ASEAN
The panel discussion emphasized the opportunities and challenges for startups in the Southeast Asian region. It highlighted the need for realistic valuations, strategic collaborations, a deep understanding of local markets, and a focus on long-term commitment in order to succeed in the region. In short, relationships are key in Southeast
system integrator
Fukuoka Financial Group (FFG) and its subsidiary Minna no Ginko, along with next-generation financial system development startup LiNKX, have signed a basic agreement on a strategic partnership. As part of this partnership, FFG's subsidiary, The Bank of Fukuoka, has invested in LiNKX. Zero Bank Design Factory, FFG'
startup
Last week, SMBC Group made two announcements concerning their support for startup exits. 1. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and FOR STARTUPS have begun a collaboration aimed at diversifying exit strategies for startups 2. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, SMBC Venture Capital Management, and Bee Alternatives Japan have established a secondary fund
unlisted stocks
SmartRound, which in September 2024 formed a capital alliance with Mizuho Financial Group (Mizuho Trust & Banking), MUFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, and Nomura, with the aim of jointly building a platform to optimize secondary trading of stocks issued by unlisted startups, has decided to transition its subsidiary SmartRound Securities to
broker/dealer
Alpaca, a self-clearing broker-dealer and brokerage infrastructure API, announced its $52 million Series C funding round today from its new office in Manhattan, New York. This significant milestone further accelerates Alpaca’s global expansion and development of its industry-leading product offerings. This round saw participation from both new and returning
venture capital
Hana Network, which enables cryptocurrency and fiat currency transactions without the need for exchanges, has raised an additional 300 million yen from investors across different countries in April 2025 in preparation for its upcoming product launch, bringing the total amount raised to approximately 900 million yen. Regarding the Funding Round
venture capital
Plug and Play Japan has established the investment limited partnership "Plug and Play Japan Fund I" to support the global expansion of startups in Japan. For the first close, they have received investments totaling over 3 billion yen from MUFG Bank, Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and
venture capital
GOLDEN EGG Ventures has completed the formation of GOLDEN EGG Investment Limited Partnership No. 1 with total capital of over 4 billion yen. Eleven financial institutions, eleven non-financial companies, and eight individual investors have participated, and the fund has already begun investing in a number of startups both in Japan
trading
Woodstock, which operates the Gen Z-focused social investment app woodstock.club, has launched a new basket trading feature that allows users to purchase portfolios based on the Woodstock app users' average performance, which outperforms market averages such as the S&P500 and Nasdaq. With this feature, users can
corporate venture capital
KDDI has joined forces with independent venture capital firm Global Brain Corporation to establish the KDDI Open Innovation Fund V, a fund that will invest in companies that have the potential to become seeds for KDDI's new business ventures, particularly in fields such as AI and DeepTech. Since
venture capital
FactBase and its group companies announce have raised a total of 1.45 billion yen in Series B round through third-party allotment of shares and share transfers to Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Mizuho Capital, Resona Capital, and others. About Fact Base Under the vision of "Creating an order-receiving platform where
capital markets
In order to improve the effectiveness of the market restructuring, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) has established a Council of Experts, which includes economists, investors, listed companies, academics and other market participants, to continuously follow up on the progress of measures and investor evaluations, and to discuss additional measures regarding