participates in Pointsville's Series A Pointsville a pioneering platform for digital asset infrastructure and loyalty has completed itsSeries A funding roundled byValor Capital Group with participation from an exceptional group of global investors and industry leaders. Backers includeTetherIta Unibanco's founding family Nubank's co-founder Temasek-backedSuperscrypt SNZ Saison CapitalK2 Integrity Citrino and Dynamo's partners. The steady maturation of the digital asset ecosystem has fueled unprecedented demand for the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA). Existing"
X Link 2025-09-06T06:36Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Himeno's Hokkaido Speech Bank of Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Himeno provided insights into Japan's economic outlook monetary policy and regional economic conditions during a press conference and a speech in eastern Hokkaido on September [--] [----]. Given the next Monetary Policy Meeting taking place on September [--] & [--] [----] we parse the speech for further clues on the bank's thought process. Key themes include the ongoing impact of US trade policy the trajectory of underlying inflation the BOJ's cautious approach to rate hikes and the strategy for reducing the BOJ's"
X Link 2025-09-06T08:46Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Speculators have been rebuilding short JPY positions"
X Link 2025-09-06T10:22Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"🚨 eXponential Finance Podcast Alert Michinori Kanokogi CFA Nissay Asset Management - ChatGPT and GenAI: What They Mean for Investment Professionals (S3E50) Michinori Kanokogi CFA is Head of Solution Research at Nissay Asset Management. He leads the research and development of digital investment solutions for investors. Previously he led the launch of AQR Capital Managements Japan business as head of investment management. He also has experience in multi-manager investment at Russell Investments equity portfolio management at UBS and management consulting at PwC and Deloitte. He translated"
X Link 2025-09-07T02:41Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Over the past week there were two additional announcements regarding SBI Group's strategic expansion within the Japanese cryptocurrency market. These key developments include a new partnership between SBI VC Trade and Convano for large-scale Bitcoin operations and SBI Securities' launch of crypto CFDs underpinned by B2C2 as a liquidity provider. With crypto ETFs most likely to launch only in January [----] the crypto CFDs provide the first product to gain direct crypto exposure in the domestic securities market. SBI Group is leveraging its various subsidiaries (SBI VC Trade SBI Securities and"
X Link 2025-09-08T02:32Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending September [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-128/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-128/"
X Link 2025-09-08T09:02Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings will launch its new subsidiary MUFG Securities (India) Private Limited in Mumbai on Monday September [--] [----]. MUS(INDIA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of MUFG Securities Asia Limited. This strategic expansion marks a significant milestone in MUFGs commitment to India and its broader Asia Pacific growth strategy and significantly enhances MUFGs ability to offer end-to-end financing solutions in India by complementing its well-established leading position in offshore capital markets. The INR financing platform will enable MUFG to provide holistic funding"
X Link 2025-09-12T08:46Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Dissolution of the SBI Holdings and Zodia Custody Joint Venture in Japan Zodia Custody the institutional digital asset custodian backed by Standard Chartered and Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings have mutually agreed to terminate their much-anticipated joint venture "SBI Zodia Custody" nearly two years after its inception. The venture which aimed to provide bank-grade crypto-asset custody for institutions in Japan was dissolved before it could secure regulatory approval or commence formal operations. The dissolution was framed by both parties as a strategic realignment. In a statement"
X Link 2025-09-13T01:36Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"This week the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has published a new paper out of the "Bank of Japan Review" seriesexamining the recent trends in Private Equity (PE) and Private Debt (PD) funds which have significantly expanded their assets under management (AUM) since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) particularly in the United States. The paper finds a divergence in performance: 🔹 PE fundsare facing headwinds with performance weakening due to lower portfolio company valuations and higher financing costs amid global interest rate hikes. This has led to a significant slowdown in "exits" (selling portfolio"
X Link 2025-09-15T00:30Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The purchasing power of Japanese individual investors is growing. The total net assets (balance) of Money Reserve Funds (MRFs) which serve as a pool of idle money invested in highly safe assets like short-term public and corporate bonds have recently surpassed JPY16 tn to reach a record high. From a supply and demand perspective the current stock market rally is driven by continued corporate share buybacks and foreign investors active buying of Japanese stocks. Meanwhile this idle money is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to buy on dips. Read more:"
