Datachain has entered the field of tokenized deposits, leveraging blockchain technology. In recent years, global financial institutions including J.P. Morgan, Citi, and HSBC have been accelerating their use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) for deposits and payment services–an industry shift aligned with the Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS)
ZIRITZ, which operates the asset management platform "StockFormer" and the AI-powered automatic apartment planning service "StockFormer-ZERO," has completed Series A funding totaling 700 million yen. In this round, Nissay Capital and Daiwa Corporate Investment served as lead investors, with participation from a total of 7 venture
Digital Garage reported consolidated profit before tax for the 1H of FY26.3 of ¥1,416 million. In addition to steady growth in the Platform Solution (PS) and Long-term Incubation (LTI) segments, the rebound from investment valuation losses recorded in the Global Investment Incubation (GII) segment in the same period
JR East initially introduced the concept of "Suica Renaissance" in December 2024. At the time, it stated: "JR East will progressively upgrade Suica's functionality over the next 10 years, transforming it into a digital platform as part of its mid-to-long-term business growth strategy, "Beyond
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), together with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), has compiled an expanded version of the “Key Points to Consider in Contracts for Sound Venture Investments in Japan” based on discussions held at the “Study Group on Development of Startup Ecosystems.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in kAIgentic, a company incorporated by Mr. Mazhari, SMBC Group’s AI Transformation Advisor, in Singapore in August 2025. kAIgentic led by Mr. Mazhari builds the enterprise “Intelligence Layer” to accelerate AI transformation within the SMBC
Tokio Marine Holdings' wholly-owned subsidiary, Delphi Financial Group has agreed to acquire a majority stake in ACORE CAPITAL, one of the leading U.S. commercial real estate investment managers. The transaction further strengthens ACORE CAPITAL's decade-long relationship with one of the largest global insurance groups. This acquisition
SBI Holdings has agreed to establish a joint venture fund with the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), an organization established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). This fund will invest in global growth-stage fintech companies and related fields. GFTN is an organization that bridges innovation, regulation, and capital
NTT DOCOMO Ventures (NDV) and NTT Finance will jointly establish a new investment vehicle, Synexia Ventures, aimed at strengthening collaboration with promising startups in Southeast Asia. The investment vehicle will be established on December 15, 2025. Synexia Ventures will serve as an investment vehicle established to reinforce NTT Group’s
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and its consolidated subsidiary, MUFG Bank, have entered into an investment agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding regarding strategic collaboration with Third Intelligence, an AI R&D company. Other investors are SMBC, SBI Group, and Hokuhodo DY Ventures. Third Intelligence is a company
DeNA's Board of Directors has approved the establishment of and investment in the Delight Ventures Builder III Investment Limited Partnership (ILP). Background DeNA is an “eternal venture,” and proactively takes on the challenge of creating new businesses. To achieve this, in addition to initiatives in each of its
Okasan Securities has begun providing services for corporate customers through "Okasan BANK," a banking service jointly developed with GMO Aozora Net Bank. The corporate services of "Okasan BANK" offer special interest rate time deposits, free deposit functions to Okasan Securities accounts, corporate Okasan BANK cards with
private equity
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and ORIX Corporation have entered into an agreement to launch a commitment-based private equity fund. The total fund size will be the yen equivalent of USD 2.5 billion. The fund will invest in Japanese companies, primarily targeting business succession, privatization of listed companies, and
blockchain
Startale Group has announced the Startale App, an all-in-one gateway to the Startale and Soneium ecosystem, designed to make the open digital economy simple, secure, and connected. Built as part of a continued partnership with Sony Block Solutions Labs, the app marks the beginning of a new chapter in Startale’
stablecoin
HashPort has signed a capital and business alliance agreement with KDDI. Under this alliance, HashPort conducted a third-party allotment capital increase to KDDI. As a result, KDDI acquired more than 20% of HashPort's issued shares, making HashPort an equity-method affiliate of KDDI. Going forward, both companies will leverage
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred thirty-seventh edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. The convergence is happening. The Financial System Council Working Group on Crypto-Assets has come to the conclusion that forcing crypto investments into the Payment Services Act, and is working on an approach to migrate the relevant parts to
crypto
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) hosted the 5th Meeting of the Financial System Council Working Group on Crypto-Assets on November 7, 2025. The meeting focused on consolidating previous discussions and presenting specific proposals for regulatory reforms concerning crypto assets in Japan, particularly addressing the shift of crypto assets towards investment
sustainability
The 11th Annual Conference of the Principles, co-hosted by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) and the Japan Securities Dealers Association (JSDA) in Tokyo, brought together key stakeholders to discuss the future of sustainable finance, with a strong focus on transition and nature-related financing. Here are our key takeaways from
payments
Infcurion's next-generation card issuance platform "Xard" has been adopted by Money Forward for the handling of ETC cards in "Money Forward Business Card." Money Forward, with its mission "Move Money Forward. Move Life More Forward," has been deploying "Money Forward Business
payments
Stripe and NEC have begun exploring integration of the Stripe Reader S700 payment terminal, compatible with the unified commerce solution Stripe Terminal, with NEC's face recognition payment service. By combining Stripe's payment terminals, payment services, and functions with NEC's face recognition technology, which boasts
economics
The Itochu Research Institute's Associate Senior Research Fellow Sota Takano put out a new research note last week, analyzing the most recent monthly labor survey. Nominal Wage Growth Accelerates, but Real Wages Remain Negative In September, the growth rate of total cash earnings was +1.9% year-on-year, accelerating
stock exchange
Hiromi Yamaji, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Japan Exchange Group (JPX), spoke at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on November 5, 2025, focusing on Japan's ongoing corporate governance reforms, the resultant market momentum, and JPX’s strategic initiatives for future growth. Key Takeaways 1. Sustainable
banking
Tokyo Star Bank and Global Trust Networks, which specializes in foreign residents and comprehensively provides services supporting life in Japan including housing, employment, telecommunications, and finance, have signed a basic agreement and commenced collaboration to realize financial services for foreign residents in Japan. The number of foreign residents in Japan
banking
SBI Holdings reported financial results for the first half of Fiscal Year 2025 (April 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025) at the end of October. Given the usual comprehensive reporting (150+ pages), the following article aims to extract the key updates. I. Consolidated Performance Overview SBI Holdings reported record-breaking performance for