broker/dealer
Alpaca, a self-clearing broker-dealer and brokerage infrastructure API, announced its $52 million Series C funding round today from its new office in Manhattan, New York. This significant milestone further accelerates Alpaca’s global expansion and development of its industry-leading product offerings. This round saw participation from both new and returning
mergers & acquisitions
Nomura and Macquarie have entered into an agreement for Nomura to acquire Macquarie’s U.S. and European public asset management business, with approximately US$180 billion in retail and institutional client assets across equities, fixed income and multi-asset strategies. Under the terms of the agreement, Nomura will acquire 100%
trading
Woodstock, which operates the Gen Z-focused social investment app woodstock.club, has launched a new basket trading feature that allows users to purchase portfolios based on the Woodstock app users' average performance, which outperforms market averages such as the S&P500 and Nasdaq. With this feature, users can
banking
Mizuho Financial Group announced that Amsterdam-based Mizuho Bank Europe, a subsidiary of Mizuho Bank, has merged with Frankfurt-based Mizuho Securities Europe, a subsidiary of Mizuho Securities. As the surviving entity, Mizuho Bank Europe has successfully commenced operations under its new universal bank structure, offering a fully integrated banking and securities
broker/dealer
The total number of SBI Securities financial product accounts intermediated through Sumitomo Mitsui Card and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation has exceeded 1 million, and the monthly investment amount for "Sumitomo Mitsui Card Regular Investment" has exceeded 85 billion yen. Since June 2021, Sumitomo Mitsui Card has partnered with
embedded finance
SmartPlus, part of the Finatext Group that realizes embedded finance through the provision of next-generation financial infrastructure, has updated the functions of its securities business platform "BaaS (Brokerage as a Service)" and is now offering bond trading services. Background and Purpose With the recent rise in long-term interest
trading
Bloomo Securities, which provides a US stock investment app, has raised a total of 2 billion yen in a Series A round through a third-party allocation of shares to Global Brain, ANRI, Spiral Capital, Portage Ventures, MUFG Innovation Partners, Angle Bridge, Sumitomo Corporation Venture & Innovation, and Scrum Ventures. This
asset management
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and its subsidiary SMBC Global Investment & Consulting (SGIC) have announced that Ken Kobayashi has been appointed as President and Representative Director of SGIC effective April 1, 2025. By welcoming a professional with over 30 years of experience in the asset management field, SMBC Group aims
regulation
During January 2025, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) met with the industry associations for major banks, regional banks, shinkin banks, trust banks, securities dealers, and investment trusts. 1. Common Topics Across Industries Several key themes emerged consistently across the FSA's discussions with different financial industry sectors: 1.1
broker/dealer
PayPay will acquire shares in PayPay Securities from SoftBank and LY Corporation, as well as subscribe to a third-party allocation of shares conducted by PayPay Securities, with the aim of further enhancing the corporate value of PayPay Securities. By becoming the parent company of PayPay Securities, PayPay aims to strengthen
broker/dealer
Nomura reported strong financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024/25, with significant year-over-year (YoY) growth in net revenue, income before income taxes, net income, EPS, and ROE. All business segments (Wealth Management, Investment Management, and Wholesale) contributed to this growth. The company highlighted its robust financial
bonds
The Bank of Japan has published a summary of the discussions held between the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and representatives from commercial banks, securities firms, and buy-side institutions (collectively referred to as "market participants") regarding the Japanese government bond (JGB) market. The meetings, held in early December 2024,