Japan FinTech Observer | Tontines | ex-Goldman & Barclays Tech MD
Insurance
InsuranceDekho raised USD 70m in its latest funding round, co-led by Beams Fintech Fund alongside Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and insurer BNP Paribas Cardif, which participated through its InsurTech fund managed by European investment firm Eurazeo. This latest funding round comes about a year and a half after InsuranceDekho
remittance
Digital Wallet Group (DWG), an international IT and FinTech company and operator of subsidiary Digital Wallet Corporation’s (DWC) Smiles Mobile Remittance, Japan's most popular mobile money transfer service, has entered into a strategic partnership with Payment Source, an award-winning Canadian payment gateway provider with more than 20
stablecoin
SBI VC Trade, a consolidated subsidiary of SBI Holdings that operates a cryptocurrency exchange business has completed registration as an "Electronic Payment Instruments Business Operator" (Registration Number Kanto Regional Financial Bureau No. 00001), which will enable SBI VC Trade to be the first to handle the stablecoin "
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred first edition of the Japan FinTech Observer, and welcome to Japan Fintech Week 2025! The Japanese equity market has been lagging so far this year. Topix and Nikkei were down by around 2% and 3% mid-week, respectively, while the Hang Seng Index led with a
banking
The Postal Service Privatization Act requires that Japan Post Holdings dispose of its shares in Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Holdings within the earliest possible timeframe, with the aim of disposing of its shares in its entirety, in light of business conditions of the two financial companies and any
NFT
KDDI will sell NFT sneakers that "fuse" the "STEPN" Web3 lifestyle app, which promotes "movement," and the "INFOBAR" mobile phone in the NFT marketplace "αU market" from Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in a limited edition of 200 pairs. "STEPN&
authentication
The National Police Agency has published a "Draft Order Partially Amending the Enforcement Regulations of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds". In line with the "Key Plan for Realizing a Digital Society" (Cabinet Decision, June 21, 2024) and the "Comprehensive Measures to
digital assets
Web3 Investing hosted SBI Digital Markets Chief Operating Officer CK Ong to discuss the potential for 2025 to be a pivotal year for the cryptocurrency and tokenization space. We have listed the highlights of the conversation here, and encourage you to listen to the full recording. CK provides insights based
regulation
During January 2025, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) met with the industry associations for major banks, regional banks, shinkin banks, trust banks, securities dealers, and investment trusts. 1. Common Topics Across Industries Several key themes emerged consistently across the FSA's discussions with different financial industry sectors: 1.1
neobank
Osaka-based Senshu Ikeda Holdings, a financial services group that offers banking, securities, leasing, and other services, has been granted a banking license for its digital "01Bank". Senshu Ikeda disclosed its intention to launch a digital bank business in September 2023, and established a preparatory entity in February 2024.
population
In a research note, NLI Research analyzed the 2024 domestic migration trends, when 40 out of 47 prefectures in Japan experienced a "social decrease," meaning a net loss of population due to domestic migration (people moving out exceeding people moving in). Only 7 prefectures had a social increase.
mergers & acquisitions
State Street and Mizuho Financial Group have entered into an agreement for State Street to acquire Mizuho’s global custody and related businesses outside of Japan. These businesses support the overseas investments of Mizuho’s Japanese clients. Mizuho currently operates its global custody and related business outside of Japan through