In a sharp rebuke aimed at anonymous detractors, Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich has issued a comprehensive defense of the company’s Bitcoin accumulation strategy and corporate governance, rejecting claims of opaque disclosure as "inflammatory and factually incorrect." Addressing a wave of recent online criticism, Gerovich emphasized that while
NTT DOCOMO Ventures (NDV), the investment arm of Japan’s leading mobile operator, has made a strategic investment in Bastion Platforms, a New York-based provider of regulated stablecoin infrastructure. The deal signals the telecommunications giant's deepening interest in integrating digital asset technologies into enterprise finance and consumer payments.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has signaled strong support for the Bank of Japan’s ongoing policy normalization, forecasting a path toward a neutral interest rate of 1.5% by 2027, while simultaneously warning Tokyo against eroding fiscal discipline through broad tax cuts. In a press briefing following the 2026
SIGQ, a developer of autonomous AI solutions for IT operations, has raised a total of 123 million yen (approx. USD $820,000) in the first close of its Pre-Series A funding round. The financing will accelerate the Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy for its flagship product, "Incident Lake," specifically targeting
Nudge, the Tokyo-based challenger in the credit card and FinTech space, has convened the inaugural meeting of the "Entertainment x Fintech Consortium," marking a significant step toward integrating financial infrastructure with the entertainment sector. The kickoff event gathered 36 leading companies, exceeding the organizer's initial recruitment
A consortium led by Digital Garage (DG), alongside payment heavyweight JCB and Resona Holdings, announced the commencement of a proof-of-concept (PoC) for stablecoin payments in physical stores, a move towards bridging decentralized finance (DeFi) with traditional retail infrastructure. Starting February 24, 2026, the pilot program will test the viability of
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) has authorized a landmark pilot program involving the country’s top five financial institutions. The initiative, part of the FSA's "Payment Innovation Project" (PIP), aims to test the viability of blockchain technology for the settlement of traditional book-entry securities, including government
SBI Digital Markets (SBIDM) has cemented its foothold in the burgeoning sector of Real-World Asset (RWA) securitization, announcing the successful closure of Asia's largest music Intellectual Property (IP) deal for 2025. The transaction, valued at US$30 million, involves the issuance of bonds backed by a new music
Yuimedi, a health-tech startup specializing in the standardization and utilization of medical data, has raised 400 million yen (approx. $2.6 million) in a fresh funding round. The capital injection is aimed at accelerating the deployment of its AI-driven data infrastructure and expanding its footprint in both the Japanese and
Rakuten Group and its FinTech subsidiary, Rakuten Card, have announced the integration of a proprietary AI agent into the Rakuten Card Lite app, effective today. The launch marks the latest step in the company’s "AI-nization" initiative, a strategic push to embed artificial intelligence across its business portfolio
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-first edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. "AI is killing SaaS", or "software will be abundant and free" are the latest taglines of the AI prophets, after the path to AGI via LLMs has been discredited. Whether or not that will
Nissay Asset Management (NAM) has selected Broadridge Financial Solutions to modernize its post-trade operations, becoming the first asset manager in Japan to implement Broadridge’s Mortgage-Backed Securities Trade Assignment Portal (TAP). The announcement signals a shift in the Japanese asset management sector toward digital consolidation, specifically regarding To-Be-Announced (TBA) mortgage-backed
SME finance
Zippi, the Brazilian FinTech specializing in working capital for micro-entrepreneurs, has successfully closed the third issuance of its Credit Rights Investment Fund (FIDC), raising BRL 220m (approximately USD 42.3m). The transaction marks a watershed moment for the São Paulo-based firm, not only as its largest single capital injection to
venture capital
Virtual asset firm Hyperithm has made a seed investment in Cork Protocol, a platform specializing in on-chain risk management. The investment is part of a larger $5.5 million (approximately 7.7 billion KRW) seed funding round co-led by crypto accelerator a16z CSX and Road Capital. The round also attracted
capital markets
JPX Market Innovation & Research (JPXI) has initiated a major overhaul of the Japanese securities industry’s digital infrastructure, announcing plans to construct a common cloud-based data platform aimed at eliminating legacy inefficiencies in back-office operations. The project, which leverages technology from data cloud company Snowflake, seeks to replace the
growth strategy
The inaugural meeting of the Startup Policy Promotion Subcommittee, held in early February, marked a subtle shift in Japanese industrial policy. While historically the domain of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the subcommittee’s establishment under the Japan Growth Strategy Council indicates a direct Prime Ministerial mandate.
Economics
Japanese real wages contracted for a fourth consecutive year in 2025, though recent data signals that the country’s prolonged struggle with eroding purchasing power may be nearing an end, according to a recent report published by the Itochu Research Institute. Monthly Labor Survey data released by the Ministry of
Economics
On February 6, 2026, the NLI Research Institute hosted a webinar focused on why home purchases continue to be made despite rising housing prices, interest rates, and inflation. They used various published data on the mortgage market to summarize and explain households' adaptive behavior, incorporating a financial theory perspective.
Economics
The entry of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), operating through its subsidiary JASM, is a systemic catalyst for the resurgence of Kyushu’s "Silicon Island." This transition marks a pivot from the region’s historical identity as a domestic manufacturing base toward its emergence as a high-value node
accelerator
Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri) and its parent company, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), have formalized a four-way strategic partnership with the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Security Bank Corporation. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), executed in Manila, aims to stimulate the regional digital economy by creating a
core banking
Kyndryl and IBM Japan have been selected to lead a major modernization of Yamaguchi Financial Group’s (Yamaguchi FG) core banking systems, a move designed to consolidate the regional lender’s IT operations into a single, unified platform. The modernization effort is targeted for completion by January 2029. According to
cryptocurrency exchange
Japanese financial services giant SBI Holdings is set to significantly expand its footprint in the Southeast Asian crypto market, announcing its intention to acquire a majority stake in Coinhako, a leading Singapore-based digital asset platform. SBI confirmed that its subsidiary, SBI Ventures Asset, has signed a letter of intent with
payments
PayPay Corporation, Japan’s dominant QR code payment provider, has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Visa to spearhead its international expansion, beginning with a significant entry into the United States market. The deal outlines a roadmap for PayPay’s first major global venture. The companies plan to establish
crypto
Standard Chartered has entered a strategic partnership with digital asset market maker B2C2, a move designed to bridge the gap between traditional banking infrastructure and the cryptocurrency markets for institutional clients. The collaboration aims to integrate Standard Chartered’s extensive global banking and settlement "rails" with B2C2’s