Japan's FSA is considering allowing foreign banks to join syndicated loans without establishing local branches. The reform aims to channel overseas capital into AI and semiconductor sectors, boosting Tokyo's competitiveness as a global financial hub.
Saudi investment firm EGDC has increased its Capcom stake from 5.03% to 6.04%, just three weeks after its initial filing. Combined with PIF's existing holdings, Saudi-linked capital now controls roughly 11% of the Monster Hunter maker amid record-breaking earnings.
Yuri Okina takes the helm of the world's largest pension fund GPIF ($1.7 trillion). Despite Middle East-driven market volatility, she affirms the current 25-25-25-25 portfolio can meet the 1.9% real return target. We compare GPIF's strategy with Norway's GPFG and Canada's CPP.
UK activist fund Palliser Capital has become a top-25 shareholder of Ajinomoto and is demanding a 30%+ price increase for its ABF semiconductor insulation material. We explore how a food company holds near-100% global market share in chip packaging and what the activist wave means for Japanese corporations.
The Bank of Japan's April 2026 Sakura Report kept economic assessments unchanged across all 9 regions. With the Hormuz Strait effectively blocked, energy prices soaring, and 10-year bond yields hitting 2.425% — a 27-year high — all eyes turn to the April 27-28 policy meeting.
Matsumoto, a 93-year-old Japanese printing company, announces Japan's first shareholder perks program using Solana (SOL). Learn how Japan's unique kabunushi yutai gift-giving culture is merging with blockchain technology to create new forms of shareholder engagement.
Japan Exchange Group will defer adding crypto-heavy companies to the TOPIX index. We analyze the impact on Bitcoin treasury firms like Metaplanet and compare Japan's cautious approach with the ongoing S&P 500 debate over Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) in the U.S.
The IMF's April 2026 Article IV report recommends the BOJ continue gradual rate hikes toward neutral. With two hikes in 2026 and one in 2027 targeting 1.5%, we analyze the impact on yen, JGB yields, carry trades, and the IMF's warning on consumption tax cuts.
SmartHR, Japan's leading cloud HR platform, had targeted a Tokyo Stock Exchange listing at a ¥160B (about $1B) valuation. In July 2026 Bloomberg reported the IPO was pushed to 2027 at the earliest after investors balked at the price. We look at the ARR trajectory to ¥30B, the General Atlantic and KKR backing, and what the delay says about how AI is repricing SaaS.
Tokyo-listed Metaplanet added 5,075 BTC in Q1 2026, reaching 40,177 BTC total and becoming the world's 3rd largest corporate Bitcoin holder. We break down the $400M quarterly investment, compare it to Strategy's approach, and explore how Japan's upcoming crypto tax reform could reshape corporate BTC strategies.
Two employees at a KDDI subsidiary ran ¥246.1 billion (about $1.6 billion) in fictitious transactions for 7 years undetected. How did Japan's third-largest telecom fail to catch fraud where 99.7% of a business unit's revenue was fake? An analysis of structural governance failures in Japanese corporations.
SBI Group has issued Japan's largest corporate bond security token at ¥10 billion ($66M). With fractional ownership from just $66, secondary market trading on ODX, and Progmat's completed ¥452 billion migration from Corda to Avalanche, Japan's digital securities market is entering a new phase. Includes comparisons with the US, EU, and Singapore.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama warns the forex market has become 'highly speculative' as the yen falls to 160 per dollar. We analyze the structural forces behind yen weakness, carry trade risks, and G7 emergency coordination.
Hong Kong activist fund Oasis Management has raised its KADOKAWA stake to 13.76%, surpassing Sony as the largest shareholder. We break down what this means for Elden Ring maker FromSoftware, the failed 2024 Sony acquisition, and the future of KADOKAWA's gaming empire.
The BOJ eyes an April rate hike as Iran's oil shock pushes inflation risks higher. With 10-year yields at 27-year highs, strong wage growth, and diverging policies from the Fed and ECB, we break down what this means for the yen, carry trades, and global markets.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange is weighing tighter rules for listed companies that have pivoted to holding Bitcoin as their core business, the so-called crypto treasury firms. About 40 Japanese companies adopted the Strategy playbook in 2025 and three-quarters of them are posting losses. Backdoor listings, governance, and how Japan's approach differs from the US.
In February 2026, Japan's Financial Services Agency issued an unprecedented warning to regional banks about surging real estate lending. Tokyo condo prices average $900,000, the BOJ has taken its policy rate to 1.00%, and variable mortgage rates have crossed 1%. We compare the numbers with the 1990s crash and track where foreign money is going.
Hong Kong hedge fund Oasis Management has raised its KADOKAWA stake to 10%, matching Sony as a top shareholder. With Oasis also targeting Nidec over accounting fraud and ValueAct boosting its MoneyForward stake to 14.39%, activist investing in Japan is surging. We analyze the forces driving this wave and what it means for investors.
Japan's SMFG is reportedly preparing for a potential takeover of US investment bank Jefferies. We analyze why Japanese megabanks are accelerating overseas M&A, compare strategies with MUFG and Nomura, and examine the risks and rewards of Japan's push into Wall Street.
Toyota Group's ¥5.9 trillion ($39B) tender offer for Toyota Industries — the founding company of the Toyota empire — has been completed, making it Japan's largest-ever domestic acquisition. We explore the Elliott Investment standoff, two price hikes, and what this means for Japanese corporate governance reform.