Finance

17 January 2026
New AIIB President Zou Jiayi also serves as a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee.
The new debit card will offer convenient functions to attract younger Japanese users who visit South Korea frequently. (SBJ Bank)
Finance

South Korean bank to offer special debit card for Japanese visitors

SBJ Bank card will let users pay with yen deposits and tap to ride on transit

16 January 2026
Resona and JCB plan to test stablecoins as an alternative to volatile cryptocurrencies like bitcoin for consumer transactions. (Source photos by Nikkei)
Finance

Japan's Resona, JCB to bring stablecoin payments to everyday shopping

Retailers expected to see lower fees than with credit card transactions

16 January 2026
Alpaca Chief Product Officer Hitoshi Harada, left, and CEO Yoshi Yokokawa co-founded the company in 2015. (Alpaca)
Startups

Fintech startup Alpaca becomes first Japanese-founded unicorn in US

Company providing trading infrastructure raises $150m for expansion, M&A

15 January 2026
The new aviation fund's creators plan to focus on single-aisle aircraft -- a category that Boeing expects will increase from 66% of the world's commercial aircraft in 2024 to 72% in 2044. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Daiwa, Mercuria to create one of Japan's biggest aviation funds

Long-term, open-end investment fund aims for nearly $1bn in assets in 3 years

15 January 2026
Japan's Daiwa Asset Management and Asset Management One said they plan to continue participating in the initiative or are considering doing so. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Nikkei)
Finance

Japan asset managers eye revamped net-zero alliance despite US headwinds

Climate initiative to restart with eased goals after stumbling under Trump opposition

14 January 2026
Pakistan believes it has come up with a way to make government and other assets more accessible to global investors, thereby improving liquidity, but one that is raising alarm bells. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
Cryptocurrencies

Pakistan's fast crypto adoption triggers financial risk fears

Officials and experts warn Islamabad about hastily licensing Binance and HTX

14 January 2026
As the Bank of Japan reduces government bond purchases, private banks are seen as purchasers, but they might not have the cash to do so. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Finance

Japan banks' surplus funds shrink to 4-year low, squeezing investment

More loans, slow deposit growth eat into capital, especially at regional lenders

14 January 2026
Bull statues in front of screens showing the Hang Seng Index, outside Exchange Square in Hong Kong on Aug. 18, 2023. The HKEX has changed rules to help it attract bigger IPO volumes and proceeds, but the cost could be investor trust.
Opinion

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is taking on too much risk

Pivotal bourse must safeguard investors by doing due diligence and vetting

14 January 2026
SMFG plans to continue prioritizing the U.S. market, with its strong demand for capital. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
Finance

Japan's SMFG shuts US digital bank, hurt by interest rate competition

But Jenius closure won't end financial group's focus on American market

14 January 2026
Lawmakers in Japan will propose consolidating Japan's foreign currency and pension holdings into a wealth fund. (Nikkei montage)
Politics

Japan lawmakers eye sovereign wealth fund for $3.2tn in assets

Cross-partisan group aims to put foreign reserves, pension money, ETF holdings to work

13 January 2026
Mitsui & Co.'s digital securities subsidiary is Japan's leader in that field by number of products offered. (Photo by Keigo Yoshida)
Finance

Mitsui to launch Japan's first aircraft and ship digital securities

Trading house eyes growing retail investor interest in fractional ownership

13 January 2026
Investment firms are flocking to Japan as opportunities grow, with M&A deals involving Japanese companies reaching a record 33 trillion yen in 2025. (Photo by Sae Kamae)
Finance

US private equity firm Advent returns to Japan after 15-year hiatus

American and European investment funds enter market, eyeing restructuring companies

9 January 2026
Viswas Raghavan, head of banking at Citigroup, recently spoke with Nikkei. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura)
Interview

Citi plans 'significant' investment, hiring in Japan: banking head

Raghavan cites country's M&A surge, 'powerful middle market'

9 January 2026
The app Ping An Good Doctor has grown its user base since the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Kensaku Ihara)
Health Care

Ping An Insurance sets sights on China's growing 'silver economy'

Building synergies between health care and financial services seen as key to growth

