banking
West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and Resona Holdings (Resona HD) have entered into a capital and business alliance that brings together transport infrastructure and retail banking in Western Japan. This ¥90 billion transaction involves JR West acquiring a 20% stake in Kansai Mirai Bank, a move that signals the
BaaS
Yayoi, a leading Japanese provider of back-office software, has launched the "Banking Service by Yayoi," a next-generation FinTech platform designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and sole proprietors. Developed in partnership with GMO Aozora Net Bank, the service integrates core banking functions directly into Yayoi’s accounting
banking
SBI Holdings has reached a definitive tipping point in its evolution from an online brokerage pioneer to Japan’s dominant financial powerhouse. The 9M FY2025 results signal a successful "Beyond Brokerage" transition where the group’s diversified revenue engines now more than compensate for the elimination of trading
corporate venture capital
The SMBC Fin Atlas Beyond Fund, a U.S.-focused corporate venture vehicle operated by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in partnership with Fin Capital, has executed its second portfolio investment, backing Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform Synctera. The fund co-led the strategic financing round alongside the National Bank of Canada, signaling continued
Tallinn
The fourth stop of our "ICT & FinTech Mission to Tallinn" last week, courtesy of Enterprise Estonia, led us to Tuum, where we were hosted by Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer Rivo Uibo. Tuum is a next-generation core banking platform provider headquartered in Estonia, positioning itself under the
BaaS
Raksul Bank, a 100% subsidiary of Raksul, has officially launched its financial platform service for small and medium-sized enterprises through its partnership with GMO Aozora Net Bank. By utilizing BaaS (Banking as a Service), Raksul Bank provides a next-generation banking service that combines same-day account opening, industry-leading low transfer fees
infrastructure
Finatext Holdings second quarter of fiscal year 2025 (Q2 FY2025) was marked by significant top-line growth and the successful execution of key strategic initiatives, reinforcing the company's position as a leading B2B financial technology platform. Strong performance in the core Financial Infrastructure and Big Data Analytics segments, coupled
banking
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
BaaS
Minna Bank has signed a business partnership agreement with Merpay to utilize Minna Bank's financial functions and services in the flea market app "Mercari". Background Minna Bank upholds "Integrating into everyone's 'lifestyle'" as one of its service concepts, and aims
mergers & acquisitions
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, its consolidated subsidiary MUFG Bank, WealthNavi, a consolidated subsidiary of MUFG Bank, and shareholders of Moneytree have entered into a stock transfer agreement dated July 31, 2025, and as August 29, 2025, MUFG Bank has acquired the issued shares of Moneytree. As a result, Moneytree will
asset management
SBI Sumishin Net Bank and FOLIO, a subsidiary of FOLIO Holding that provides innovative financial solutions within the SBI Group, have concluded a "Basic Business Partnership Agreement" for the purpose of jointly developing new asset management services for SBI Sumishin Net Bank customers. The launch of the new
banking
GMO Aozora Net Bank and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering Morikawa-Narisue Laboratory have officially launched joint research towards the construction of innovative credit risk assessment models utilizing AI and machine learning. In other news, TRABOX has launched a new service called "Finto Invoice Payment", which