Nomura has delivered a robust set of financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, marking a critical step in the firm’s long-term transformation under President and Group CEO Kentaro Okuda. In a period characterized by sharp global market volatility, Nomura has managed to scale its top-line
The Small and Medium Enterprise Agency has published the report of the "Study Group on the Ideal Form of Startup Policies for Sustainable Regional Growth", which has been meeting since December 2025 to discuss the future direction of policies. The report examines the current state of entrepreneurship and
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s (TMG) "Digital Securities Market Expansion Promotion" project provides a window for firms to lead the structural shift from "Savings to Investment." As Tokyo aggressively pursues its mandate to become Asia's preeminent innovation and financial hub, this project provides the
MeetsMore Inc., a Tokyo-based startup providing cloud-based platforms for the field service and social infrastructure sectors, has secured approximately 3 billion yen in an extended Series B funding round. The transaction, executed via a third-party allotment of new shares, brings the company’s total Series B funding to roughly 7
Mizuho Securities, the brokerage arm of Mizuho Financial Group, has deployed a new artificial intelligence-powered communications monitoring system provided by London-based tech firm Behavox. The move marks a broader push among Tier 1 Japanese financial institutions to replace fragmented compliance tools with integrated, AI-native frameworks. The newly implemented system, Behavox
On November 5, 2024, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) extended the trading day to 15:30 and implementing a formalized closing auction. This transition was designed to enhance global competitiveness and accommodate the liquidity requirements of passive investment strategies. By extending the trading window, the TSE has effectively minimized the
JPYC Inc., the issuer and operator of the Japanese yen-pegged stablecoin "JPYC," has successfully raised 2.8 billion yen in the second close of its Series B funding round. This latest injection brings the total cumulative capital raised in the Series B round to approximately 4.6 billion
The Japan Securities Clearing Corporation (JSCC) is moving to modernize the architectural backbone of Japanese finance, announcing a strategic initiative to implement a blockchain-based settlement layer. In collaboration with Mizuho, Nomura, and technology partner Digital Asset, the JSCC is transitioning toward a more resilient, instantaneous clearing environment. By utilizing the
Credit Saison, a leading Japanese credit card issuer, and Coincheck, a premier domestic cryptocurrency exchange, have entered into a business alliance agreement to lower the barrier to entry for digital asset investment by integrating cryptocurrency services into the daily financial routines of Credit Saison’s extensive cardholder base. The collaboration
Welcome to the one hundred sixtieth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from Rothschild & Co, France's Ministère de l'Intérieur, the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, the International Islamic University, Islamabad, and the Asian Development
Money Forward (TSE: 3994), a leading Japanese provider of back-office SaaS and financial management solutions, has delivered a surprisingly positive first-quarter performance for the fiscal year ending November 2026. The company achieved a positive operating profit of JPY 170 million, defying initial expectations of a loss. The results, underpinned by
FOLIO Holdings, a core FinTech subsidiary of the SBI Group, has surpassed the 1 trillion yen assets under management milestone on April 13, 2026. This achievement marks a period of hyper-growth for the Tokyo-based firm. In just one year, the company’s asset base grew by approximately 660.4 billion