weekly
Welcome to the one hundred ninth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. We are entering our own Japanese-style "triple witching" week. First, Golden Week has started, typically a good time to stay pat in Tokyo when everyone is traveling. However, travel has become expensive for Japanese residents, and
insurtech
Guidewire announced a $60 million investment over the next five years to expand its operations in Japan and accelerate the delivery of capabilities tailored to the unique needs of Japanese insurers. This investment will enhance Guidewire's platform, empowering Japanese insurers to drive profitable growth, increase business and IT
weekly
Welcome to the one hundred eighth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. The digital banking landscape has become a little clearer. This week, Money Forward and MUFG ended their factoring joint venture, Biz Forward, with Money Forward making it a wholly owned subsidiary. A few days later, SMBC and Money
weekly
Welcome to the one hundred seventh edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. While we thought the prior week was extreme, the past week gifted us two of the best 20 return days of the TOPIX, and one of the worst 20.....since 1968! By this point, you will also have
embedded finance
Digital Garage has decided to launch "Musubell Insurance," an embedded insurance solution that enables online completion of fire insurance applications when purchasing real estate, as a new service of "Musubell," which allows electronic document creation/management and centralized online status management for real estate transactions. This
Insurance
MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings has reached an agreement to sell all of its shares in Challenger Limited, an Australian financial services company with annuities and fund management businesses listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, amounting to 15.1% of the issued shares, to a group subsidiary of Dai-ichi
weekly
Welcome to the one hundred sixth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. What a week, eh? According to our friends at Goldman Sachs, the TOPIX’s 11.8% decline over the six trading days from Friday, March 28, to Friday, April 4, 2025, is the 35th largest decline since 1968,
insurtech
Yamada Small Amount and Short-Term Insurance (Yamada SASTI) has implemented the Finatext's SaaS digital insurance system "Inspire" and launched the "Digital Device Expense Compensation Insurance (Pet name: Yamada Comprehensive Lifestyle Insurance)". As digital device prices such as smartphones become increasingly expensive, there is a
Insurance
Sumitomo Mitsui Card, Sony Life, and Next Solution (Nexsol) have formed a business alliance for collaboration in the insurance sales business through insurance agencies. Sumitomo Mitsui Card and Sony Life will also invest in Nexsol, a multi-carrier insurance agency. Background and Purpose of the Alliance In recent years, changes in
Insurance
Robert (Bob) Pick, the CIO of Tokio Marine North America and Deputy Group CIO for Tokio Marine Group worldwide, joined the "Leading Change" podcast with Ema Roloff to discuss the realities of implementing Agile methodologies in organizations, particularly those that are not tech-centric. He critiques the unrealistic expectations
weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. Happy new fiscal year! There were a few deals that still had to get done before the end of March, with insurance and regional banking being especially busy. Congratulations and best of luck to anyone who started a
mergers & acquisitions
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI), a subsidiary of MS&AD Insurance Group, is entering into agreements with the founding family of W. R. Berkley (WRB) which entail an investment by MSI in shares of outstanding WRB common stock. WRB is a Fortune 500 Company and a leader in specialty insurance