Published in Tokyo FinTech·6 hours agoHabitto raises USD 3.9m in pre-A financing roundHabitto, a mobile bancassurance platform, has raised USD 3.9m in a pre-A financing round, co-led by Saison Capital and Cherubic Ventures. The Pre-A round was joined by new investors DG Daiwa Ventures, GMO Ventures, Kyokuto Securities, and Epic Angels, with participation from various angel investors. This financing round follows the…Japan2 min readJapan2 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·2 days agoSMBC to launch all-in-one cardSMBC has announced the launch in March 2023 of “Olive”, an all-in-one card that combines a Sumitomo Mitsui Banking account, credit, debit, and point payments. It also provides access to an SBI Securities account within the same app (Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group took a 10% stake in SBI Holdings in…Japan2 min readJapan2 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·4 days agoMeiji Yasuda partners with Global Brain for its corporate venture capital fundGlobal Brain Corporation (Global Brain) and Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company (Meiji Yasuda) have jointly established “Meiji Yasuda Future Innovation Fund L.P.” (“Meiji Yasuda Future Innovation Fund”) with JPY 5 billion of committed capital and a fund term of 10 years. For Global Brain, which also runs its own funds…Japan2 min readJapan2 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·Feb 1MUFG Innovation Partners establishes Indonesia-focused VC fundMUFG continues executing on its vision to build a South East Asia powerhouse. Over the past decade, the mega bank has accumulated stakes in regional banks: VietinBank, Vietnam, 2012 Krungsri, Thailand, 2013 Security Bank, Philippines, 2016 Danamon, Indonesia, 2017–2019 This is now being followed by a similar, country-by-country focused strategy…Japan2 min readJapan2 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·Jan 24ODEX to start precious metal futures tradingThe Osaka Dojima Exchange (ODEX) has obtained approval from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to open a precious metal futures market, initially with listings for gold, silver and platinum. …Japan3 min readJapan3 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·Jan 16RISONAL raises JPY 180m Pre A round to scale SME M&ARisonal, operated by Owners, provides M&A agent services to small and medium-sized enterprises. Founded in August 2021 by Ryukichi Sakuta, who previously led the Deloitte Japan/EMEA M&A team, Risonal aims to fill a perceived gap in helping those 40% of SMEs with owners over 60 years old who do not…Japan2 min readJapan2 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·Jan 12Oasys Launches Ecosystem Fund to Drive Adoption of Blockchain GamingOasys, a gaming-optimised blockchain built by gamers for gamers, has announced the launch of the Oasys Ecosystem Fund, a pioneering initiative that aims to enable new entrants to the burgeoning blockchain gaming space to better serve the market and drive mass adoption. …Japan3 min readJapan3 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·Dec 23, 2022USD 50m Decima Fund for Japanese Web3 FoundersGeneral partners gumi, MZ Cryptos, SBI Holdings and Animoca Brands have announced the Decima Fund, which will invest up to USD 50m with the aim of strengthening Japan’s presence in the blockchain field, and will support the global expansion of Web3 ventures originating in Japan and the expansion of global…Japan2 min readJapan2 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·Dec 20, 2022Japan CBDC DiscussionThe Bank of Japan has published the minutes of the fourth meeting of the Liaison Council for Central Bank Digital Currencies, which took place on Thursday, November 24, 2022. Following opening remarks by Director Uchida, and a secretariat discussion of its CBDC initiative, demonstration experiments, and study of privacy-protecting technologies…Japan7 min readJapan7 min read
Published in Tokyo FinTech·Dec 17, 2022Paidy launches new six months BNPL on Amazon JapanPaidy has launched a new BNPL feature for six monthly installments on Amazon Japan, supplementing previous features of I) deferring payment until the next month and II) BNPL in three monthly installments. …Japan2 min readJapan2 min read
