venture capital
SMBC Asia Rising Fund, a $200 million corporate venture fund launched in 2023 by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Incubate Fund , has deployed $12 million to $15 million in follow-on investments across three prominent Indian FinTech startups: Easy Home Finance, Vayana, and DPDzero. According to Rajeev Ranka, partner for
venture capital
M2X, a Tokyo-based developer of next-generation cloud-based equipment maintenance systems, has secured a total of 1.14 billion yen in its Series A extension funding round. The round comprised both third-party allotments and debt financing. Underwriting and lending participants in this extension round included Angel Bridge,
venture capital
Nudge, a Tokyo-based FinTech startup operating the next-generation credit card service "Nudge," has raised 1.48 billion yen in a new funding round. This latest injection brings the company’s cumulative capital raised to approximately 6.5 billion yen. The financing structure stands out for its
venture capital
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and its consolidated subsidiary, MUFG Bank, have announced a strategic restructuring of their Indian investment operations. The group will consolidate the operating functions of the MUFG Ganesha Fund—an investment quota dedicated to Indian startups—under Mars Equity and its managed "Dragon Funds"
venture capital
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has completed a strategic investment in Montreal-based carbon removal project developer Deep Sky Corporation to accelerate the deployment of climate technologies in Japan. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Deep Sky operates as a tech-agnostic project developer focused on extracting
venture capital
dodoAI (formerly known as 58, Inc.), a Tokyo-based developer of enterprise AI governance infrastructure, has secured a total of ¥280 million in a seed funding round. Concurrently, the company has executed an official corporate name change from 58, Inc. to dodoAI Inc., effective June 1, 2026, to align its
venture capital
LIFESCAPES, a medical technology startup spun out of Keio University, has raised 600 million yen (approx. $3.8 million USD) through a third-party allotment of shares. The funding round saw participation from a mix of existing shareholders and new investors, with strong financial services participation, including MSIVC2025V, Golden Asia
venture capital
In a major cross-border play to anchor the next generation of artificial intelligence, a consortium of global technology and financial leaders announced the creation of the IOWN AI Fund. Backed by telecom and technology heavyweights including NTT, SK Group, and Chunghwa Telecom, alongside the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ)
venture capital
Vinyl Equity, a Chicago-based financial technology infrastructure provider and SEC-registered transfer agent, has raised $20 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by Jump Capital, with prominent strategic participation from MUFG Innovation Partners (MUIP), the corporate venture capital arm of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.
venture capital
ITFOR (TSE: 4743) has entered into a basic agreement to establish a joint venture with corporate growth advisory firm SOURCING BROTHERS. The new subsidiary, tentatively named ITFOR Growth Capital, is scheduled for establishment in July 2026 and aims to aggressively accelerate the company’s long-term inorganic growth strategy. Driving
venture capital
ATOM Inc., a Tokyo-based robotics startup, has raised ¥3 billion (approximately $19 million USD) in a seed funding round. The capital injection will be used to establish a development framework for dual-arm bipedal humanoid AI robots, with the long-term goal of mass production within the manufacturing and
payments
Globe Fintech Innovations (Mynt), the parent company of dominant Philippine mobile wallet GCash, has finalized key strategic partnerships in Japan with the objective of accelerating its international expansion and digital transformation. The agreements were formalized during President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s state visit to Tokyo. The