banking
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and SMBC Nikko Securities, both subsidiaries of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the London-based Climate Bonds Initiative to foster and standardize the sustainable finance market for climate adaptation and resilience. Under the terms of the agreement, the
venture capital
In a decisive move to consolidate the fragmented climate-tech landscape, Tokyo-based ASUENE has finalized a dual-track expansion strategy: the closing of an $87 million Series D funding round alongside the acquisition of UK-based supply chain carbon platform Secaro. These announcements frame ASUENE as an aggressive "
venture capital
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has completed a strategic investment in Montreal-based carbon removal project developer Deep Sky Corporation to accelerate the deployment of climate technologies in Japan. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Deep Sky operates as a tech-agnostic project developer focused on extracting
capital markets
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and Carbon EX have established a strategic partnership to provide a comprehensive J-Credit creation and trading service. This collaboration aims to assist businesses in achieving carbon neutrality by facilitating the certification and exchange of greenhouse gas reduction and absorption amounts. While SMBC identifies and
venture capital
Indicating a strong desire to operationalize the "2050 Tokyo Strategy," the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) finalized its second major capital deployment under the GX Innovation Promotion Support Fund at the beginning of June. This milestone signals a sophisticated evolution in Tokyo’s industrial policy, moving to address the
venture capital
Yucho Asset Management has executed an investment in ECOMMIT, a Kagoshima-based enterprise focused on resource circulation. The capital injection was made through the JP Investment Regional Impact Fund No. 1, a vehicle dedicated to fostering regional economic revitalization and achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The investment targets a
capital markets
The global regulatory landscape for corporate sustainability has officially fractured into three distinct camps. While the United States aggressively dismantles federal climate regulations and the European Union recalibrates its rules amid energy crises, Japan is quietly but firmly locking in a strict, mandatory roadmap for corporate climate and human capital
capital markets
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) has released its "2025 Collection of Good Practices in Descriptive Information Disclosure." This document serves as a strategic playbook for listed companies, moving toward a model of "narrative reporting" that bridges the gap between ESG initiatives and financial value creation. As
sustainability
A consortium of Japanese financial institutions, energy providers, and technology startups have successfully demonstrated a "24/7 Corporate Power Purchase Agreement" (C-PPA). The trial, led by Mizuho Bank, Mizuho Securities, Mizuho Leasing, Electric Power Development (J-POWER), and the DeepTech startup Scalar, is a step toward real-
venture capital
Plug and Play Japan, the regional arm of the global innovation platform and venture capital firm, has successfully completed the final closing of its debut investment vehicle, "Plug and Play Japan Fund I." Total capital commitments for the fund surpassed its initial targets, reaching over 6 billion yen
sustainability
SMBC Group has begun deploying "ASUENE," a specialized cloud-based platform for the visualization, reduction, and reporting of CO2 emissions. This decisive move by the Japanese megabank aims to centralize and automate its environmental reporting across its global network of more than 3,000 locations. The adoption of
venture capital
Ricoh has established the RICOH Innovation Fund II, a new Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) vehicle designed to broaden the company's strategic reach into overseas markets. The fund, which officially launched on April 6, 2026, carries a total scale of 3 billion yen and an operational term of eight