Japan Financial News

TOKYO—Japan is taking action to keep interest rates ultra low and stimulate its economy, bucking the global trend symbolized by the Federal Reserve’s plans for multiple rate increases.

Nomura has tapped a senior banker to lead a new debt advisory business in Europe, part of a broader expansion of dealmakers at the Japanese bank.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan’s largest financial group, is working hard to take the lead in stablecoin development, launching a proprietary stablecoin project.

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The digital securities exchange that Mitsubishi plans to launch will compete with Tokyo stock exchange

The "only detectable impact" of Brexit on British businesses so far is "increased costs, paperwork and border delays", says the chair of a prominent parliamentary committee.

Messenger app LINE is considering adding cryptocurrencies to its payment options and officially launching its native LINK token (LN) in March.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday urged rich countries to urgently provide the $16 billion (€14 billion) that is still missing to finance its plan to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

A majority of people across the European Union think Russia will invade Ukraine this year — and believe the EU and NATO should come to Kyiv's aid in the event of Russian aggression, according to a new pan-European survey.

Sweden is lifting almost all of its anti-Covid restrictions from Wednesday, as the pandemic enters what's described as a “new phase” with the dominance of the contagious but apparently less severe Omicron variant.

Users of Japanese messaging giant LINE will soon be able to use the app’s native token for payments at select online merchants in a limited trial.

Since late 2015, the Hyperledger Project has existed to facilitate collaboration among developing blockchains and distributed ledgers of various types. Developed by the Linux Foundation and now including dozens of members, Hyperledger aims to improve the performance of blockchain networks in order to help integrate this new technology with businesses worldwide. Now, Coindesk reports that the distributed ledger startup Ripple, the developer of the cryptocurrency of the same name, has joined the consortium. (Related: What's the Difference between Bitcoin and Ripple?)

In the cryptocurrency world, news about skyrocketing prices and valuations mostly elicits shrugs. But Ripple’s rise has raised hackles and disbelief. 

As the digital currency market starts to creep back following a major decline earlier this year, one long-time banker suggests that 2017's high-flying run may repeat itself. Oki Matsumoto, CEO of Japanese financial services company Monex Group Inc., spoke at the Japan Society in New York on Tuesday, indicating that despite a pushback from global regulators, cryptocurrencies could take off in the same manner that derivatives did 38 years ago when they were equally disliked by regulators. The finance executive started his career in derivatives at Solomon Brothers in 1987. The entrepreneur then spent 12 years at Goldman Sachs, where he was responsible for starting the investment bank's yen-denmonated fixed-income trading desk. (See also: Already More ICOs in 2018 Than All of 2017: $6.3B.)

Call it the ripple effect of news. (See also: How Do I Buy Ripple (XRP) Cryptocurrency?)

Police have detained at least five people on the Greek island of Lesbos after violence broke out during a protest against plans to build a new migrant camp, authorities said on Tuesday.

Northern Irish police colluded with pro-British paramilitary groups during violence in the 1990s, a police ombudsman has said.

Different institutions across the globe have expressed interest in joining the crypto-train. On 7 February, DriveWealth, the SoftBank-backed start-up entered the cryptocurrency industry by launching two subsidiaries. However, with the rise in institutions offering crypto services, this doesn’t come as a total surprise. But, here’s how this could prove to be an important development.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. said Monday it has agreed to lift import tariffs on Japanese steel imposed by the Trump administration, removing a longstanding irritant in the bilateral relations between the two allies.

Nvidia and Japan’s SoftBank Group are abandoning a blockbuster deal for the US semiconductor giant to acquire chip-design specialist Arm after regulators raised antitrust concerns, a person familiar with the matter said.

Stock brokerage firm DriveWealth has entered the cryptocurrency industry by launching two subsidiaries designed to allow its partners to offer crypto trading to retail investors.