This time we’re examining Korea, Australia, and Japan’s unique virtual banking landscape.

This rising trend is changing the way we bank.

Most startups in Japan exit by IPO, or going public. And 2021 was the year in which we witnessed some major changes in Japan’s IPO market.

Among the investors that invest in companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, about 28~31 percent are foreign investors.

The market cap (the value of the company) at IPO is getting higher. In 2020, no company had a market cap at IPO over JPY 10 billion, but in 2021, there were five.

There are some qualitative changes that would also change the dynamics of Japan’s IPO market.

Some Lending-as-a-Service providers can approve your loan in a matter of minutes.

What do Apple, DoorDash, Square, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Manchester United have in common? They all have their own credit cards.

Just as there are e-commerce enablers such as Shopify, Shopee, PayPal, Wix.com, there are a growing number of banking enablers in the finance world. Banking enablers focus on providing the technological aspect of banking services, so their clients can concentrate on acquiring and serving customers.

In the past, financial services have always been provided by what we customarily think of as financial institutions — banks, credit card companies, even insurance companies. However, it’s become increasingly common for non-financial companies to become the distributors of financial services, thanks to embedded finance, AKA finance enablers.

Industries develop over time and when they mature, they tend to become more specialized. That’s what is currently happening with the FinTech industry and financial service in general. It’s entering a new phase of division and specialization.

Arguably the most important part of enabling companies to provide financial services.