corporate venture capital
SBI Holdings, through its U.S. subsidiary SBI Holdings USA, has made an investment in the AI2 Incubator Fund III newly established by AI2 Incubator Partners, an AI incubator. This investment aims to capture global investment opportunities in the AI field and strengthen collaboration with startups possessing cutting-edge technology. AI2
corporate venture capital
Sony Financial Ventures and Global Brain Corporation have established a new joint venture company through a co-investment. The rapidly changing environment has been requiring startups to accelerate business expansion, go global, and adopt sophisticated fundraising practice, causing more complex management issues. This has heightened expectations for investment partners who can
korea
The Seoul FinTech Week 2025 Conference took place on Monday, September 29, 2025, and was live streamed via YouTube. We summarize our key takeaways, as well as some of the insights gathered from the individual sessions. Top 10 Takeaways from Seoul FinTech Week 2025 1. AI is the Undisputed Core
artificial intelligence
Sakana AI will partner with Daiwa Securities in its first alliance with a securities firm. This collaboration brings together Daiwa Securities Group’s deep industry knowledge with Sakana AI’s cutting-edge AI technology. Daiwa has long focused on a client-first approach to asset management, looking at a customer’s total
artificial intelligence
Tokio Marine Holdings (TMHD) has initiated a strategic collaboration with OpenAI, aiming to leverage generative AI technologies for the evolution of its business. TMHD aims to further integrate generative AI into various operational areas of Tokio Marine group, including contracts, inquiries, and document processing. This will help to enhance productivity
asset management
AlpacaTech, a subsidiary of FOLIO Holdings, which provides innovative financial solutions within the SBI Group, has commenced a partnership for joint research and development with Vertex Investment Solutions, a 100% subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings with strengths in quantitative investment management. AlpacaTech, which possesses high expertise in AI technology research
venture capital
MUFG Bank and MUFG Innovation Partners (MUIP), both consolidated subsidiaries of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), have made an investment in LayerX, a startup focused on equipping society with AI-centered software. MUFG Bank also signed a strategic partnership memorandum of understanding with LayerX to further deepen their collaborative relationship. MUIP’
insurtech
Shift Technology, a provider of AI-driven decision automation and optimization solutions for the global insurance industry, has recently delivered generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) capabilities as part of their Shift Claims Fraud Detection and Shift Claims Intake deployments for Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance. Shift’s Gen AI-powered visual
artificial intelligence
Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Systems, and Trust have concluded a business partnership agreement aimed at improving system development productivity through the utilization of generative AI. Trust was founded in 2023 and is a startup that provides services to streamline system development using generative AI. According to
corporate venture capital
Relcu has raised new funding with participation from both new and existing investors, including Menlo Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Clocktower Ventures, MUFG Innovation Partners, Commerce Ventures, and Valley Ventures. Relcu provides an all-in-one Unified CRM and AI Agent Co-Pilot built for financial services. The capital will accelerate Relcu’s mission
ecommerce
Digital Garage and DG Business Technology, a subsidiary of Digital Garage that provides comprehensive support for digital businesses, have announced the launch of the “DG AI Drive” hybrid AI package that enables businesses to select AI solutions according to the business challenges they are facing. “DG AI Drive” is a
ecommerce
Introduction Mercari is committed to achieving the mid-term policy announced in FY2024.6, which aims for double-digit CAGR growth in revenue and a CAGR of at least 25% in core operating profit in FY2027.6. These targets remain unchanged. Following Mercari's basic policy to essentially aim for top-line