digital assets
Metaplanet (TSE: 3350) has announced a strategic four-party collaboration to explore the development of a digital credit market in Japan, utilizing a combination of Bitcoin, stablecoins, and security tokens (STs). The joint feasibility study brings together Metaplanet, its soon-to-be-renamed brokerage unit Metaplanet Securities (formerly Siiibo Securities)
venture capital
Decentralized finance (DeFi) risk-modeling firm Gauntlet has secured a $125 million Series C financing round led exclusively by Japanese financial services conglomerate SBI Holdings. The single-participant round, which finalized in June, marks the largest capital infusion for the New York-based startup since its inception in 2018. While
digital assets
A consortium of leading financial institutions and blockchain firms has successfully completed a joint proof-of-concept (PoC) exploring the cross-border circulation of domestic security tokens (STs). The collaborative initiative included SBI Securities, Daiwa Securities, Singapore-based SBI Digital Markets and Penguin Securities, and blockchain developer BOOSTRY. The project
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred seventy-first edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. All is well with gender equality in Japan. Female lawmakers get two more bathroom stalls. Here is what we are going to cover this week: * Venture Capital & Private Markets: Nudge raises JPY 1.48bn through asset
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred seventieth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. What a night 😢 After witnessing first Japan, and then Germany exit the World Cup, your opportunistic author shifted his allegiance to our friendly Dutch neighbors, only to.....well, as you see, I will likely have to switch colors
digital assets
Following the signing of a Letter of Intent in May 2026, SBI Holdings' board of directors has approved a definitive agreement to turn cryptocurrency exchange bitbank into a wholly-owned subsidiary. The transaction will be executed through SBI’s specialized unit, SBICAH LLC, and involves a total acquisition cost
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred sixty-ninth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from the Université de Tunis, Alpha Bank, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia), SBI Holdings USA, Inc., and SMBC Group, among others
digital assets
Ericsenz Capital, a Singapore-based investment firm licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), has announced the successful completion and settlement of Asia’s first physically deliverable Bitcoin Dual-Currency Note (BTC DCN). The three-month institutional digital asset product, which launched in December 2025, was distributed by SBI
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred sixty-eighth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from BlackRock, DZ BANK AG, the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and Rakuten, among others 🙏 The Bank of Japan concluded its June Monetary Policy
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred sixty-seventh edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from Nomura, Nippotica Corporation, the Central Bank Of Tunisia, the Ministry of Finance, Saudi Arabia, and the Australian Government, among others 🙏 As we were compiling this
digital assets
Japan’s financial infrastructure is preparing for an institutional shift into digital assets. Tokyo-based technology conglomerate NEC Corporation and blockchain financial services firm Crypto Garage announced a joint partnership to develop a domestic digital asset custody system tailored for institutional investors, financial institutions, and corporate treasuries. The venture aims
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred sixty-sixth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from BlackRock, Intesa Sanpaolo,the Bank of Jordan, Amova Asset Management, and AKUR8, among others 🙏 With the disclosure published by the Ministry of Finance on Friday,