Insurance
MS&AD Insurance Group announced that at the Board of Directors meeting held on March 28, 2025, it was decided to proceed with specific discussions and preparations for the merger of two core non-life insurance companies within the group, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance. The target
lending
European credit specialist AlbaCore Capital Group, a consolidated subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUTB), has launched a new Senior Direct Lending Strategy, having secured anchor investments from a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and MUTB. MUFG aims to strengthen its strategic investments
secure computation
NTT Communications, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Nomura Research Institute, NRI Secure Technologies, and GMO CyberSecurity by Ierae have published the interim report on the "Guidelines for Data Utilization Using Secure Computation." The aim is to promote the understanding and utilization of secure
payments
Revolut Technologies Japan has launched a new service targeting children and teenagers aged 6 to 17, designed to help them learn financial literacy in a gamified way through daily life experiences. By using separate apps for parents and children, the service provides features that allow learning about money management through
payments
Plug and Play Japan has invested in Tokenz, a company providing next-generation payment gateway solutions. Tokenz supports digital content businesses such as games, e-books, software, and streaming platforms by offering a Merchant of Record (MoR) solution that enables seamless and flexible global expansion, supporting over 200 payment methods across 170
conduct
Japan Post Holdings, Japan Post, Japan Post Bank, and Japan Post Insurance confirmed cases in which non-public financial information on customers' savings was used at post offices to invite customers to visit the post office for the purpose of soliciting Japan Post Insurance products without prior consent from the
tokenization
Plat'Home announced a business partnership with Securitize Japan, a company that provides a platform for issuing and managing the lifecycle of security tokens/digital securities, in order to promote its Web3 business. This partnership will combine Securitize's top-class track record in the financial sector with Plat&
regional revitalization
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and CHANGE Holdings have signed a partnership agreement with the aim of promoting initiatives in response to growing corporate interest in solving social issues and contributing to regional revitalization. Through this partnership, both companies will strengthen their collaboration to solve regional issues through cooperation between
venture capital
Vertex Ventures Japan (VVJ) has completed the first closing of its inaugural fund, Vertex Ventures Japan Fund I (“VVJFI”), targeting JPY 10bn. This milestone was achieved with the participation of LP investors representing key sectors across industry, government, and academia, with the support of government institutions. VVJ will commence investments
monetary policy
We always like to listen to the Bank of Japan's press conference after the Monetary Policy Meeting, not so much for the prepared statements, which can be read independently, but for the Q&A session. So here is what we have learned. I. Governor's Prepared