X Link 2025-09-15T06:18Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"The Deutsche Bundesbank Representative Office jointly with Japan's Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan held an event titled "CBDC Insights: Digital Euro and Japan's Approach" on Thursday September [--] [----] on the occasion of Burkhard Balz's visit the board member responsible for cash management payments and settlement systems the digital Euro and the Centre for International Central Bank Dialogue. Overall we identified the following key takeaways: 🔹 Strategic Autonomy is a Core Driver for Europe:A primary motivation for the Digital Euro is to reduce Europe's heavy reliance on"
X Link 2025-09-16T05:36Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Densan System has concluded a basic agreement with JPYC Corporation for a joint study toward the social implementation of payment remittance and settlement services utilizing the Japanese yen stablecoin "JPYC". By adopting the Japanese yen stablecoin "JPYC" as the payment infrastructure they will ensure connectivity with external services and advanced scalability while emphasizing ease and convenience for general consumers without significantly changing their existing payment experience. They will further examine the feasibility of payment experiences that combine institutional compliance"
X Link 2025-09-18T01:11Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"At the Monetary Policy Meeting ending today the Policy Board of the Bank of Japan decided by a 7-2 majority vote to set the following guideline for money market operations for the intermeeting period: The Bank will encourage the uncollateralized overnight call rate to remain at around [---] percent. In a significant move the BOJ decided to begin selling its massive holdings of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and Japan Real Estate Investment Trusts (J-REITs). The sales will be conducted at a very slow pace to avoid market disruption: approximately [---] billion per year for ETFs and [--] billion per"
X Link 2025-09-19T09:55Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Uniqlo announced that it would be shutting down "UNIQLO Pay" the QR code payment feature on its official smartphone app the "UNIQLO app" in January [----]. "With the diversification of payment methods the use of QR code payments and credit cards has increased. We have decided to shut down the service in light of these changes in the environment and the recent usage of UNIQLO Pay" the company said. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/uniqlo-pay-to-be-discontinued/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/uniqlo-pay-to-be-discontinued/"
X Link 2025-09-20T23:49Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"AlpacaTech a subsidiary of FOLIO Holdings which provides innovative financial solutions within the SBI Group has commenced a partnership for joint research and development with Vertex Investment Solutions a 100% subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings with strengths in quantitative investment management. AlpacaTech which possesses high expertise in AI technology research and development has begun collaboration with Vertex which has cutting-edge financial technology and long-term investment knowledge to create new asset management solutions. Vertex is considering practical implementation of the"
X Link 2025-09-22T08:07Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"SC Ventures by Standard Chartered Bank which builds and invests in breakthrough ventures in and beyond banking together with Fujitsu a leading developer of quantum software and hardware are set to join forces to incubate Project Quanta. The project will integrate multiple software and hardware technologies to provide clients a platform to rapidly explore develop and integrate quantum computing and quantum-inspired applications. The joint venture will leverage Fujitsus expertise in quantum computing R&D and software-and-algorithm development as well as insights gained through the development"
X Link 2025-09-26T02:54Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Amid the rise of agent commerce GMO Venture Partners have invested in Crossmint alongside Circle and other investors. Crossmint provides infrastructure that enables seamless integration of payments and remittances across both fiat currencies and stablecoins. Crossmint offers a unified API and wallet SDK that bridges fiat and stablecoins allowing enterprises and AI agents to implement payments and transfers with ease. GMO Venture Partners believe removing the need to grapple with blockchain complexity is a critical factor in driving seamless adoption of wallets by enterprises and end users"
X Link 2025-09-27T00:47Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"VinFast has secured a USD [---] million Green Loan facility from MUFG Bank to be used for VinFast's development and international expansion strategy. The loan marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between the parties demonstrative of the commitment of both VinFast and MUFG to advance the green transition in Vietnam and globally. The USD [---] million credit facility is structured as a green loan. Under this arrangement the loan proceeds will be used to support VinFasts development and expansion as a pure-electric vehicle company. VinFast aims to strategically deploy the new capital on"
