payments
Nuvei announced an expansion in Asia-Pacific (APAC), having completed the acquisition of Paywiser Japan, including its acquiring license granted by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The license enables Nuvei to progress with launching direct acquiring capabilities in Japan across all major card schemes, and to extend
weekly
Welcome to the ninety-sixth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. Here is what we are going to cover this week: * Venture Capital & Private Markets: JAL & Hitachi participate in BeZero Carbon's USD 32m Series C; Z Venture Capital & Decima Fund participate in Vivident's seed
payments
The Financial System Council's Working Group on Payment Services has published its key findings and recommendations today. The report addresses emerging issues in the Japanese FinTech landscape, focusing on payment and settlement services, crypto-assets, stablecoins, and other related topics. It proposes several regulatory adjustments to balance innovation with
weekly
Welcome to the ninety-fifth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. Thank you for all the well wishes. We are back, and so is Ueda-san, who is going to raise the policy rate to 0.5% this week. It simply has to happen, notwithstanding any nonsense coming out of Washington prior
cashless
In December 2024, Payments Japan published its "Cashless Roadmap 2024", focusing on Japan's cashless payment trends, the activities of the Cashless Promotion Council, international comparisons, and progress toward the goals outlined in previous roadmaps. The report highlighted the growing adoption of cashless payments in Japan, while
cards
JCB International has launched a new JCB Panda Card in collaboration with Taiwan Rakuten Card. Taiwan Rakuten Card was established in 2014 with the approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission to enter the Taiwanese domestic credit card market, becoming the first e-commerce platform in Taiwan to issue its own credit
payments
Filipino travelers to Japan can now enjoy expanded cashless payment options at over 3 million merchants, thanks to a new collaboration between GCash, Alipay+, and PayPay. This partnership allows GCash users to seamlessly pay via QR code at a wide range of businesses, from bustling city centers like Tokyo and
weekly
Welcome to the ninety-fourth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. We apologize for the tardiness of this week's newsletter. Let's just say the editorial team has been...decimated. Not by alien invaders (though with this cough, I wouldn't rule it out), but by a
CBDC
Waseda University released the fifth episode of its English language podcast series “Rigorous Research, Real Impact”, covering “Central Bank Digital Currencies from a Japanese Legal Perspective”. In the following, we have summarized Professor Takashi Kubota's insights on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), focusing on the legal implications and
weekly
Happy new year, and welcome to the ninety-third edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. With January 6 being the first trading day of the year, and also the first workday for many, the past week surely has been quiet. Still, the narrative for the next Bank of Japan Monetary Policy
cashless
The Regulatory Reform Promotion Council held its 22nd session on December 25, 2024, and was reviewing its comprehensive interim report, which also included measures to simplify the rules for digital wage payments in order to promote a cashless society. Detailed discussion are to commence in the first half of FY2025,
payments
On December 24, 2024, the 7th meeting of the Financial System Council's Working Group on Payment Services was held, reviewing a draft of the working group's report to be published in 2025. As background, the "Grand Design and Action Plan for New Capitalism" (Cabinet