capital markets
The Japan Securities Clearing Corporation (JSCC) is moving to modernize the architectural backbone of Japanese finance, announcing a strategic initiative to implement a blockchain-based settlement layer. In collaboration with Mizuho, Nomura, and technology partner Digital Asset, the JSCC is transitioning toward a more resilient, instantaneous clearing environment. By utilizing the
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred sixtieth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from Rothschild & Co, France's Ministère de l'Intérieur, the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, the International Islamic University, Islamabad, and the Asian Development
SaaS
Money Forward (TSE: 3994), a leading Japanese provider of back-office SaaS and financial management solutions, has delivered a surprisingly positive first-quarter performance for the fiscal year ending November 2026. The company achieved a positive operating profit of JPY 170 million, defying initial expectations of a loss. The results, underpinned by
capital markets
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) has released its "2025 Collection of Good Practices in Descriptive Information Disclosure." This document serves as a strategic playbook for listed companies, moving toward a model of "narrative reporting" that bridges the gap between ESG initiatives and financial value creation. As
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-ninth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from the Korea Investment Corporation, the Central Bank of Ireland, the University of York, and a fellow whose wife left him after reading NIST SP 800-207, among
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-eighth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from the NYSE, ICICI Bank, Wallester, the Bank of Uganda, and JCB／株式会社ジェーシービー, among others 🙏 Headlines this week belong to SMBC Group, which begins a new Medium-Term
Weekly
Welcome to the fourth year, and the one hundred fifty-seventh edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from Mitsui & Co., Ltd., SBI Digital Markets, Cherubic Ventures, Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking - SGCIB, and Visa, among others 🙏 With
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-sixth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from Mastercard and BVNK (congratulations on tying the knot!), Dealroom.co, the IFC - International Finance Corporation, and TerraPay, among others 🙏 This edition also marks our three
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-fifth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from the National Payments Corporation of Kazakhstan, the International Monetary Fund, LSEG, and Groupe Crédit Agricole, among others 🙏 2026 was supposed to be the year marked by
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-fourth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we welcome new subscribers from the Bank of Thailand, the Commonwealth Treasury, Vietcap Securities, Broadridge, Tryfunds inc., and the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, among others 🙏 I started compiling this edition on Monday morning, while listening
artificial intelligence
Mizuho Financial Group has successfully developed a proprietary, finance-specific Large Language Model (LLM) capable of delivering highly accurate, sub-second responses without relying on prolonged AI reasoning processes. Crucially, the new model operates entirely within Mizuho’s secure, on-premise network, allowing the bank to process highly confidential data with the sophistication
ai agents
SMBC Nikko Securities has entered into a strategic collaboration with blockchain infrastructure firm Nethermind, aiming to prototype a secure, compliant gateway for Japanese investors to access Decentralized Finance (DeFi) markets, utilizing advanced "agentic AI" to manage trading and risk. The initiative marks a pivotal step for one of