mergers & acquisitions
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation have reached an agreement with State Bank of India (SBI), the state-owned bank of the Republic of India, and other financial institutions in India to acquire a 20.0% equity stake in YES BANK, a private commercial bank in India, subject
web3
Futureverse, a leader in AI and metaverse technology, has officially launched RakutenWallet.Pass in partnership with Rakuten Wallet. Starting today, Rakuten Wallet's users will now have access to onboard seamlessly to an upgraded version of the RakutenWallet.Pass, unlocking web3 benefits like digital ownership and access to immersive
payments
NTT DATA Payment Services has unveiled ADAPTIS, a suite of integrated payment solutions and more that is designed to meet the evolving needs of modern businesses. Introduced at an exclusive brand launch event, ADAPTIS marks a strategic milestone in the NTT DATA's transformation, bringing together innovation, flexibility and
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred tenth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. The decades-long (if not forever) pricing system for Japanese sake has been broken. It has not happened overnight, rather it has been a slow, post-pandemic process as far as I could tell, but by now most of the
NFT
SyFu has entered into a strategic partnership with KDDI, one of Japan’s largest telecommunications companies, to launch an exclusive “KDDI × SyFu” MANEKINEKO NFT. This special NFT will be available within the SyFu GameFi ecosystem, powered by the SyFu Web3 lifestyle app, and offered through a dedicated minting platform, providing
regional bank
Nochu Information Systems (NIC), a group company of The Norinchukin Bank responsible for system engineering, has started providing Digital Transformation (DX) support services as a sales partner of Box Japan. NIC has been working within the Norinchukin Bank Group to establish systems for consolidating and centralizing internal information using Box,
sustainability
JCB is conducting a one-month demonstration experiment in collaboration with MASH Style Lab, Lumine, and Your Arbor to verify changes in consumer behavior through the visualization of CO2 emissions by product and payment method. This experiment is being held as the second phase following the first experiment conducted at Lumine
payment
Mobell Communications, a UK-based telecoms company whose entire revenue is generated from Japan-focused services, has been awarded a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. What makes Mobell truly unique is that it is a wholly owned trading subsidiary of a UK-registered charity, meaning 100% of its business
venture capital
Layer 1 blockchain platform "Kaia" has secured investments and strategic partnerships from renowned global venture capital firms in the blockchain space, including 1kx and Blockchain Capital (BCAP), aimed at expanding its ecosystem. These VCs, which support the growth of scalable Web3 ecosystems worldwide, highly value Kaia's
disclosures
The Organization of Global Financial City Tokyo (FinCity.Tokyo) aims to enhance the appeal of the Tokyo financial market as a top international financial center by supporting listed companies (especially those listed on Growth and Standard markets) in improving their English information disclosure and IR activities, thereby attracting overseas investment
banking
After the market close on April 30, 2025, MUFG announced that it has revised its earnings target for profits attributable to owners of parent and its year-end dividend forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, both previously announced on November 14, 2024, to take into account recent business
system integrator
Fukuoka Financial Group (FFG) and its subsidiary Minna no Ginko, along with next-generation financial system development startup LiNKX, have signed a basic agreement on a strategic partnership. As part of this partnership, FFG's subsidiary, The Bank of Fukuoka, has invested in LiNKX. Zero Bank Design Factory, FFG'