Japan FinTech Observer | Tontines | ex-Goldman & Barclays Tech MD
venture capital
MPower announced the launch of MPower Partners Fund II, a global venture capital fund that backs growth state startups in Japan and overseas. In addition to existing Limited Partners, the Japan Investment Corporation (JIC) has joined as a new investor in Fund II. 1. Investment in Growth-Stage Startups As with
green finance
ASUENE has acquired 100% of the shares of NZero, a US-based climate tech company providing real-time GHG emissions visualization and AI energy management cloud services. In the United States, which is experiencing a policy transition period, the collaboration between NZero, working on balancing energy costs and emissions, and ASUENE will
security token
Starts Group, Mizuho Securities, and Securitize Japan have announced their collaboration on the public offering and issuance of security tokens (STs) backed by real estate assets utilizing the "Securitize Platform", a computer system using distributed ledger technology developed by Securitize. This ST is a real estate security token
life insurance
Dai-ichi Life Holdings has decided to make an additional investment of approximately 10.3% in Capula, a leading UK-based alternative management firm with world-class expertise in fixed-income arbitrage, crisis alpha and global macro strategies, while agreeing to transfer all shares held by Dai-ichi Life International in Ocean Life Insurance, a
BaaS
Digital Garage and Resona Holdings have signed an amendment agreement to their capital and business alliance contract, aimed at further strengthening the alliance established in November 2022 and updated in December 2023. Through this strengthened partnership, both companies aim to further integrate their management resources and expand their share in
payments
Digital Garage's financial report for the fiscal year ending March 2025 presents a nuanced picture of growth and strategic realignment, characterized by significant progress in its core payment solutions segment alongside challenges and forward-looking initiatives in its long-term incubation and global investment sectors. The company's strategic
life insurance
LIFENET Insurance Company has released its results for fiscal year 2024 (ending in March 2025), providing a comprehensive overview of its financial performance, strategic initiatives, and future outlook. LIFENET's key achievements in FY2024 include significant growth in annualized premium of policies-in-force, strong insurance service results, and steady growth
neobank
Sony Group is embarking on a significant strategic shift by partially spinning off its Financial Services business. The motivation behind this move is multifaceted, encompassing a desire for greater focus on core entertainment and technology areas, enhanced operational agility for both Sony and the financial services entity, and an improved
impact
AgeWellJapan, which operates the "Motto Mate" grandchild companion service and the multi-generational community space "MOTTOBA!", and was part of Plug and Play Japan's InsurTech Batch No. 10, has secured new funding. This round marks the first investment from the "Region, People, and Future
venture capital
Acompany, part of Plug and Play Japan's FinTech Batch No. 6, has completed its Series B round, raising approximately 1.1 billion yen through a third-party allocation of new shares. SBI Investment served as the lead investor, with participation from Globis Capital Partners, Central Japan Innovation Capital, Hiroaki
neobank
Rakuten Bank announced its FY3/25 financial results, exceeding expectations in both ordinary and net profits. Full-year ordinary profits reached ¥71.5 billion, representing a 47.8% year-over-year increase and surpassing the company's guidance of ¥69.0 billion. Net profits also demonstrated strong growth, totaling ¥50.8 billion,
cryptocurrency exchange
Coincheck Group has reported its first full fiscal year results, after listing on Nasdaq through a SPAC transaction at the end of last year. Before we get into the results announcement, however, let us take a look at where Coincheck fits into the overall Monex Group. Overview Monex Group has