banking
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) have announced that, with regards to the agreement to acquire a 20% equity stake in YES BANK from State Bank of India and other financial institutions, all conditions precedent including regulatory approvals have been satisfied and this initial
compliance
TOPPAN Edge, a TOPPAN Group company and wholly owned subsidiary of TOPPAN Holdings, was certified by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) as the first Japanese Qualified vLEI Issuer (QVI) in the verifiable Legal Entity Identifier (vLEI) ecosystem. In November this year, TOPPAN Edge will launch vLEI-Gateway™, a vLEI
AML
Compliance Data Lab has announced the implementation of "Compliance Station® UBO" at West Japan City Bank. This system utilizes the high-quality corporate database of Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR) to instantly provide Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) information online. The introduction of "Compliance Station® UBO" will streamline West
stablecoin
Nudge will begin accepting repayments in the stablecoin "JPYC" issued by JPYC for its next-generation credit card "Nudge Card" starting October 2025 (approximately one month after JPYC's business registration completion). This will enable "stablecoin shopping" at approximately 150 million VISA member stores
stablecoin
SBI Shinsei Bank is preparing to launch a digital currency for its corporate clients, with a target launch around fiscal 2026. By connecting to a global payment network pioneered by a leading U.S. financial institution, the bank aims to provide instant and low-cost international transactions, leveraging modern financial technology
Insurance
MS&AD Insurance Group's subsidiaries—Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI) and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance (ANDI)—have submitted their quarterly progress report on executing the business improvement plans mandated by Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA). The plans address root causes of past misconduct, including price-fixing (insurance
joint venture
Zodia Custody, the institutional digital asset custodian backed by Standard Chartered, and Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings have mutually agreed to terminate their much-anticipated joint venture, "SBI Zodia Custody," nearly two years after its inception. The venture, which aimed to provide bank-grade crypto-asset custody for institutions in Japan,
supervision
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) reported on its meetings held with Japan's financial industry associations during July 2025, outlining its key priorities and concerns. I. Common Points Raised Across Associations These topics were consistently raised by the FSA in meetings with the life insurance, general insurance, securities, trust,
mergers & acquisitions
SOMPO Holdings, through its subsidiary Sompo International Holdings (SIH), has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding ordinary shares of Aspen Insurance Holdings. The Acquisition has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of SOMPO and of Aspen. Background of the Acquisition Under the Mid-Term
payments
au Payment and au Financial Services, both 100% owned and consolidated subsidiaries of au Financial Holdings, have decided to merge as of July 1, 2026 (scheduled) for the purpose of centralizing payment business strategy and accelerating business promotion. The intent is for an absorption-type merger with au Payment as the
crypto
Over the past week, there were two additional announcements regarding SBI Group's strategic expansion within the Japanese cryptocurrency market. These key developments include a new partnership between SBI VC Trade and Convano for large-scale Bitcoin operations and SBI FX Trade's launch of crypto CFDs, underpinned by
regional revitalization
The first meeting of the Financial System Council's Working Group on Strengthening Regional Financial Power was held on Friday, September 5, 2025, focusing on the evolving role of regional financial institutions in Japan's regional revitalization efforts and the profound implications of accelerating population decline on urban