Tagged: japan

Insurtech bolttech Announces $196M Series B at $1.6B Valuation

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

Fintech Brex Introduces Capabilities that Expand Firm’s Ability to Support US Multinational Businesses

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

Japanese Digital Lender, Rakuten Bank Shares Rocket in Tokyo Stock Exchange Debut

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

CBDCs: Japan Appoints Panel to Determine Feasibility of Issuing a Virtual Yen

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

Fintech Trends Survey: Japanese Consumers to Consider Switching to Bank, Financial App that Gives Insight into their Carbon Footprint

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

Rakuten Group Announces Listing of Rakuten Bank Common Shares with Approval from Tokyo Stock Exchange

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

Banking Tech Firm Thought Machine to Increase Headcount by Over 20%

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

HashKey, CertiK Bring Web3 Security to Japan

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

SBI, Standard Chartered-backed Zodia Custody to Set Up Tier-1 Crypto-Asset Custodian in Japan

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

Mizuho Bank Enhances Core Banking Operations with Oracle

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

Coinbase Halts Japan Operations, Citing Difficult Market Conditions

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

Kraken Remains Committed to Accelerating Crypto Adoption, Despite Layoffs, Exiting Japan

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

Southeast Asia’s Digital Finance Platform Akulaku Announces $200M Investment from MUFG

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

Japanese Fintech Smartpay to Launch Next Phase of Consumer Finance via Open Banking

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

MUFG Bank Signs Up to CLSNet, CLS’s Bilateral Payment Netting Calculation Service

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

Binance Enters Japanese Market, Acquires JFSA Registered Sakura Exchange BitCoin

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

Opn Enters US Market with Acquisition of MerchantE, Establishing Global Payment Solutions Firm

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

London Stock Exchange Group, Mizuho to Collaborate on Development of Sustainability Solutions

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

CBDCs: JCB, IDEMIA, Soft Space Launch “JCBDC” Pilot to Test CBDC In-Store Payments

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

Alipay+ Teams Up with Merchants in Japan to Create Seamless Travel Experiences

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

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