Tagged: japan

May 18, 2023 @ 9:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

bolttech announced it raised $196 million in connection with its Series B with an up-round valuation of $1.6 billion. The investment round was “led by Tokio Marine – Japan’s first insurance company with a 140-year history.” Other key investors “include global life insurance giant MetLife… Read More

May 6, 2023 @ 10:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Brex announced new global capabilities that significantly expand its ability to support US multinational businesses operating in Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, the Philippines, 36 European countries, and more. In addition to spending and paying in local currencies, Brex is “launching VAT… Read More

April 23, 2023 @ 5:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan’s digital lender, Rakuten Bank, announced on Friday (April 21, 2023) that the common stock of Rakuten Bank, Ltd., (securities code: 5838), a subsidiary of the Rakuten Group, has been listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. It was “not created for the purpose… Read More

March 30, 2023 @ 9:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan’s Finance Ministry is reportedly planning to appoint a panel of experts this coming month in order to determine the feasibility of issuing a digital yen. This, according to a report  from NHK. The ministry’s panel in Japan will be going over how to establish… Read More

March 29, 2023 @ 9:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

New Zealand-headquartered green fintech firm Cogo conducted a survey to uncover Japanese customer attitudes towards banks and financial apps “helping them drive sustainable lifestyles.” Administered in collaboration with strategic design and sustainability consultancy Fabric, the survey “engaged 1,966 participants who use banking and financial apps… Read More

March 27, 2023 @ 11:47 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Rakuten Group, Inc. recently announced that the Tokyo Stock Exchange approved the new listing of common shares of Rakuten Bank, Ltd., a consolidated subsidiary of the company, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. The listing date on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market is… Read More

March 1, 2023 @ 11:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Thought Machine, the cloud-native banking technology company, announces the next phase of its expansion plans, in which it will increase its global headcount by more than 20% in 2023, which includes hiring in India, Japan and other world regions for the first time. The company… Read More

February 26, 2023 @ 9:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

HashKey DX Co., Ltd. (Headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, CEO: Andy Dan) has signed an exclusive domestic distribution agreement with CertiK (Headquartered in New York, USA,Co-Founder: Prof. Ronghui Gu and Prof. Zhong Shao) in order “to bring blockchain-specific security solutions to the Japanese market.” Blockchain technology… Read More

February 7, 2023 @ 11:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SBI Digital Asset Holdings Co., Ltd. (SBI DAH) and Zodia Custody Limited, a crypto asset servicing provider for institutional investors and a subsidiary of Standard Chartered, announce that they have reportedly “entered into definitive agreements to launch a joint venture in Japan.” Subject to anti-trust… Read More

February 3, 2023 @ 12:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mizuho Bank, Ltd., the integrated retail and corporate banking unit of Mizuho Financial Group and one of Japan’s largest financial services institutions, is “modernizing its legacy banking system for international operations with Oracle.” Over the coming years, Mizuho will “implement Oracle’s banking solutions to support… Read More

January 18, 2023 @ 7:47 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset firm Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) reveals that the harsh market conditions have led to the company  makin the difficult decision “to halt operations in Japan and to conduct a complete review of ther business in the country.” However, Coinbase is committed “to making this transition… Read More

December 31, 2022 @ 2:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

There has never been a “dull moment” in crypto, and this year was no exception, the team at Kraken noted. In 2022, Kraken celebrated 11 years of their mission “to accelerate the adoption of cryptocurrency so that you and the rest of the world can… Read More

December 27, 2022 @ 8:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Akulaku, a banking and digital finance platform in Southeast Asia, announced a $200 million investment from Japanese bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). The investment round “provides additional support for Akulaku’s projected growth as it advances towards its mission of providing banking services across Southeast… Read More

December 27, 2022 @ 7:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan-based Fintech Smartpay has launched Smartpay Bank Direct, the country’s first digital consumer finance service that “allows customers to pay for online installment purchases straight from their bank accounts.” Smartpay Bank Direct “emphasizes user security while delivering convenience for the consumer, through a network of… Read More

December 4, 2022 @ 2:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

MUFG Bank (NYSE:MUFG) claims it is the “first” Japanese bank to commit to using CLSNet, CLS’s bilateral payment netting calculation service “for over 120 currencies.” MUFG Bank will “join the expanding CLSNet community of global and regional banks, which includes eight of the top ten… Read More

December 1, 2022 @ 11:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance, which claims to be the world’s “leading” blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, announced it has “acquired 100% of Sakura Exchange BitCoin (SEBC), the Japanese-registered crypto exchange service provider.” Through this acquisition, Binance enters “the Japanese market, as a Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA)… Read More

November 16, 2022 @ 10:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Opn, the one-stop payments solutions company from Japan and Southeast Asia, announced that it has acquired MerchantE, an end-to-end digital commerce platform that “provides payment processing and solutions to businesses of all sizes in the United States.” The acquisition will “accelerate Opn’s growth and innovation… Read More

November 15, 2022 @ 8:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group) and Mizuho Financial Group, Inc., one of Japan’s leading global financial institutions, announced an agreement “to collaborate in providing sustainability solutions to the bank’s corporate clients.” The agreement will enable Mizuho “to strengthen its offering to customers by combining LSEG’s… Read More

October 25, 2022 @ 9:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan’s “only” international payment brand JCB Co., Ltd. has launched “JCBDC” (JCB Digital Currency) pilot project with identity technologies no. 1 IDEMIA and Fintech company Soft Space Sdn. Bhd. JCBDC pilot will “develop a CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) payment solution and conduct a pilot… Read More

October 18, 2022 @ 12:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ant Group announced that Alipay+ has expanded its enablement of seamless travel experiences to Japan, where over 1 million local merchants are now “connected to global cross-border digital payments and marketing capabilities to better serve consumers across the world.” Universal Studios Japan is the latest… Read More