stablecoin
SBI Holdings and Startale Group officially unveiled "JPYSC" on Friday with a view to bridge traditional banking with the burgeoning Web3 economy, branding it as the first Japanese Yen stablecoin backed by a trust bank. The strategic alliance positions JPYSC as a fully regulated digital asset designed for
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-second edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. Happy birthday to Emperor Naruhito 🎂 It's conference week again! If you would like to meet, you will most likely find us at the N.Avenue conference, the Credit Saison Blockchain Summit, the Yield Summit, and MoneyX.
bitcoin
In a sharp rebuke aimed at anonymous detractors, Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich has issued a comprehensive defense of the company’s Bitcoin accumulation strategy and corporate governance, rejecting claims of opaque disclosure as "inflammatory and factually incorrect." Addressing a wave of recent online criticism, Gerovich emphasized that while
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-first edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. "AI is killing SaaS", or "software will be abundant and free" are the latest taglines of the AI prophets, after the path to AGI via LLMs has been discredited. Whether or not that will
venture capital
Virtual asset firm Hyperithm has made a seed investment in Cork Protocol, a platform specializing in on-chain risk management. The investment is part of a larger $5.5 million (approximately 7.7 billion KRW) seed funding round co-led by crypto accelerator a16z CSX and Road Capital. The round also attracted
crypto
Standard Chartered has entered a strategic partnership with digital asset market maker B2C2, a move designed to bridge the gap between traditional banking infrastructure and the cryptocurrency markets for institutional clients. The collaboration aims to integrate Standard Chartered’s extensive global banking and settlement "rails" with B2C2’s
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fiftieth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. The Japanese election completely overshadowed our monumental achievement of the 150th edition of the Japan FinTech Observer, while crossing 15,000 subscriber (on LinkedIn alone, ~20,000 across platforms) 😀 we remain humble, and truly appreciate your spending time
broker/dealer
SMBC Nikko Securities has established a "DeFi Technology Department" to capitalize on Japan’s evolving digital asset landscape. The new division is tasked with spearheading the brokerage’s expansion into decentralized finance (DeFi) and crypto asset services, anticipating major legislative overhauls expected later this year. The creation of
cryptocurrency exchange
The calendar year 2025 represented a definitive inflection point in the corporate history of Coincheck Group N.V. (Nasdaq: CNCK). Transitioning from a privately held subsidiary of the Japanese financial conglomerate Monex Group to a standalone entity listed on the Nasdaq Global Market, Coincheck navigated a year defined by extreme
stablecoin
Startale, the Web3 fintech company and core developer behind the Soneium blockchain, has launched the Startale USD (USDSC), a new digital dollar designed to anchor the ecosystem’s financial infrastructure. The issuance leverages the stablecoin-as-a-service platform M0 to manage backend liquidity and compliance. The move signals a strategic shift for
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred forty-first edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. Last week, we were delighted to participate in the "ICT & FinTech Mission to Tallinn" this past week, courtesy of EIS | Enterprise Estonia. As we are settling down back home, we are iteratively reporting on the
cryptocurrency exchange
Binance Japan and PayPay have launched a PayPay Money integration service for Binance Japan's spot cryptocurrency trading (Simple Buy mobile and web versions). This service allows users to purchase cryptocurrencies through PayPay Money deposits and charge PayPay balance with PayPay Money from cryptocurrency sales proceeds. This integration service