blockchain
KDDI has decided to participate as a node validator in the Bifrost Network. Through this partnership, KDDI will contribute to strengthening security on the Bifrost network and support its penetration into the Japanese market. KDDI has re-affirmed this partnership by listing Bifrost as one of its key Web3 initiatives during
ethereum
Fracton Ventures is Japan's first Cryoto-specialized incubator, proclaiming itself to be a "Protocol Studio for Ethereum." In 2021, the year of its founding, and the following year in 2022, "Fracton Incubation 2021/2022 Powered by bitbank" was held, and a total of 18 Cryoto
trade finance
MUFG Bank has completed its first fully-digitalised trade finance transaction from its GIFT City Branch for a subsidiary of Tata International, the global trading arm of the Tata Group. Utilising the Contour Network Hub from Xalts, MUFG and Tata International's Singapore treasury centre digitally negotiated, prepared, applied, and
web3
NTT Digital and Figment, a leading independent global staking infrastructure provider, are strengthening their validation business efforts with the aim of developing the Web3 ecosystem. NTT Digital provides services using advanced Web3 infrastructure technology to Web3 users who continue to expand globally, and will further promote efforts to develop the
stablecoin
double jump.tokyo, which develops applications using blockchain technology at their core, has raised funds from TIS, a member of the TIS Intec Group that has supported payment infrastructure for many years. By combining double jump.tokyo's knowledge of blockchain technology and enterprise web3 wallets with TIS'
crypto
Laser Digital, Nomura’s digital assets subsidiary, has launched the Laser Digital NEAR Adoption Fund. The Fund’s strategy seeks to provide a long-term exposure to the NEAR token enhanced with staking which allows institutional investors residing in eligible jurisdictions to participate in the blockchain consensus mechanism and take advantage
web3
Hitachi Payment Services has made a strategic minority investment in Spydra Technologies to develop and introduce innovative offerings in the rapidly evolving domains of Web 3.0, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and Blockchain Technology. Spydra is a low-code enterprise blockchain platform specializing in real-world asset tokenization. Spydra enables asset
accelerator
Aptos Horizon, a premier Web3 accelerator, is now accepting applications for its transformative 10-week program, scheduled to run from April 14 to June 23, 2025, in Osaka. Designed to empower ambitious Web3 teams from around the globe, Aptos Horizon offers an unparalleled platform to scale blockchain solutions and build meaningful
CBDC
The Bank of Papua New Guinea, in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and FinTech company Soramitsu, has successfully completed a proof of concept for the country's central bank digital currency (CBDC), Digital Kina. The Digital Kina's PoC utilizes cutting-edge technology
NFT
Mercari has launched "Mercari NFT" today, an online marketplace for NFTs on Mercari. The new service allows users to use Mercari to buy and sell popular NFTs available on OpenSea, a major NFT marketplace based in the US. This change kicks off the expansion of Mercari’s business
venture capital
Pacific Meta is a Tokyo-based company that provides end-to-end support as a “Web3 Accelerator” for Web3 projects both domestically and internationally. Pacific Meta supports companies and projects challenging the Web3 space by leveraging their specialized expertise in Web3 to offer assistance in fundraising, consulting, business development, and marketing. Additionally, they
NFT
NTT Digital has launched the “Hapiwell Ouendan (Happy & Wellness Cheering Team)” campaign in collaboration with 22 partner companies. Themed “Happy & Wellness,” this campaign is led by Sanrio’s popular unit “HAPIDANBUI” as the cheer captain, with participating companies joining as cheering team members to make the campaign more