asset management
SBI Holdings has announced that its consolidated subsidiary, FOLIO Holdings, has formally applied for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). FOLIO Holdings, in which SBI Group holds a 69.42% controlling stake, develops AI-driven asset management systems and financial infrastructure solutions. The Tokyo-based
banking
The history of ITFOR (4743.T) is essentially a chronicle of the Japanese technology sector’s transition from hardware-led social infrastructure to high-margin software. Founded in 1972 as CJK—a trading entity specializing in the importation of sophisticated American and Israeli communications hardware—the company’s identity was
venture capital
Japanese telecommunications giant KDDI Corporation and the Google AI Futures Fund have entered into an agreement to launch the "AI Startup Support Program by KDDI & Google AI Futures Fund," a joint initiative aimed at investing in domestic artificial intelligence startups and facilitating their global expansion. Applications for
venture capital
MUFG Innovation Partners (MUIP), the corporate venture capital arm and wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), has finalized a strategic investment in Delaware-based enterprise AI company Fundamental Technologies. The investment was executed through the MUFG Innovation Partners No. 3 Investment Partnership. Unlocking Value in Structured Data
banking
Mizuho Financial Group has launched an initiative to upgrade its artificial intelligence capabilities, partnering with NVIDIA to explore and develop high-security AI infrastructure tailored for the financial services sector. The collaboration focuses on deploying advanced hardware and secure execution frameworks to integrate generative AI safely into the bank'
venture capital
A powerful coalition of 44 Japanese corporations has capitalized Noetra, a newly established artificial intelligence research venture, to spearhead the development of home-grown multimodal foundation models. Backed by a core consortium consisting of Sony Group, SoftBank, NEC, and Honda Motor—alongside a newly announced investment from financial heavyweight Mitsubishi
venture capital
Singapore-headquartered enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) developer Whale has secured a $40 million Series C3 extension, bringing its total Series C funding to $100 million. The injection of capital is earmarked to accelerate the scale-up of its global enterprise AI deployments and deepen platform integrations. The latest funding round
banking
On July 9, 2026, the financial community convened at SardineCon Tokyo under a regulatory ultimatum. As the financial landscape undergoes a volatile digital transformation, the "cat and mouse" game between sophisticated fraud syndicates and established institutions has reached a critical inflection point. In this high-stakes environment, Artificial
capital markets
GMO Coin, a consolidated subsidiary of the GMO Internet Group, and BridgeWise, a global provider of investment-focused artificial intelligence, have entered into a long-term strategic partnership. The alliance aims to deliver advanced, AI-driven financial insights tailored specifically for Japanese retail investors. The collaboration marks a significant milestone
venture capital
dodoAI (formerly known as 58, Inc.), a Tokyo-based developer of enterprise AI governance infrastructure, has secured a total of ¥280 million in a seed funding round. Concurrently, the company has executed an official corporate name change from 58, Inc. to dodoAI Inc., effective June 1, 2026, to align its
venture capital
SBI Ven Capital has co-led a US$5.6 million Pre-Series A funding round for Pints AI alongside Tin Men Capital, with participation from SEEDS Capital, NTUitive, SUTD Venture Fund, and Tenity. As financial institutions globally look to transition artificial intelligence from peripheral use cases—like customer service
payments
Infcurion has announced the beta launch of a new Model Context Protocol (MCP) compatible feature for its invoice payment platform, "Winvoice". This integration marks a significant milestone, making it the first card-based invoice payment service targeting the Japanese market to adopt the global AI standard. The initial