Welcome to the ninety-second edition of the Japan FinTech Observer.We would like to express our gratitude for your support and enthusiasm in growing our subscriber count by 44% this year, and wishing you a fulfilling year of the snake.The Nikkei closed the year up 19.22%, setting a new year-end record by breaking the previous mark set 35 years ago. After closing above 40,000 on Friday for the first time since July 19, the index gave up some gains to miss that mark on the last trading day of the year (Monday, December 30). For USD-benchmarked investors, the TOPIX and Nikkei performance comes out to a mere 5 to 6 percent, however, making them rank one of the worst among major global equity indices.Here is what we are going to cover this week:Venture Capital & Private Markets: Gojo & Company, on a path to become Japan’s next FinTech unicorn, has expanded into Georgia with the acquisition of 16.8% stake in JSC Credo Bank; Nomura Capital Partners invests in Tap, a leading solution vendor specializing in property management systems; InsurTech IB has raised approximately 100 million yen in funding from TSE-listed Trade Works and Seibu Shinkin CapitalBanking: FSA sanctions AEON Bank for AML/CFT deficiencies; SMFG infuses USD 350m into Indian NBFC armPayments: the Bank of Japan has published the minutes of the Eighth Meeting of the Liaison Council on Central Bank Digital Currency; 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; the Regulatory Reform Promotion Council held its 22nd session, discussing easing measures for digital wage paymentsCapital Markets: MUFG Bank will acquire 100% of shares of various overseas securities subsidiaries; Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group is looking to expand its alliance with Jefferies Financial GroupAsset Management: WealthNavi raises operating profit forecast by 52%Digital Assets: Identification of North Korean cyber actors responsible for USD 308m DMM Bitcoin hack; SMBC Nikko Securities and Nonagon Capital have agreed to a strategic partnership; Borderless LLC supported and completed the first DAO LLC fundraising in JapanThe Last Word: Korea’s nominal GDP passes Japan’seXponential Finance PodcastThe simpler way to pay in Japan….while doing goodIn this episode of the eXponential Finance Podcast, we explore the challenges foreign residents face when opening bank accounts in Japan. Declan Somers, Chief Executive Officer of Mobal Communications, the owner of MobalPay, shares his unique journey to & from Japan to Ireland, working in telecoms, and their impactful work in Malawi.The discussion dives into the features and impact of their mobile pay product, how it aids the foreign community in Japan, and their charitable coffee business supporting Malawian children.Key topics include the transition from physical SIM cards to eSIMs, the integration of point systems for payments, and the g
Ven. Gen 10th, 2025
