. Five years ago, if you had suggested there would be over 4,000 new CFDs based on footballers from the major European leagues, most people would have just laughed.

Following Mozilla’s decision to pause crypto donations due to environmental concerns, a number of Wikimedia Foundation community members have submitted a proposal that asks the foundation to stop accepting digital currency donations. The proposal explains that crypto donations “signals [an] endorsement of the cryptocurrency space,” and also says that “Cryptocurrencies may not align with the […]

As talks about the release of a digital pound by 2025 are yet to happen, British lawmakers are already doubtful that their use could harm financial stability, raise the cost of credit and erode privacy. (Read More)

KUALA LUMPUR & TOKYO, Jan 13, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - The world's leading fintech player, Soft Space Sdn. Bhd. ("Soft Space"), has announced a new strategic partnership with Japan's only international payment brand, JCB Co. Ltd. ("JCB").
This strategic partnership is the first of its kind in Malaysia for the payment giant and involves a combination of US$5 million investment in Soft Space and a series of business collaborations that are aimed at capitalising on Soft Space's fintech-as-a-service business model, technology and regulatory knowhow, and JCB's global recognition, vast alliances and brand reach.

This is part of the first tranche of funding on the horizon for Soft Space with other investments to follow in the future. The partnership also demonstrates the confidence JCB has in Soft Space's management, technology portfolio and execution strategy in today's highly competitive fintech industry.

JCB owns and operates one of the largest payment schemes in Japan supporting about 37 million merchants and 140 million cardmembers around the world, by capitalising on Asia's economic growth. Backed by these assets, JCB has a vision to become "Asia's leading payment brand" and will expand the brand globally by leveraging its strength in Asia - especially in Southeast Asia ("SEA") - to become a competitive brand preferred by Japanese and international cardmembers.

To this end, JCB has targeted SEA as a strategic business enhancement region and has established its ASEAN Business Enhancement and Creation Department in Singapore last June to seek business opportunities within the region. This will serve as a template for further strategic alliances and investments within the region.

The strategic partnership with Soft Space also aims to harness synergies between the two parties and includes the expansion of JCB's merchant network, the establishment of card issuing solutions, and the provision of customer marketing solutions.

Other collaborative areas include, but not limited to, enhanced merchant acceptance, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) and transit; payment gateways; cards-as-a-service (CaaS); white label services, API platform services and technical support services.

Both Soft Space and JCB are committed to accelerating cashless payment both in Malaysia and SEA by utilising competitive and advanced fintech technologies, thereby establishing a link between Japanese consumers to SEA.

"I am honoured to announce this investment and collaboration agreement. I believe this is not just an investment, but the first step towards realising the boundless possibility with Soft Space," said Yoshiki Kaneko, President & COO of JCB International Co. Ltd. "We are capitalising on this opportunity to expand and secure our business in SEA by utilising Soft Space's cutting-edge technology and robust network with the financial institutions. We are confident that this collaboration will go beyond Malaysia and expand across the globe."

"We are humbled by this investment by JCB," said Joel Tay, Chief Executive Officer of Soft Space. "Being JCB's first investee in Malaysia assures us that we are on track to develop financial solutions that will fortify payment acceptance between Japan and SEA, and benefit both regions when borders open up again. This bridge between our regions will also serve as a roadmap for us to enter other regions globally in the future."

Today, Soft Space has an expansive range of product offerings that span white-label e-wallet solutions to its flagship Tap to Phone technology, which is the world's first SoftPOS solution to support secure PIN entry. The solution has received endorsements from major card schemes such as Visa, UnionPay International, Mastercard and Malaysia's MyDebit, and has been deployed in some of the largest financial service institutions and corporate enterprises in the Middle East, North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

About Soft Space

Founded in 2012, Soft Space is the world's leading SoftPOS player headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Soft Space simplifies the complexity of financial infrastructure and creates value-added features for businesses to expand their business growth. With over 30 financial institutions across 10 countries adopting its payment solutions, Soft Space is supported by MDEC's Global Acceleration and Innovation Network (GAIN) programme and received financial support through MIDA's Domestic Investment Strategic Fund in 2012. In 2018, Soft Space ranked 66th out of 1000 companies in Financial Times 'FT 1000: High Growth Companies in Asia Pacific' Special Report. Subsequently in 2020, Soft Space is also recognised as one of IDC's Fastest Growing Company in 2020. For more information, please visit: https://www.softspace.com.my/

Brenda Lim
Communications Executive
Tel: +603 7494 1222
Email: [email protected]

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 37 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 140 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/

Ayaka Nakajima
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-5778-8353
Email: [email protected]


Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comThe world's leading fintech player, Soft Space Sdn. Bhd. ("Soft Space"), has announced a new strategic partnership with Japan's only international payment brand, JCB Co. Ltd. ("JCB").

