Weekly
Welcome to the ninety-fourth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. We apologize for the tardiness of this week's newsletter. Let's just say the editorial team has been...decimated. Not by alien invaders (though with this cough, I wouldn't rule it out), but by a
venture capital
Cross Capital has invested in “Airbus Ventures Fund IV,” managed by Airbus Ventures, through its Fund of Funds, Cross Capital I Limited Partnership (CC1). This collaboration establishes a strategic partnerships aimed at fostering innovation and mutual growth. Airbus Ventures, established in 2016 and headquartered in California, is a global venture
asset management
Endowus has increased its total funding to over US$110 million. The digital wealth advisory platform raised an additional US$17.5 million following from their US$35 million raise in August 2023 to take the total for this round to US$52.5M. New investors include Malaysia-based OSK Ventures
corporate venture capital
Open innovation specialist Creww has formed Creww Capital, a new subsidiary focused on Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) support and fund management. Launching in January 2025, Creww Capital will be co-led by Creww CEO Amane Ijichi and ABAKAM CEO Naoto Matsumoto. Since 2012, Creww has orchestrated over 500 open innovation programs,
venture capital
SBI Holdings is poised to acquire a controlling stake of around 70% in German FinTech Solaris for approximately €100 million, as part of a larger €150 million fundraising round. This deal, expected to close this month, significantly reduces Solaris's valuation from its $1.6 billion peak in 2021,
corporate venture capital
Z Venture Capital (ZVC) has launched a new fund, ZVC Fund II Investment Limited Partnership (ZVC Fund II), with a total size of 30 billion yen. The fund has officially commenced operations on January 1, 2025. ZVC is a subsidiary of LY Corporation. As one of Japan's largest
corporate venture capital
Tokyu Fudosan Holdings announced the joint establishment of a JPY 50 billion corporate venture capital (CVC) fund, “TSVF2 Investment Limited Partnership” (hereinafter “CVC2”), with SBI Investment as the General Partner. This fund aims to strengthen the value chain through partner collaboration, address social issues, and enhance corporate value by leveraging
Weekly
Happy new year, and welcome to the ninety-third edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. With January 6 being the first trading day of the year, and also the first workday for many, the past week surely has been quiet. Still, the narrative for the next Bank of Japan Monetary Policy
Weekly
Welcome to the ninety-second edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. We would like to express our gratitude for your support and enthusiasm in growing our subscriber count by 44% this year, and wishing you a fulfilling year of the snake. The Nikkei closed the year up 19.22%, setting a
venture capital
IB has raised approximately 100 million yen in funding from TSE-listed Trade Works and Seibu Shinkin Capital, for a total amount raised of approximately 430 million yen. "Hokenbo," the insurance management app provided by IB, is a free app that allows users to manage and share insurance and
web3
SMBC Nikko Securities and Nonagon Capital have agreed to a strategic partnership, whereby SMBC Nikko will participate as a "Web3 Supporter" in the community service "Nonagon Connect" provided by Nonagon Capital, serving major corporations launching and driving their Web3 initiatives. SMBC Nikko has been focusing on
venture capital
Nomura Capital Partners (NCAP) has entered into a capital alliance with Tap, through Nomura Capital Partners 2 Investment Limited Partnership, a fund managed by NCAP. The shareholding ratio and the deal value are undisclosed. Tap has been a leading solution vendor specializing in property management systems (PMS) for hotels and