X Link 2025-09-28T04:55Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"FormX has completed a seed round funding of [---] million yen in total. The lead investor is Genesia Ventures with additional participation from Chiba Dojo Fund and multiple CFO angel investors. This funding will accelerate the development of its "Disclosure Platform" and strengthen its organizational foundation. Representative Tokita founded the company in [----] to solve disclosure-related challenges he experienced at listed companies IPO preparation companies and audit firms. Currently FormX is conducting proof of concepts with six listed companies and three unlisted companies. Leveraging"
X Link 2025-09-28T05:45Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Heiwa Real Estate will openFinGATE SAPPORO in IKEUCHI LAB the first FinGATE facility in Sapporo on Monday October [--] [----]. At FinGATE SAPPORO in IKEUCHI LAB Heiwa Real Estate will draw on the financial hub operational experience and knowhow it has cultivated since [----] in the Nihonbashi Kabutocho and Kayabacho district of Tokyo to attract global financial companies to Hokkaido and Sapporo. The hub will also help Japans financial services industry become more diverse and sophisticated by strengthening the exchange of People Information and Capital between Tokyo and Sapporo. In recent years the"
X Link 2025-09-29T23:54Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Samantha Ghiotti Co-Founder & CEO of @habitto_jp shared her bold journey from building fintech businesses in London New York and Singapore to tackling Japans most pressing challenge: ending financial anxiety at the Impact Future Weekend hosted by We Are The Impact recently. Watch Sam's presentation here: 👉 Key takeaways from Sams story: 🔹 Japan is the 4th largest economy but has surprisingly few fintech platforms 🔹 Habittos mission: helping the sandwich generation make money work for them 🔹 Why savings culture in Japan is a powerful entry point to win trust 🔹 The real challenges of"
X Link 2025-09-30T22:35Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"UNLEASH Capital Partners a venture capital fund management company dedicated to driving financial inclusion has announced the final close of its first fund at INR [---] crores(approximately USD [--] million) which was oversubscribed against the initial target. The fund co-general partnered by Natsuki Sugai and Gojo & Company is poised to invest in innovative early-stage startups revolutionizing the financial ecosystem in India. The fund attracted approximately [--] Japanese Limited Partners (LPs). This significant backing from Japanese investors underscores a shared mission to extend financial"
X Link 2025-10-01T23:03Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) is in advanced talks to acquire a 20% stake in Shriram Finance Limited for [-----] crore ($2.6 billion) potentially the largest FDI in an Indian NBFC. The investment would be via a primary issuance with MUFG open to a larger stake over time. Shriram Finance Indias second-largest NBFC has [----] lakh crore AUM and a strong retail lending presence. MUFG's comment yesterday: "Today some media reported on our banks investment in India but it is not made public from our company or our bank." This typically means it will just take a few days for the leak to be"
X Link 2025-10-01T23:15Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) MUFG Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUTB) have announced that they would establish an equity fund to principally invest in middle and later-stage startups (growth companies) in Japan. Endeavoring to develop the Japanese market MUFG has decided to establish the Fund to invest in equities targeting Japanese growth companies. The investment team will be led by a Chief Investment Officer (CIO) to be appointed through external recruitment and will start fund management with LP investments from MUFG Bank and MUTB. Additionally MUFG plans"
X Link 2025-10-03T23:26Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Sompo Holdings has established Sompo Wellbeing a new company that will alleviate the three concerns of health nursing care and retirement finances which arise from the declining birthrate and aging population and will provide services that support balancing work with nursing care. By working to alleviate these social challenges with a sense of speed and with fresh ideas that go beyond existing frameworks Sompo Wellbeing aims to realize a society where people think positively about aging. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/establishment-of-sompo-wellbeing/"
X Link 2025-10-05T00:35Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"The Future Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI) and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance (ADI) the core non-life insurance companies of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings are progressing with merger discussions as announced on March [--] [----]. Now decisions have been made regarding changes to the company name and related details as well as the corporate overview of the new company resulting from the merger subject to the approval of shareholders' meetings and relevant authorities. Read more: https://www.fintechobserver.com/the-future-mitsui-sumitomo-insurance-group/"
X Link 2025-10-05T03:33Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Nomura's Global Markets Franchise"
