Line hopes app's links with Japan's Mizuho and Nomura can open 78 million wallets
Line Corp. is betting that tie-ups with Japan's biggest financial institutions will help convince its 78 million users to entrust the free texting app with their money. The operator of Japan's most popular messaging platform plans to introduce the Line Securities equities trading service jointly ...
Fintech can address Asia's inequality
Innovations in finance technology can increase the level of access to capital and financial inclusion in Asia.
Banks rush to turn Japan cashless before legal change attracts tech giants
Japanese banks, long content to foster the nation's love for cash, are now diving into digital payments thanks to a regulatory change that threatens to usher in new rivals. In recent months, lenders around the country have announced a flurry of initiatives designed to grab ...
Japan's financial regulation shake-up seen as a game changer for banks
The Financial Services Agency is laying the groundwork for a regulatory overhaul that could lead to a shake-up in Japan's ¥1 quadrillion banking industry. The agency is examining how to change the legal framework so that all providers of financial services are subject to the ...
Japanese people love cash so much they don't need a digital currency, BOJ says
Cash is still king in Japan, and that means the central bank doesn't see a need to mint a digital currency for now, according to the head of the FinTech Center at the Bank of Japan. "We aren't at the stage of considering issuing a ...
SoftBank leads $120 million funding in financial technology startup Lemonade
SoftBank Group Corp. is betting that technology can overhaul the home insurance industry by leading a $120 million (about ¥13.6 billion) round in Lemonade Inc. The New York-based startup, which uses artificial intelligence and bots to minimize paperwork and speed up the claims process for ...
Nomura Holdings Inc. has selected information technology startups in India to build innovative solutions for capital markets and investment banking, according to the firm's Indian arm. Eight startups have been chosen from among over 150 global applicants through a 10-week Fin Tech Partnership collaboration program ...
Money Forward CEO wants to take popular budget-tracking app global
Budget-managing app operator Money Forward Inc. stoked investor excitement when it became the nation's first financial technology venture to go public in September, reflecting strong interest in the nascent but fast-growing sector. Yosuke Tsuji, the startup's founder and chief executive officer, is now looking to ...
A greener shade of digital finance
If financial technology is to reach its potential to advance the global public good, another factor must be accounted for: the environment.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. will issue its own virtual currency by March 2018 to provide a money transfer service at lower fees, becoming the first major Japanese banking group to launch such a business, according to sources. MUFG, Japan's biggest lender, will first issue ...
Japan OKs recognizing virtual currencies as similar to real money
The Cabinet on Friday approved a set of bills to help banking groups expand their information technology businesses and to recognize virtual currencies as having a function similar to real money. Under the revised banking bills, bank-holding companies will be able to acquire IT-related ventures. ...
MasterCard hopes to catch fintech wave for cashless payments in Asia
The world of finance is newly awash in fintech — the financial software services that leverage state-of-the-art technologies — and MasterCard is jockeying for a larger market share. Many startups are banking on fintech, a term comprising "finance" and "technology" that has become a buzzword. ...