8 January 2026
Cross-border payments through SWIFT often take more than a day, typically due to processing time on the receiving bank's end. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Finance

Mizuho, JPMorgan among SWIFT partners set for instant cross-border payments

More than 30 banks in 17 countries to take part in rollout as early as this year

3 January 2026
Japan became an M&A hotspot in 2025 as transaction values nearly doubled.  (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Tomoki Mera)
Business deals

Will Japan's M&A boom continue in 2026? 5 trends to watch

Increased activity spurs competition among investment banks

2 January 2026
The construction and operation of data centers has become ubiquitous in the Malaysian state of Johor. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi) 
Tech Asia

Asia's AI data center financing gets complicated

Soaring costs send builders and operators to new, potentially riskier funding strategies

31 December 2025
The Nikkei Stock Average ended the year at a record high of over 50,000 on Dec. 30. (Photo by Shun Kato)
Markets

Japan stocks ride AI boom, rate hikes to record high in 2025

Manufacturing and finance resurgent as economy shifts to inflation from deflation

31 December 2025
Mizuho Financial Group President Masahiro Kihara expressed a hope of helping Japanese companies increasingly active in India. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki)
Interview

Mizuho may reach 10% ROE target in fiscal 2025, 2 years early: president

Japan financial group looks to build up cross-border M&A advisory role

30 December 2025
The Bank of Ayudhya, known as Krungsri, recently launched an advisory service, Krungsri ASEAN Link, to promote corporate Thailand's expansion into Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Finance

Bank of Ayudhya expands overseas as Thai economy slows

Acquisitions and advisory services anchor MUFG unit's regional strategy: CEO

28 December 2025
After recording a stellar year in 2021, deal activity for global private equity slumped as capital costs and inflation rose. But momentum is coming back. (Nikkei montage)
Markets

Lower rates and stock market boom to help drive private assets in 2026

Experts predict improved deal activity; reforms to fuel Japan buyout investments

26 December 2025
SBI Shinsei Bank will serve as the central institution of the SBI financial group. (Photo by Katsuji Kamei)
Business deals

Japan's SBI in talks with regional banks to take bigger stakes

Financial services provider seeks stronger ties to become 'fourth megabank'

26 December 2025
Asset Management One plans to launch five Japanese bond ETFs in January, covering bonds of varying maturities. (Photo by Takuya Fujisawa)
Finance

Mizuho unit to debut Japan's first active government bond ETFs

Asset Management One funds seen helping absorb increased debt issuance

25 December 2025
Sapporo Real Estate's portfolio includes assets in prime locations, such as the Yebisu Garden Place commercial complex in Tokyo.  (Photo by Manami Yamada) 
Property

Japanese brewer Sapporo to sell property business to group led by KKR

Deal worth at least $2.6bn meant to allow company to focus on alcohol

24 December 2025
The South Korean won has been weakening as investors seek returns overseas. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Markets

South Korea vows to prop up the won as currency slides

Government cites need to 'manage foreign exchange risk' as funds flow abroad

24 December 2025
Pakistani rupee notes are counted at a bank in Peshawar in August 2023. Economists are worried that the IMF might inadvertently persuade overseas Pakistanis to forgo the formal banking sector and send money home through informal back channels.
Finance

IMF remittance mandate for Pakistan sparks shadow banking fears

Cutting bank incentives risks a reemergence of informal transfer channels: experts

24 December 2025
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust looks to grow its business in Asia with a focus on asset management. (Photo by Shiko Ueda)
Business deals

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust to acquire Malaysia's AHAM Asset Management

Japanese group to invest as much as $575m to boost stake through local subsidiary

24 December 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks in an exclusive interview with Nikkei at her office in Tokyo on Dec. 23. (Photo by Ken Suzuki)
Interview

Japan's Takaichi talks tough on debt as bond yields spike

In exclusive interview, PM says communications ongoing with China amid tensions

23 December 2025
Higher interest rates in Japan have given SMFG the financial leeway to make its latest deals with Bain Capital and Muzinich & Co. (Source photos by Bain Capital, Muzinich and Getty Images)
Finance

SMFG joins US firms to provide $3.5bn for European M&A

Bain Capital and Muzinich funds will help Japanese bank's clients do M&As

23 December 2025