X Link 2025-10-06T08:17Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"The DCC's Report on a Fully On-chain Settled Tokenized MMF in Japan The Digital Asset Co-Creation Consortium (DCC) has unveiled a detailed blueprint for launching a fully on-chain settled tokenized Money Market Fund (MMF) aiming to bridge Japan's established financial markets with the rapidly expanding global digital asset ecosystem. The report authored by the DCC's "On-Chain Settled Security Token (ST) Working Group" provides a candid and exhaustive analysis of the opportunities and the significant legal hurdles involved in creating a Japanese equivalent to successful global products like"
X Link 2025-10-06T09:37Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending October [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-132/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-132/"
X Link 2025-10-07T02:16Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"MUFG Participates in India-based Raise Financial's Series B to Fund Dhan's Growth Raise Financial Services the innovative fintech company behind the popular stock trading and investing platform Dhan has successfully concluded a significant Series B funding round raising an impressive $120 million. This latest investment propels the Mumbai-based company into the coveted unicorn club with a post-money valuation of $1.2 billion. The funding round was spearheaded by Hornbill Capital demonstrating strong investor confidence in Raise Financial's vision and growth trajectory. Other notable"
X Link 2025-10-08T05:14Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"MUFG to Issue Public Offering Digital Unsecured Subordinated Bond as a Security Token Via @progmat_en MUFG has announced that as part of preparations to issue the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group 1st series unsecured subordinated security token bond with optional-redemption clause write-down upon the occurrence of a non-viability event clause and transfer restriction clause (the ST Bond) it has submitted an amended registration statement to the Director-General of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau. The ST Bond is expected to be Tier [--] capital eligible under the Basel III International Regulations."
X Link 2025-10-09T07:59Z [----] followers, [---] engagements
"Laser Digital Partners with Solidus Labs to Advance Crypto-Native Market Surveillance Laser Digital the digital asset subsidiary of Nomura Group andSolidus Labs the category-definer for crypto-native trade surveillance and risk monitoring have announced a partnership to deliver crypto-native on-chain and off-chain market surveillance. Under this partnership @Solidus_Labs will equip Laser Digital with advanced detection capabilities that monitor trading behavior across exchanges OTC markets and DeFi venues - reinforcing Laser Digital's risk and compliance operations and supporting evolving"
X Link 2025-10-10T06:23Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Happy Fourth Year Anniversary Nudge Nudge has developed and operates a next-generation credit card that combines the security safety and convenience of financial services with highly entertaining experience design featuring elements like "choosing by design" and "supporting your favorites." Through this approach Nudge is working toward realizing a world where people naturally integrate financial services into their daily lives. Under this mission Nudge has added various Japan-first innovations to its cloud-native credit card service platform "Nudge Platform" enabling not only further"
X Link 2025-10-13T02:29Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Dassai a sake brewer in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said that a Japanese H3 rocket will carry ingredients for Dassai sake as well as brewing equipment developed by the two for use in space. Read more: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/10/japan/sake-brewing-test-space/utm_medium=social&utm_type=image&utm_source=linkedin#Echobox=1760088533 https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/10/japan/sake-brewing-test-space/utm_medium=social&utm_type=image&utm_source=linkedin#Echobox=1760088533"
X Link 2025-10-13T02:34Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"The Japan FinTech Observer for the week ending October [--] [----] - Cutting through the noise in Japanese Finance & FinTech Read it here: https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-133/ https://www.fintechobserver.com/japan-fintech-observer-133/"
X Link 2025-10-14T00:07Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Sony Financial Ventures and Global Brain Corporation have established a new joint venture company through a co-investment. The new company aims to build an environment for Japanese and overseas entrepreneurs to pursue their endeavors and evolve into a platform that creates long-term growth opportunities. It will bring together Global Brains investment knowhow and Sony Groups technology and adopt an AI-powered and data-driven investment mode to support entrepreneurs challenges with greater precision and speed and unlock global growth opportunities. Read more:"
X Link 2025-10-15T08:04Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
""Blockchain All-Stars" THE MOVIE - a great discussion about #ETHEREUM #corda #hyperledger #fintech https://youtu.be/J3kbtmkbuRk https://youtu.be/J3kbtmkbuRk"
X Link 2017-09-09T07:49Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
"Absolutely thrilled to have had the opportunity to enjoy dinner with @IOHK_Charles Hoskinson co-founder of #Ethereum and #InputOutputHK. #Cardano $ADA"
X Link 2018-03-01T14:10Z [----] followers, [--] engagements
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