FinCity.tokyo

Updates from Tokyo’s expanding finance and startup ecosystem and the 54 members of FinCity.Tokyo.

Special Interview

An Exciting Year Ahead for Tokyo in the Year of the Horse

Tokio Morita, Executive Director of FinCity.Tokyo, reflects on his time leading the FinCity team so far and his busy agenda for the coming year.

Read the full interview here

Introducing Our Directors

Interview: Smoothing Out Japan’s Evolving Financial Securities

Kenichi Morimoto, Executive Director (Chief Officer for Planning) at the Japan Securities Dealers Association, spoke with us about sustainable finance, and Japan’s transformation into an “Asset Management Nation.”

Read the full interview here

Events

Tokyo Asset Management Forum & FinCity Global Forum February 5, 2026, Kabuto One, Tokyo, 9:00-19:15

Amidst global volatility, Tokyo is drawing investors’ attention. Where next in 2026? FinCity.Tokyo cordially invites members of the media to its annual flagship events dedicated to the ongoing evolution of Tokyo’s finance ecosystem, developments in Japan’s asset management space, and opportunities for foreign investors.

Event details:
Format: Hybrid (a link will be sent after registration)
Venue: KABUTO ONE (7-1 Nihonbashi kabutocho, Chuo City, Tokyo)
Time:    
9:00-12:00 Tokyo Asset Management Forum    
14:00-19:15 FinCity Global Forum 

Full speaker list, agenda and registration

Tokyo Independent Business Dojo February 13, 2026, Fingate KAYABA, 18:00-21:00

FinCity.Tokyo will provide financial institution employees and others who wish to open an asset management business in Tokyo with comprehensive information about procedures to obtain an asset management business license. The event invites also pioneers in the field to share their experiences related to opening and operating a business.

Registration (only in Japanese)

Announcing FinCity.Tokyo’s Miami Roadshow February 24, 2026

FinCity.Tokyo will be present with a booth at Global Alts Miami 2026, and also organize a panel discussion and a roundtable looking deeper into Tokyo’s growing finance ecosystem.

More on Global Alts Miami 2026 here

2nd Member Networking Event 2025 (December 19, 2025)  

FinCity.Tokyo’s 2nd FinCity.Tokyo Member Networking Event at KABUTO ONE in Tokyo brought together a wide range of stakeholders from Tokyo’s finance ecosystem for networking and thought-provoking discussions on Tokyo’s future urban development.

New York-based architectural designer and planner Ken Shigematsu, CEO and Founder of inspiring dots inc. and advisor to SpaceData, gave a lecture on the concept of “Design by Narrative.” Drawing on examples from New York, he discussed urban development plans and challenges concerning buildings, facilities, transportation, and more.

In a panel discussion titled “The Intersection of International Finance and Urban Development: Examples of Current and Future Initiatives,” panelists including developer FinCity members introduced their own urban development initiatives and discussed the urban vision for Tokyo:

•  Akiko Motohoshi, General Manager, Building Division, Heiwa Real Estate
•  Katsuhisa Nanao, General Manager, Nihonbashi Urban Development Promotion Department, Mitsui Fudosan)
•  Eiko Shimada, General Manager, Innovation Facility Operations Department, Mitsubishi Estate)
•  Shinji Takeda, Assistant General Manager, New Business Development Division, Mori Building)

The session was moderated by Tsuyoshi Masuda, Secretary General, FinCity.Tokyo.

KEY STORIES IN JAPANESE MEDIA

• Crypto Asset ETFs to Be Approved in Japan as Early as 2028, Expanding Asset Management Base (Nikkei, January 25)
  In Japan, ETFs managed with crypto assets are expected to be approved as early as 2028. The Financial Services Agency will establish the necessary systems, and asset management firms under Nomura Holdingsand SBI Holdings are developing products. This will make virtual currencies such as Bitcoin more accessible to individuals and institutional investors, broadening the base of asset management.
   
• 2026: Positive Turn in Real Wages and Rising ‘ROE’ to Lead Japanese Stocks, With a Shift in Personal Investor Funds Toward Japanese Equities Also Expected (Diamond Online, January 8)
  In 2026, in addition to external factors such as continued U.S. tax cuts and interest rate reductions, Japan’s real wage growth is expected to turn positive, supporting Japan’s stock market as the country moves toward “good inflation.” As the impact of Trump-era tariffs wanes, Japanese companies’ profit growth rates should improve and a rise in ROE could lead to an upward revision in PER, ushering Japanese stocks into a bullish phase. Attention should also be paid to a shift in personal investor funds toward Japanese equities. 
   
• Yoshio Hishida to Become the First Chairman of the Asset Management Industry Association: Realizing an ‘Asset Management Nation’ with a Clear Eye (Nikkei, January 4)
  Yoshio Hishida will become the first chairman of the Asset Management Industry Association, a self-regulatory body for the asset management industry to be launched in April 2026. In its predecessor, the Investment Trusts Association, chairmanship was traditionally held by executives from major securities firms such as Nomura Securities and Daiwa Securities, so the appointment of a former banker is unusual. Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience in asset management, he will lead efforts to realize the vision of Japan as an “Asset Management Nation.”

KEY STORIES IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

• AI In Finance: The Power Of Agency (Global Finance, 1/26)
  A new wave of agentic AI systems is reshaping banking operations. Unlike typical large language model (LLM) applications that answer prompts, agentic systems execute sequences of actions: querying systems, retrieving documents, transforming data, and producing outputs. Quietly, these autonomous tools are beginning to redefine the banking technology landscape.
   
• Japan fund inflows jump 59% on NISA, investors look beyond stocks (Asia Asset Management, 1/22)
  Japan-domiciled open-ended funds attracted 4.17 trillion yen (US$26.3 billion) of net inflows in the fourth quarter of 2025, a 59% increase from 2.62 trillion yen a year ago as investors began to diversify from only stocks into other asset classes, including gold funds, according to Morningstar Inc. The expansion of the Nippon Individual Savings Account (NISA) could further influence individual investment behaviour, Morningstar says in a report on January 20.
   
• Hedge Funds Hire Talent Scouts in Japan to Tap Comeback (Bloomberg, 1/15)
  Hedge funds including Dymon Asia Capital, Polymer Capital Management and Lighthouse Partners have hired business development specialists in Japan to find the next generation of star investors. The firms are looking to hire across equities, macro and quantitative strategies, and are making the quest for talent in the country a full-time job due to a surge in demand for portfolio managers, analysts and traders.

Copyright ©  2025 FinCity.Tokyo. Distributed for FinCity.Tokyo by Kreab K.K.