Japan FinTech Observer | Tontines | ex-Goldman & Barclays Tech MD
digital assets
Japanese financial services conglomerate SBI Holdings, U.S.-based crypto API infrastructure provider Mesh Connect, and FinTech firm Money Forward have entered into a basic agreement to establish a joint venture in Japan aimed at streamlining digital asset transactions. Targeting a launch within 2026, the proposed venture—tentatively named Mesh
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred eighty-fourth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. A few funny encounters on the money/pricing front: * Musashino City kindly provided us another annual allocation of helicopter money, which really does not make any sense from a social equality perspective; the money has to be
payments
Tokyo-based FinTech firm Infcurion, in partnership with CCI Group, announced that regional lender Hokkoku Bank launched its new merchant acquiring service, "Smart Plan," on October 1, 2026. The initiative marks the inaugural commercial deployment of Axios, Infcurion’s next-generation, fully cloud-based acquiring platform. Key Details
asset management
Tokyo-based asset manager HiJoJo Partners and JAMP Fund Management have launched the HiJoJo Global Unicorn Investment Corporation (HiJoJo PEIT), following a private placement aimed at qualified institutional investors. The Private Equity Investment Trust (PEIT), structured as an investment corporation, has initiated operations with total paid-in capital of approximately
digital assets
Blockchain infrastructure provider Curvegrid has announced a pair of collaborations aimed at broadening enterprise adoption of digital assets across Asia, targeting cross-border payments in the Philippines and institutional risk management. The Tokyo-headquartered firm has partnered with risk advisory specialist Continuum to address Web3 insurance gaps, while simultaneously joining
digital assets
A consortium of leading Japanese financial institutions and blockchain technology providers has successfully completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 of "Project Trinity," a joint trial validating Delivery versus Payment (DvP) settlement for secondary market security token transactions using stablecoins. The consortium includes major firms such as Sumitomo Mitsui
Insurance
On October 1, 2026, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) convened the inaugural meeting of the Insurance System Working Group under the Financial System Council. This landmark regulatory initiative marks a decisive step in Japan’s national strategy to fortify corporate resilience, unlock growth capital, and modernize the domestic financial sector.
payments
Japan’s newly established Digital Currency Innovation Organization (DCIO) has launched full-scale operations on October 1, 2026, marking an evolution from the original Digital Currency Forum founded in 2020. The Tokyo-based organization aims to build a secure, efficient, and internationally competitive digital payment infrastructure. The DCIO's
banking
Japan Post Bank has deployed "UPWARD," an AI agent tailored for field sales, to enhance the quality of client proposals across its corporate banking division, vendor UPWARD Inc. announced. The decision comes as Japan Post Bank advances its Medium-Term Management Plan (FY2026–2028), which aims to position
household assets
In response to shifting macroeconomic conditions and an increasingly complex financial landscape, a high-level government-backed advisory body has published a foundational report aimed at fundamentally transforming how Japanese households manage, visualize, and optimize their personal finances. The comprehensive document—titled the Household Financial Visualization Study Panel Report (Kakei
Economics
On September 30, 2026, Bruce Aronson (Head of the Japan Center at the US-Asia Law Institute, NYU Law) hosted Dr. Paul Sheard (prominent macroeconomist, former senior executive at S&P Global and Nomura Securities, and author of The Power of Money) to discuss Japan's most profound
private credit
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (SuMiTB) has completed fundraising for its second domestic infrastructure vehicle, Japan Infrastructure No. 2, Limited Partnership, reaching a final closing at ¥123 billion ($830+ million) in total commitments. The fund, which was established on October 1, 2025, targets a wide spectrum of Japanese infrastructure assets, including