Cross border payments company Airwallex announced its official launch in Singapore, following its grant of a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and a beta

The post Airwallex Officially Kicks off in Singapore appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Economic situation and tech-savvy community make Argentina an important market for building the bitcoin economy and advancing Strike’s mission of financial inclusion. CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Strike, the world’s leading digital wallet built on Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, today announced its launch in Argentina, unleashing the power of Bitcoin for domestic and international use cases for people and businesses […]

The post Strike Revolutionizes the Future of Bitcoin in Latin America with Argentina Launch appeared first on Fintech News.

TOKYO, Jan 12, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Koichiro Tanaka) has announced that its subsidiary, TANAKA Denshi Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Kanzaki-gun, Saga; Representative Director & President: Shigeru Iseki), which is engaged in the production of various types of bonding wires, will establish a new plant in Hangzhou City, China, for the production of aluminum bonding wires for power semiconductors. The plant is scheduled to commence operations in November of 2022.

Construction of this new plant forms part of TANAKA Denshi Kogyo's plans to increase its production capacity for aluminum bonding wires by approximately three-fold by 2025 in order to meet the growing global demand associated with the growth of power semiconductors.

TANAKA Denshi Kogyo has been producing various bonding wires and providing technical services at its subsidiary, TANAKA Electronics (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. in China, since 2001. With the recent imbalance of global supply and demand for semiconductors resulting in a worsening shortage of semiconductors, it has been a matter of urgency to establish a stable supply system for high-quality bonding wires as an important peripheral material for the semiconductor industry. To meet the growing demand associated with the domestic production of power semiconductors in China, in particular, the new plant will be established to provide a stable supply system for aluminum bonding wires.

As a leading manufacturer of bonding wire, TANAKA Denshi Kogyo continues to contribute to the semiconductor industry by supplying countries around the world even during states of emergency.

About power semiconductors

Power semiconductors are semiconductors that control and supply power (electricity) and are used in power supplies in electronic devices, motors, and switches. They are always used in electronic devices that have power circuits and are used in a wide range of applications, from everyday home appliances, such as PCs, smartphones, and televisions, to automotive and industrial equipment.

Bonding wires for power semiconductors are required to have the capability to carry large currents in extreme conditions, and aluminum has already been used in many power device fields for its excellent bonding properties and moisture resistance.

About TANAKA Denshi Kogyo bonding wires

TANAKA Denshi Kogyo has produced various types of bonding wire since its founding more than 50 years ago, and today it boasts a leading share of the global market. After establishing its first overseas production base in Singapore in 1978, the company has constructed additional production bases in Malaysia, China, and Taiwan. It now supplies its wires to countries engaged in the production of semiconductors around the world.

Overview of the new plant
Plant name: TANAKA Electronics (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. Jiangdong Plant
Total floor area: Approx. 11,000 m2
Description of business: Production of aluminum bonding wires
Start of operations: November 2022

Press release in PDF: https://www.acnnewswire.com/docs/files/202201_EN.pdf

TANAKA Denshi Kogyo K.K.
Headquarters: 2303-15, Yoshida, Yoshinogari-cho, Kanzaki-gun, Saga
Established: 1961
Representative: Representative Director & President: Shigeru Iseki
Capital: 1.88 billion yen
Sales: 28,259,716,000 yen (FY2020 results)
Number of employees: 819, including overseas subsidiaries, as of March 31, 2021

TANAKA Electronics (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: F1 Area, West No.19 Street, North No.10 Street, Hangzhou Economic & Technological Development Zone, Hangzhou (310018), Zhejiang
Established: 2001
Representative: Shigeru Iseki, Chairman

About TANAKA Precious Metals

Since its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, TANAKA has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and assets. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies in Japan and around the world collaborate and cooperate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a range of products and services. With 5,193 employees, the group's consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, was 1,425.6 billion yen.

