Welcome to the one hundred seventy-ninth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. Having reached Japan's Northernmost point today, I can confidently predict that things will only be going South for me over the next week or so. As for the carry trade, the AI trade, the oil
A group of 43 companies has officially launched full-scale testing for the "Interbank Settlement of Tokenized Deposits" project, supported under the Financial Services Agency’s "FinTech PoC Hub" framework following its initial adoption on April 3, 2026. Led by DCP, GMO Aozora Net Bank, and
Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank has partnered with institutional staking provider Figment to power its domestic staking service, allowing Japanese customers to generate yield on exchange-held digital assets without maintaining independent validator infrastructure. Bitbank, an ISMS-certified operator registered with local regulators, selected Figment following a due diligence review of
SBI Holdings has executed a strategic investment in Ajaib Group, operator of one of Indonesia's largest online investment platforms. Through a subsidiary, SBI acquired a 20% stake in Ajaib, converting the Jakarta-based fintech firm into an equity-method affiliate. Ajaib Group began as an online brokerage and
The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) and Osaka Exchange (OSE) have issued official censures to Moomoo Securities Japan, and ordered the firm to submit a business improvement report following severe operational and compliance failures. The regulatory action stems from deliberations by Japan Exchange Regulation following an inspection by the Securities and
Enterprise intelligence startup fileAI has received investments from SMBC Asia Rising Fund and Singtel Innov8 to accelerate its expansion in Japan and scale its enterprise data automation platforms. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The funding round will support fileAI as it builds out a local footprint in
Coincheck, the core digital asset exchange subsidiary of Monex Group and Nasdaq-listed Coincheck Group N.V., has completed registration as an Electronic Payment Instruments (EPI) Service Provider. The regulatory clearance, issued by the Kanto Local Finance Bureau under registration number 00002, formally positions Coincheck as only the second crypto
Welcome to the one hundred seventy-eighth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. "Economists have predicted nine of the last five recessions" is a quote often attributed to Paul Samuelson. The same can be said of those forecasting a stock market crash. And more recently, of those either
Sakana AI and Daiwa Securities Group have advanced their joint artificial intelligence project into full-scale production, beginning development on custom AI tools designed to support wealth management operations. The move follows a proof-of-concept phase initiated under a September 2025 partnership agreement between Sakana AI and Daiwa Securities.
Toyota Finance Corporation has issued its second publicly offered digital security token bond, titled the "TOYOTA Wallet Tsumugu Bond." Marking the Toyota Group's first self-offered bond issue, the product allows investors to subscribe directly through the TOYOTA Wallet smartphone application without opening a traditional brokerage
Consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton has entered into a definitive strategic capital partnership with Financial Standard, an independent financial advisor (IFA) based in Tokyo. Under the agreement, L Catterton and Financial Standard's current management team will collaborate to accelerate the advisory firm's expansion in
Resona Bank has entered into a business cooperation agreement with Mumbai-based Tata Capital Limited to bolster financial and advisory support for Japanese enterprises expanding into India. The agreement enhances Resona’s overseas strategic framework, adding Tata Capital to its network of global banking partners to meet surging client demand