banking
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group) has signaled a bold acceleration in its trajectory, unveiling a new corporate vision and a high-stakes three-year management plan aimed at catapulting the Japanese megabank into the top tier of global financial institutions. Effective April 1, 2026, the Group will operate under
venture capital
Z Venture Capital (ZVC), a corporate venture capital firm backed by LINE Yahoo, manages 185 billion yen across its funds and aims to support entrepreneurs with global ambitions. The firm recently launched a 30-billion-yen fund that targets startups at every stage, from seed to late-stage growth, within
venture capital
The Cool Japan Fund (CJF) has made an investment of up to $12 million in Polisea, the Singapore-based InsurTech firm behind the "PolicyStreet" platform. The move is designed to bolster the digital infrastructure supporting Japanese exports across Southeast Asia, with a primary focus on the Malaysian market.
Economics
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Japan. The Japanese economy has displayed impressive resilience in the face of global shocks and output is growing above potential. Domestic demand has been robust and unemployment remains low. After three decades of near-zero
artificial intelligence
Mizuho Financial Group has launched its "Agent Factory," a strategic initiative designed to transition the bank from the experimental phase of AI creation to a high-speed, industrial-scale production model. By standardizing the development and deployment of autonomous AI agents, Mizuho aims to reduce development cycles from
broker/dealer
The Japanese brokerage landscape is facing ever tighter competition this spring as major players and nimble FinTechs roll out new features aimed at capturing a broader range of retail and sophisticated investors. From lowering the cost of entry for ETFs to leveraging government digital ID infrastructure for lightning-fast onboarding,
treasury
Mitsubishi Corporation has become the first major firm in the country to integrate J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys Digital Payments into its global treasury operations. The move marks a pivotal shift toward blockchain-based cash management, allowing the conglomerate to manage intragroup U.S. dollar liquidity with unprecedented speed and
cashless
Japan’s march toward a cashless society reached a significant milestone in 2025, with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) reporting that cashless payments now account for 58.0% of total consumer spending. Total transaction value hit a record 162.7 trillion yen, fueled by a diversifying landscape
loyalty
SMBC Group and its subsidiary, Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company (SMCC), have officially completed the consolidation of V Point Marketing, taking control of one of the leading players in Japan’s competitive loyalty program and data marketing landscape. The move follows a strategic agreement first announced in October 2025. Effective March
quantum computing
Daiwa Securities Group, in collaboration with several industry heavyweights, has announced the successful completion of a Proof of Concept (PoC) for Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) within its online services. The initiative—a joint effort between Daiwa Securities, Daiwa Institute of Research (DIR), NEC Corporation, F5 Networks Japan, and DigiCert Japan—
venture capital
Micronity, a Tokyo-based startup specializing in an AI-driven "business succession platform," has raised 2.2 billion JPY (approximately $14.5 million USD) in a seed funding round. The capital injection, led by domestic venture capital firms including Mitsubishi UFJ Innovation Partners (MUIP) and various individual investors,
payments
DG Financial Technology (DGFT) has officially launched a strategic initiative to bolster South Korean cross-border e-commerce (EC) by providing critical payment infrastructure for merchants targeting the Japanese market. Through a partnership with Eximbay, a leading South Korean global payment service provider, DGFT will now offer PayPay’s online