Global industrial business website
https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com

Product inquiries
TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K.
https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-on-industrial-products/

Press inquiries
TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd.
https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-for-media/

Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

TOKYO, SINGAPORE & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#MonetaGo—MonetaGo is pleased to announce the launch of operations in Japan beginning effective immediately. The Japanese business is led by Mr. Munetoshi Yamada, Managing Director Japan, based in Tokyo. Yamada-san brings with him a wealth of experience in the thriving Japanese financial sector having proven himself a senior leader at […]

The post MonetaGo Commences Japan Operations led by Munetoshi Yamada appeared first on Fintech News.

Letter From Shanghai No 811 – Digital RMB only This week we feature another guest post from John Browning, founding partner of Hong Kong commodity and financial futures broker BANDS Financial. It’s the latest in his ongoing reporting on the development by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) of e-CNY, its digital yuan*. We last wrote about it here.   On Sunday (01-09-2022), I read a long article published on Yahoo Finance discussing the outlook for the use of cash, which seemed not to mention China at all in its discussion of the emergence of central bank digital currencies. I don’t

The post China Takes Next Steps in Retiring Physical Cash first appeared on FinTech Rising.

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mary Kay Inc., a global entrepreneurship development company and advocate for corporate social responsibility and sustainability, today released its year-end highlights. In 2021, Mary Kay Inc. continued its decades-long commitment to enriching the lives of women around the globe and building healthier, more sustainable communities. Learn more about Mary Kay’s 2021 accomplishments in this […]

The post Mary Kay Inc. & Mary Kay Ash FoundationSM Celebrate 2021 Year-End Highlights appeared first on Fintech News.

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. (the “Company”) (NYSE: MCB), the holding company for Metropolitan Commercial Bank (the “Bank”), today announced it will release fourth quarter and full year 2021 financial results after the market closes on Thursday, January 20, 2022. The Company will conduct a conference call at 9:00 a.m. ET on Friday, January […]

The post Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Earnings Release and Conference Call Date appeared first on Fintech News.

TOKYO, Jan 7, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - JERA Co., Inc. ("JERA") and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. ("MHI") have received notice of acceptance of their grant application, under the Green Innovation Fund program of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization ("NEDO"), to conduct a project to develop and demonstrate a technology to increase the ammonia co-firing rate at coal-fired boilers (the "Project").

Ammonia enables efficient, low-cost transport and storage of hydrogen. In addition to this role as an energy carrier, it can also be used directly as a fuel in thermal power generation. As a fuel that does not emit carbon dioxide when burned, ammonia is expected to offer great advantages in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In order to achieve a decarbonized society, it is important to reduce CO2 emissions from thermal power generation by innovating to increase the co-firing rate of fuel ammonia.

This Project aims to develop an ammonia single-fuel burner suitable for coal-fired boilers and to demonstrate operation of the burner at actual boilers. The term of the Project is approximately 8 years from FY 2021 to FY 2028.

By FY 2024, JERA and MHI will develop a new burner capable of single-fuel ammonia combustion and draw up a master plan for equipment to demonstrate its use in actual boilers. Based on the results, the two companies will decide whether to install the burners at JERA's coal-fired boilers made by MHI. For the actual plant demonstrations, JERA and MHI plan to verify co-firing with at least 50% ammonia at two units with different boiler types by FY 2028.

Under its "JERA Zero CO2 Emissions 2050" objective, JERA has been working to reduce CO2 emissions from its domestic and overseas businesses to zero by 2050, promoting the adoption of greener fuels and pursuing thermal power that does not emit CO2 during power generation. JERA will continue to contribute to energy industry decarbonization through its own proactive efforts to develop decarbonization technologies while ensuring economic rationality.

Under its "MISSION NET ZERO" declaration, MHI will promote the energy transition in cooperation with partners around the world, and contribute to achieving a carbon-neutral society through the collective efforts of the group by its products, technologies, and services that can contribute to CO2 reduction.

About MHI Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world's leading industrial groups, spanning energy, logistics & infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on www.spectra.mhi.com.


Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comJERA Co., Inc. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. have received notice of acceptance of their grant application, under the Green Innovation Fund program of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, to conduct a project to develop and demonstrate a technology to increase the ammonia co-firing rate at coal-fired boilers.