Japan
LINE Launches NFT Marketplace in Japan
LVC Corporation, the operator of LINE’s crypto asset and blockchain businesses, announced that it has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace available only in Japan called LINE NFT. From today onwards, the marketplace will offer around 40,000 NFT products for
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PayPal Makes Japanese BNPL Play With Paidy Acquisition for US$2.7 Billion
PayPal announced that it has agreed to acquire Paidy, a Japanese buy now pay later solutions (BNPL), for ¥300 billion (approximately US$2.7 billion) and the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021. The acquisition will expand
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Coinbase Inks Deal With MUFG To Set Up a Crypto Exchange in Japan
US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has signed a deal with banking giant Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) to begin digital asset trading in Japan. “Our partnership with MUFG will help millions of people in Japan access our platform quickly and begin
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Hong Kong’s EMQ Increases Remittance Transaction Value in Japan
EMQ, Hong Kong-based financial settlement network, announced the launch of its high transaction value cross-border settlements in Japan. This launch will enable global businesses to send a maximum of JPY30 million directly into local banks. This enhancement further expands their
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In Japan, COVID-19 Puts a Brake on Merchant Cashless Payments Adoption
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic turmoil have put a brake on merchant adoption of cashless payments, according to a new report by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The Japanese government launched a cashless incentive program last year to sustain
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Stripe Opens Tokyo Office After Deepening Partnership with JCB
Stripe, the online payment infrastructure provider powering the likes Amazon, Facebook, Shopify, Zoom, Slack today announced opening of an engineering office in Tokyo, which will focus on building more features and capabilities to meet the specific needs of Japanese businesses.
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China’s UnionPay QR Now Inoperable with Japan’s Universal Payment QR
UnionPay announced that it has become the first international payment brand to be included in Japan’s universal payment QR standard known as JPQR. In 2018, the Japanese government put forward a plan to build a cash-free society. To make it
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A Look at Line and Nomura’s Zero-Commission Online Brokerage in Japan
Line Securities Corporation, a joint venture between Asian financial services group Nomura Holdings and Line Financial Corporation, the financial services arm of Internet firm Line Corporation, has launched a new mobile investment service targeted at younger, digital-savvy generations. The new
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LINE Pay Begins Integrating WeChat Pay
LINE Pay Corporation, operator of the LINE Pay mobile money transfer and payment service available on the LINE messaging app, announced recently that its merchants have been integrating WeChat Pay since early August. Once system integration is complete, WeChat Pay
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Sony and Daiwa Want Their Newly Launched Startup Fund to Hit 20 Bil Yen
Sony and Daiwa Capital announced the establishment of Innovation Growth Ventures (IGV), a joint venture company created to establish a joint investment fund. IGV has recently completed the first Limited Partner commitment for its Innovation Growth Fund, set up for
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