Newsletter_FINCITY.TOKYO UPDATE (October 2026)
Updates from Tokyo’s expanding finance and startup ecosystem and the 67 members of FinCity.Tokyo.
FinCity in the News
Thailand, Japan explore digital finance cooperation (Bangkok Post, 10/20)
Speaking at a Bangkok event hosted by FinCity Tokyo, Yasuto Watanabe, director of the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), called for a digital finance corridor linking Tokyo and Thailand, including cross-border investment in tokenized real-world assets such as property and condominiums.
Climate Bonds Initiative and FinCity.Tokyo partner to strengthen sustainable finance collaboration（ESG Post, 10/7）
Climate Bonds Initiative and FinCity.Tokyo have agreed to deepen their partnership to grow sustainable finance in Tokyo, reaffirming the city’s stature as an international financial center. The pair will work to connect the Japanese market with international investors and global expertise, including via knowledge exchange, policy support, and more.
Special Interview
Interview: Building a New Bridge Between Tokyo and Luxembourg
On the eve of the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Luxembourg, we spoke with Luc Decker, Consul General of Luxembourg to New York, and Tokio Morita, Executive Director of FinCity.Tokyo, about the significance of this relationship, the potential for cooperation in New York, and how the two financial centers can build on their partnership in the years ahead.
View the full interview here
Other Updates
Tokyo Sustainable Finance Forum 2026 brings together key institutions for high-level discussion on policy development and practical action
FinCity.Tokyo, partnering with the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group), the Financial Services Agency of Japan (JFSA) and the Japanese Bankers Association, hosted the Tokyo Sustainable Finance Forum 2026 on October 22. In the lead-up to COP31, conference participants discussed the implementation roadmap for Japan’s US$4.2 trillion sustainable investment market to the 360 audience members who attended at the venue and over 1,200 online viewers.
Event details and archive registration here
“FinCity.Tokyo Global Forum in New York City 2026” showcases Tokyo to global investors
On October 15, 2026, FinCity.Tokyo hosted the “FinCity.Tokyo Global Forum in NEW YORK CITY 2026.” The event drew nearly 200 participants to the main forum, including decision-makers and financial industry professionals—as well as 88 attendees at the networking reception held the previous day.
The forum took a deep dive into Japan’s evolving financial ecosystem, including government reforms, private capital, and the rapid shifts in infrastructure and governance resulting from the rise of artificial intelligence. The show was a smashing success, and FinCity is proud to have been joined by financial leaders like Yutaka Ito, Commissioner of Japan’s Financial Services Agency, Kazuto Uchida, President of the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), and more.
Video Archive (YouTube)
Official post-event release
Sideline roundtables held in connection with the 2026 IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings
With all eyes on Bangkok during the 2026 IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings, FinCity.Tokyo, Frankfurt Main Finance and Deloitte arranged an exclusive roundtable on how Japan, Germany and ASEAN can work together to create new #investment opportunities amid the green transition.
The event was a fantastic opportunity to explore how the three partners can work together to overcome challenges in decarbonization, energy, and changing supply chains. Making the event possible was our amazing line of speakers including Professor Dr. R. Alexander Lorz, Finance Minister of the State of Hesse, Germany, Tarisa Watanagase, Former Governor of the Bank of Thailand, and many more.
A media roundtable examining Japan’s rapid advances in digital currencies and cross-border payments was also held the following day. As the Bank of Thailand works to introduce regulatory guidelines for a Thai Baht stablecoin by early 2027, FinCity.Tokyo highlighted a few lessons learned that may help Thailand and the ASEAN region.
Click here for details
Key Stories in Japanese Media
- Corporate Demand for Funds Turns Positive for First Time in Two Quarters; Remains Robust Following September Rate Hike – Bank of Japan Survey (Nikkei 10/22)
- According to the BoJ’s “Survey on Lending at Major Banks”, the diffusion index (DI) for corporate demand for funds—a gauge of the strength of such demand—reached +3, an increase of 4 points from the previous survey in July. This marks the first positive reading in two quarters, suggesting that demand for funds has remained robust even following the interest rate hike.
- BOJ Governor Ueda: Mechanism for Gradual Rise in Wages and Prices Has “Been Revived” (Nikkei, 10/19)
- During a session of the House of Councillors Budget Committee on the 19th, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that, regarding the Japanese economy, “the mechanism in which both wages and prices rise gradually has been revived.” Citing the “unprecedented” monetary easing measures initiated in 2013, he assessed that these actions have “delivered a powerful stimulus to the Japanese economy.”
Key Stories in English Media
- Japan shifting to wage-driven inflation phase, finance minister says (Reuters, 10/21)
Japan’s economy is seeing price rises driven by higher import costs and on the cusp of shifting to a period of sustained inflation driven by rising wages, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said. The government’s scheduled consumption tax cut and payouts are aimed at cushioning the blow to households from rising living costs, Katayama told parliament. - Japan Seeks to Quell Fiscal Fears With Outreach in English (Bloomberg, 10/19)
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is seeking to provide foreign investors with more information in English to assuage market reservations about her management of fiscal policy. The administration is making efforts to communicate in English, with officials such as Japanese Growth Strategy Minister Minoru Kiuchi and Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama giving speeches and interviews in English. - Copyright © 2025 FinCity.Tokyo. Distributed for FinCity.Tokyo by Kreab K.K.