Japan's Financial Services Agency is tightening scrutiny of regional banks' real estate lending, which has hit a record $770 billion. As BOJ rate hikes stress the property market, we examine cross-border lending risks, lessons from Japan's bubble collapse, comparisons with the US SVB crisis, and the ongoing wave of regional bank consolidation.
Market consensus points to April for the BOJ's next rate hike. From the current 0.75% policy rate toward a 1.5% terminal rate, we analyze the tightening path, the Iran crisis oil shock creating a stagflation dilemma, and key points for the March 18-19 policy meeting.
With the Strait of Hormuz shut in all but name, the IEA's 32 members unanimously approved a record 400-million-barrel coordinated release on March 11, 2026. Japan carried 80 million of it and began draining national reserves on March 26. Where those 254 days went, and what July's re-escalation means.
In just 15 minutes at FIN/SUM 2026, Bank of Japan Governor Ueda sent a landmark signal: Japan is ready to connect central bank money to the blockchain economy. We unpack what this means for digital finance, how it compares to the Fed and ECB, and why Japan may be charting its own path in the global CBDC race.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 0.75% at its March 18-19, 2026 meeting, as oil prices and yen weakness from the late-February Iran conflict weighed on the case for a hike. We cover Deputy Governor Himino and hawk Takata, the reflationist board nominees, the rate gap with the Fed and ECB, the yen carry trade, and the road to the June hike to 1.0%.
The Nikkei reported on March 1, 2026 that the BOJ was exploring tokenizing its current account deposits; two days later Governor Ueda confirmed the sandbox at FIN/SUM 2026. Round-the-clock large-value settlement and links to mega-bank stablecoins are on the table. A look at the Fed and ECB comparison and the technical and legal obstacles.
BOJ's most hawkish board member Hajime Takada urged further rate hikes in a Kyoto speech, using a "gear shift" metaphor to describe Japan's monetary policy normalization. With the 2% inflation target nearly achieved and wage growth accelerating for a fourth year, we analyze what this means for global markets, the yen carry trade, and how Japan's path diverges from the Fed and ECB.
Once considered twin safe-haven currencies, the yen and Swiss franc have diverged dramatically. Explore the structural factors behind the yen's historic weakness: Japan's government debt, its expanding digital deficit and a shifting current account. Plus why the franc keeps rising even though Japan's policy rate is now 1.0% and Switzerland's is zero.
Japan's government nominated two pro-easing "reflationist" academics to the BOJ policy board, reflecting PM Takaichi's dovish stance. The move sent rate hike expectations tumbling and the Nikkei to an all-time high of ¥58,583 (+2.20%). We analyze the yen impact, bond market reaction, and how this compares to the Fed and ECB's approach to central bank independence.
Europe's largest asset manager Amundi has shifted to overweight on Japanese government bonds for the first time in 30 years. Foreign investors bought a net ¥6.04 trillion ($40 billion) in JGBs in January 2026, the second-largest monthly figure on record. We analyze how BOJ rate hikes, political stability, and diversification from US assets are driving global money into Japan's bond market.
Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi reportedly pushed back against BOJ Governor Ueda's rate hike plans, sending the yen to 156 per dollar. The clash between political power and central bank independence echoes Trump versus the Fed and Erdogan versus Turkey's central bank. The BOJ went on to raise its policy rate to 1.0% in June 2026 and held there in July. Inside the US-Japan rate gap, carry trades, and how the story resolved.
Japan's shadow banking sector is sending warning signals. With nonbank financial risks growing, real estate lending surpassing $730 billion, and credit risks shifting under BOJ rate hikes, we analyze the parallels with China's shadow banking crisis and US commercial real estate risks, plus how Japan's regulators are responding.
The Bank of Japan has officially begun selling its massive ETF holdings worth ¥37 trillion ($240B) at book value. With annual sales of just ¥330 billion, this unprecedented unwinding could take over 112 years. Here's what it means for global markets and Japan's financial future.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 0.75% at the January 22-23, 2026 meeting, on an 8-1 vote. Despite December's hike to a 30-year high, the yen kept weakening, and the BOJ went to 1.0% in June. We look at the impact on mortgage rates, what would take the pressure off the yen, and the carry trade.
The Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to 0.75%, the highest since 1995. What drove the decision, how it reached mortgages and deposits, and what followed through the June 2026 hike to 1.0%.