Mizuho Pochette joint venture established to support financial literacy

SEGA XD, a company developing gamification businesses, and Mizuho Innovation Frontier , the corporate venture capital of Mizuho, have agreed to develop and provide an app for parents and children to learn about the roles of money and economics in a fun way. To this end, they have established a joint venture company, Mizuho Pochette (ownership structure: Mizuho Innovation Frontier: 59%, SEGA XD: 34%, others: 7%).

With the rise of cashless payments and fluctuations in exchange rates and interest rates due to geopolitical risks, the social environment surrounding children is changing dramatically, and there are increasing opportunities to experience changes in money firsthand. Learning about the roles of money and the mechanisms of society through money is also linked to the “ability to survive” in the coming era.

Based on the philosophy that Mizuho wants children to acquire the “ability to survive” in a “fun and effortless way” every day, Mizuho has been considering the development of content related to financial and economic education.

SEGA XD is a subsidiary of SEGA Corporation, one of the leading companies in the game and amusement industry, and is a gamification company that utilizes the knowledge cultivated in the game business to solve corporate and social issues. SEGA XD strongly resonates with the above-mentioned philosophy of Mizuho, which has led to the establishment of this joint venture company.

By combining Mizuho’s extensive knowledge of finance with SEGA XD’s gamification know-how, the partners will collaborate with schools, companies, and other organizations to build a leading financial and economic education platform in Japan.

As a first step in this initiative, the partners will jointly develop an app with Shonan Shirayuri Gakuen Elementary School and Yamanashi Gakuin Elementary School, both of which have a strong interest in financial education. MaruzenJunkudo Bookstore and Lotte will also participate in the project.

This project is the first commercialization case of the “Mizuho GCEO Challenge,” in which Group CEO (GCEO) Kihara himself selects employee-generated ideas. President and CEO Ohara and Director Niikura have been promoting the commercialization of this project as successful participants of the “Mizuho GCEO Challenge.”

MHIF, the investor, also plays a role in supporting the commercialization of employee ideas in addition to participating in external projects such as startups, and this is also the first such case.

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