asset management
Funds, a prominent Tokyo-based direct investment platform led by CEO Yuichiro Fujita, has launched its first European venture, the "Everest Leaseback Receivable-Backed Fund #1." The launch signifies a major geographical expansion for the platform, introducing Poland as its fourth international market following previous entries into Taiwan,
digital assets
SBI Holdings has communicated a three-pronged strategic initiative designed to cement its dominance in the Japanese digital finance sector. By executing a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire bitbank, establishing a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Visa, and launching a high-yield crypto-reward credit card, the group
cryptocurrency exchange
Credit Saison, a leading Japanese credit card issuer, and Coincheck, a premier domestic cryptocurrency exchange, have entered into a business alliance agreement to lower the barrier to entry for digital asset investment by integrating cryptocurrency services into the daily financial routines of Credit Saison’s extensive cardholder base. The collaboration
Economics
On February 6, 2026, the NLI Research Institute hosted a webinar focused on why home purchases continue to be made despite rising housing prices, interest rates, and inflation. They used various published data on the mortgage market to summarize and explain households' adaptive behavior, incorporating a financial theory perspective.
neobank
In a dual-pronged strategy to combat a saturated domestic market and capitalize on global FinTech adoption, Japanese financial services group Credit Saison has announced a major expansion of its international footprint alongside a targeted new product launch in Japan. The Tokyo-based credit card issuer confirmed this week that
collections
ITFOR (TSE Prime: 4743), a leading provider of financial IT solutions, has integrated DSK Payment’s electronic barcode solution "PAYSLE" into its automated payment guidance service, "Pay Collect." This strategic move aims to digitize the entire dunning and collection process, significantly reducing the lead time for
corporate venture capital
Mumbai-based Aerem Solutions has secured $15 million in a Pre-Series B round led by the SMBC Asia Rising Fund. While the deal size may appear modest against the backdrop of global infrastructure finance, its strategic implications are profound, marking the intersection of Japanese institutional capital’s search for
consumer finance
AEON Financial Service has demonstrated notable resilience in its performance for the nine months ending November 30, 2025, achieving robust top-line growth. The company's results tell a clear story: its strategic investments in a powerful domestic banking and digital payments ecosystem are generating a low-cost funding
Tallinn
We were delighted to participate in the "ICT & FinTech Mission to Tallinn" this past week, courtesy of Enterprise Estonia. Our second stop was Inbank, where we were hosted by Founder & Chief Executive Officer Priit Poldoja, as well as Chief Product & Technology Officer Erik Kaju. Introduction
consumer finance
AEON Financial Services has submitted an amended securities report and other documents for the fiscal year ending February 2025 to the Director-General of the Kanto Regional Financial Bureau on July 31, 2025, and has also corrected its financial results summary, as detailed below. As announced on July 9, 2025,
consumer finance
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, along with its subsidiaries Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Card, announce the addition of "Money Assist" provided by Sumitomo Mitsui Card to the product lineup of the comprehensive financial service "Olive" offered to individual customers. "Money Assist" is
banking
AEON Credit Service reported a 14.9% year-on-year growth in revenue to MYR 599.92m in the first fiscal quarter ending 31 May 2025, compared to MYR 522.26m in the preceding year. AEON Credit Service was incorporated in December 1996, converted into a public limited company in