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
Japanese financial services conglomerate SBI Holdings has announced a follow-on strategic investment in UAE-based digital asset platform Fasset. The transaction assigns Fasset an enterprise valuation of $1 billion, following SBI’s initial stake purchase in May 2026. Upon completion of Fasset's ongoing Series C funding round,
Laser Digital Japan, the digital asset subsidiary of Nomura Group, has officially completed its registration with the Director-General of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau to operate as a crypto asset exchange service provider. The milestone ends a four-year hiatus in new exchange registrations in Japan, marking the country&
Tokyo-listed MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings has agreed to invest up to £200 million in a new U.K.-based partnership being formed by Standard Life. The venture will focus on the Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) sector, specifically targeting large and complex U.K. defined benefit pension schemes.
Digital Garage, JCB, and Lawson have signed a basic agreement to conduct a proof-of-concept (PoC) for stablecoin payments at retail locations. The initiative aims to test the viability of Circle's USD Coin (USDC) for in-store transactions, focusing primarily on inbound foreign tourists. Starting August 20,
Digital lender Minna no Ginko, a subsidiary of Fukuoka Financial Group, has entered into a banking agency agreement with Revolut Technologies Japan, expanding their ongoing Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) collaboration. Under the terms of the agreement, Revolut Technologies Japan operates as a registered banking agency (Kanto Local Finance Bureau
Welcome to the one hundred seventy-seventh edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. Marie Kondo has reached the Japan FinTech Observer. Curating a weekly newsletter undoubtedly has the benefit that we do not have to chase every headlines at every hour, and rather take the opportunity to contemplate thoroughly about
Japanese FinTech provider Infcurion has announced two major strategic initiatives aimed at scaling embedded financial services across both business-to-business (B2B) credit issuance and regional consumer payments. Credit and Guarantee Add-on for "Xard" Platform Infcurion launched a new "Credit & Guarantee Option" for its