banking
Daiwa Connect Securities and GMO Aozora Net Bank have entered into a partnership to cross-promote corporate accounts and "Workplace NISA" services. The collaboration aims to realize synergies between two major FinTech players: Daiwa Connect, a smartphone-native brokerage under the Daiwa Securities Group umbrella, and GMO Aozora Net Bank,
regional bank
Following the recent announcement to engage with Infcurion in the face of the 2027 promissory note phase-out, Nara-based Nanto Bank continues to push forward the modernization of its banking stack by entering into a three-way collaboration with Money Forward X and IBM Japan to develop an integrated digital platform for
payments
Financial technology firm Infcurion announced that its B2B payment platform, "Winvoice," has been adopted by Nara-based Nanto Bank in a move designed to buffer regional businesses against looming regulatory shifts in corporate settlements. The partnership marks the first instance of a Japanese regional bank utilizing the Winvoice platform
venture capital
Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings is accelerating its expansion into the Middle East, co-leading an investment in the Saudi Arabian digital microfinance startup Muhlah Zamaniyah for Finance. Executing the deal through a subsidiary, SBI partnered with Riyadh-based startup studio BIM Ventures as co-lead investors. The financial terms of the investment
payments
Link Processing, a subsidiary of Infcurion, has entered a business alliance with credit card issuer Epos Card to address the liquidity constraints and digital stagnation facing Japan’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The partnership will offer a "Corporate Invoice Card Payment" service to Epos Card’s corporate
SME finance
Zippi, the Brazilian FinTech specializing in working capital for micro-entrepreneurs, has successfully closed the third issuance of its Credit Rights Investment Fund (FIDC), raising BRL 220m (approximately USD 42.3m). The transaction marks a watershed moment for the São Paulo-based firm, not only as its largest single capital injection to
payments
Fujitsu and Mizuho Bank have entered into a strategic collaboration aimed at overhauling the fragmented infrastructure of business-to-business (B2B) transactions in Japan. The partnership seeks to introduce a new order and payment processing service designed to streamline operations for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), aimed at cutting manual administrative workloads
BaaS
Raksul Bank, a 100% subsidiary of Raksul, has officially launched its financial platform service for small and medium-sized enterprises through its partnership with GMO Aozora Net Bank. By utilizing BaaS (Banking as a Service), Raksul Bank provides a next-generation banking service that combines same-day account opening, industry-leading low transfer fees
banking
Fiscal year 3/2026 began in a highly uncertain global environment, creating significant headwinds for financial forecasts across the banking sector. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), like its peers, entered this period with caution. Market turmoil, triggered by a U.S. tariffs announcement in May 2025, prompted the firm to
BaaS
Raksul Bank, which aims to solve financial challenges faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), has signed a BaaS (Banking as a Service) usage agreement with GMO Aozora Net Bank, toward the launch of services within 2025. Background and Purpose The Raksul Group has served customers including over 3 million
BaaS
Digital Garage and Resona Holdings have signed an amendment agreement to their capital and business alliance contract, aimed at further strengthening the alliance established in November 2022 and updated in December 2023. Through this strengthened partnership, both companies aim to further integrate their management resources and expand their share in
SME finance
Mizuho Bank and ORIX Corporation have concluded a basic guarantee agreement for unsecured business loans targeting medium and small enterprises. New business loans with ORIX guarantees are scheduled to begin on May 1, 2025. The focus will be on companies with sales of 5 billion yen or less, with 30,