Tagged: japan

May 28, 2020 @ 11:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SATYA MicroCapital Ltd, a fast-growing micro-lending firm based in India, has secured INR 105 crore (appr. $13.85 million) in equity funding from Gojo & Company, Inc. This is reportedly one of the first investments in the nation’s microfinance sector after the COVID-19 outbreak, and government-enforced… Read More

May 28, 2020 @ 12:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

Skymind Global Ventures (SGV), the venture arm of Skymind, has announced its first spin-off – Konduit.  According to the company, Konduit offers a portfolio of open source tools that support machine learning practitioners. The company’s goal is to bridge the gap between research and enterprise… Read More

May 27, 2020 @ 1:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fundbox, a Fintech firm focused on “disrupting” the global $21 trillion B2B commerce ecosystem with its payment and credit network for B2B transactions, confirmed on May 26, 2020, that it received a fresh equity investment from MUFG Innovation Partners Co., Ltd., the corporate VC division… Read More

May 19, 2020 @ 12:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

JCB, which is Japan’s largest credit card issuer, has teamed up with Tokyo-based TECHFUND, a leading technology accelerator, in order to develop a sustainable blockchain-powered transaction system. As noted in a May 15 announcement, the partnership will involve leveraging TECHFUND’s expertise on cryptocurrency staking and… Read More

May 18, 2020 @ 7:54 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Norbert Gehrke, founder and representative director at Tokyo Fintech, an initiative that supports community-led innovation in Japan’s financial services sector, notes that the country’s economy and business transactions are still “highly paper-based.” Gehrke has worked as managing director at Goldman Sachs’ Technology Division and Barclays… Read More

May 17, 2020 @ 11:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ripple company partner and investor, SBI Holdings, is planning to integrate the Fintech firm’s technology, in order to process transactions via ATMs throughout Japan. SBI’s management noted in its recent financial report that it will integrate the Ripple technology-based settlements solution, MoneyTap, with ATMs operated… Read More

May 10, 2020 @ 8:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan is reportedly planning to ease its investment rules and requirements, in order to make it more convenient for banks to invest in Fintech companies. The country is hoping that more relaxed investment guidelines will promote the local lending industry. The lenient policies should help… Read More

May 1, 2020 @ 1:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Agency (FSA), has certified two organizations as Certified Financial Instruments and Exchange Associations. As confirmed in an announcement made on April 30, 2020, the FSA has officially recognized the Japan STO (security token offering) Association and the Japan Virtual… Read More

April 28, 2020 @ 8:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), which is Japan’s second-largest financial institution by market cap, will reportedly sign an agreement with SBI Holdings, a Tokyo-based financial services company group, in order to provide digital banking services via mobile devices. As reported by Nikkei on April… Read More

April 21, 2020 @ 10:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  The Japan Security Token Offering Association (JSTOA) recently published self-regulatory guidelines which cover how to separately manage client assets and digital record transfer rights and obligations. The guidelines may now be accessed through JSTOA’s official website. The security token management association said that the… Read More

April 20, 2020 @ 11:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Curv, a company that provides crypto asset custody services to institutional investors, has established a business office in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) area. The office has been set up through a partnership with Crypto Garage, a firm that offers various financial instruments based on Bitcoin (BTC)… Read More

April 19, 2020 @ 9:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tokyo-based Mizuho Bank, the integrated corporate and retail banking division of Mizuho Financial Group (TYO: 8411; NYSE: MFG), the third largest financial services company in Japan, has initiated proof-of-concept (PoC) trials and testing of digital IDs that are based on device location and facial recognition…. Read More

April 13, 2020 @ 12:32 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

DeCurret, a Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange, announced on Friday it has issued ¥2.75 billion in a third-party allocation of shares. The platform, which was founded in 2018, stated that amidst a “growing major trend towards the spread of digital currency” it has become a “main bank… Read More

April 7, 2020 @ 10:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A Japanese research group has reportedly developed a blockchain-enabled mechanism to carry out legal tasks through a “digital court” system. As noted in an announcement made on April 6, 2020, Japanese professors Hitoshi Matsushima from the University of Tokyo, and Shunya Noda from the University… Read More

April 2, 2020 @ 7:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech TransferWise has revealed that there are now over 7 million people across the globe that are using the company’s services to move money from one country to another. Founded in 2010 in Estonia, TransferWise now supports over 1,600 different currency routes, helping people save… Read More

March 31, 2020 @ 8:22 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Kyash, a Japanese financial app, announced on Tuesday it secured $45 million through Series C funding round, which was co-led by Greenspring Associates and Goodwater Capital with participation from Altos Ventures, Partech Partners, Broadhaven Ventures, Tekton Ventures, and Rahul Mehta, Managing Partner of DST Global…. Read More

March 30, 2020 @ 8:26 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Sony Bank, a Japanese commercial banking group and a subsidiary of Sony Financial, a member of the Japanese electronics giant Sony,  announced on Monday the launch of its new “English Online Banking” services. According to Sony Bank, the new banking services will provide foreign residents in… Read More

March 8, 2020 @ 10:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mature global economies like Japan’s won’t need a virtual currency, according to the deputy governor at the Bank of Japan (BoJ). While attending the Bank for International Settlement’s Future of Payments Forum, deputy governor Masayoshi Amamiya said that a central bank digital currency, or CBDC,… Read More

March 6, 2020 @ 1:05 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK-based digital banking group Starling Bank announced on Friday it has been named official banking partner for Team GB for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The digital banking group reported as part of its involvement, it will also be offering each athlete a Starling… Read More

February 29, 2020 @ 2:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

LINE, a Japan-based messaging service provider, has reportedly closed down its Singapore-headquartered crypto exchange BITBOX and has launched a globally accessible platform, BITFRONT. Headquartered the US, BITFRONT is run by LVC USA, which is a subsidiary of LVC Corporation, a company that manages LINE’s digital… Read More