Japan FinTech Observer | Tontines | ex-Goldman & Barclays Tech MD
venture capital
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation has entered into an investment agreement with AN Venture Partners I, operated by ANV Management, which invests in the biotechnology sector. ANV was established in 2022 with the purpose of creating global biotechnology companies based primarily on excellent research and drug discovery seeds from Japanese universities,
artificial intelligence
Neo First Life Insurance, a member of the Dai-ichi Life Group, announced a new AI-based system that detects potential fraudulent insurance claims early, which will be gradually introduced from June to October 2025. In recent years, insurance claims suspected to be fraudulent have become increasingly complex and sophisticated. Dealing with
credit card
LifeCard, one of Japan's leading credit card providers, has partnered with personalization innovator Pulse iD to launch a new generation of credit cards that puts personalization at the heart of the cardholder experience. The rollout begins in September 2025 across LifeCard's 6 million customers, with sign-ups
banking
In light of the extremely concerning situation where the damage amount from special fraud in 2024 reached a record high, and the damage amount from SNS-type investment and romance fraud reached approximately three times the previous year's amount, the National Police Agency and eight city banks and other
lending
Techfino, a FinTech non-banking financial company (NBFC), has announced that it has successfully secured INR 65 crore in equity funding. The investment comes from Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital, the investment arm of Japan-listed Credit Saison. This capital infusion will enable the company to significantly enhance its secured lending
asset management
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, SMBC Nikko Securities, and Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, together with SBI Holdings and SBI Securities, have concluded a "Business Partnership Agreement for Individual Asset Management Services" for the purpose of jointly creating new asset management services for Olive. Furthermore, based
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred sixteenth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. We are back, and so is the Bank of Japan, with their June Monetary Policy Meeting. While a change in the policy rate is not expected, the Bank will update its plan for JGB purchases starting in April
asset management
gumi has resolved, at its Board of Directors meeting, to establish a fund for the joint management of listed crypto assets with SBI Holdings. Overview of the Fund Overview of the Operating Company Purpose of the Fund Establishment The crypto-asset market has grown rapidly in recent years, and the environment
venture capital
Headquartered in Rome, Italy, Colossus created the Institutional Hub, the only B2B marketplace enabling Digital Asset Holders to access staking, governance, and DeFi protocols natively from custody. The Hub enables native transactions in a safe, compliant and verifiable way across 25+ chains and multiple validators. The investment was made through
digital bond
Securitize Japan, which provides a security token (ST)/digital securities issuance and lifecycle management platform, announces that the Securitize Platform has been adopted for the security token bonds (digital bonds) planned to be issued by Pan Pacific International Holdings (PPIH), which operates the comprehensive discount store "Don Quijote,"
corporate venture capital
Daikin Industries has invested in Asuene, a startup company providing services to measure and reduce CO2 emissions, and to support decarbonization and ESG management, by underwriting a capital increase through a third-party allocation of shares. Through this collaboration, the two companies will combine Asuene’s services with Daikin’s energy-saving
corporate venture capital
Sumitomo Life has made an investment in EverEx through its CVC fund "SUMISEI INNOVATION FUND", operated by SBI Investment. Background of the Investment Sumitomo Life aims to provide services that contribute to customers' well-being through WaaS (Well-being as a Service), centered on the Vitality health program that