FinCity.Tokyo, the financial promotion body for Tokyo, is intensifying its efforts to help fintech startups scale into the city’s rapidly growing financial ecosystem, leveraging a projected market growth to USD $30.2billion by 2033. The organisation is actively working to position Tokyo as the “second home” for global fintech innovators, particularly those from the ASEAN region.
To this end, FinCity.Tokyo will host a Fintech Insight Session on November 13, 2025, at the Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF). The session, themed “Unlocking Tokyo: the next wave in Fintech and DeFi,” will explore mechanisms to accelerate innovation through sandbox collaboration, digital asset frameworks, and Japanese capital inflows into Southeast Asia.
Bridging capital and compliance
The push to attract international talent capitalises on Japan’s dual advantage: deep institutional credibility and a proactive regulatory environment. Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) operates a regulatory sandbox open to both local and international startups, providing a flexible, low-barrier environment for testing new business models.
Tokio Morita, executive director of FinCity.Tokyo, noted the accelerating cross-border momentum. “With ASEAN’s fintech market projected to exceed USD$150billion by 2030… and Japan standing as the region’s third-largest foreign investor, the momentum for deeper collaboration has never been stronger,” Morita stated. He stressed that Japan offers both capital and the credibility of a well-established regulatory environment.
FinCity.Tokyo complements these regulatory efforts by offering hands-on support for fintech expansion into Japan, working closely with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government‘s Invest Tokyo platform.
Strategic support for global innovators
The organisation has already supported the successful scaling of several international startups. This includes ADDX, a Singapore-based security tokenisation platform that has since secured relationships with major Japanese investors and financial institutions, such as Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings and Development Bank of Japan (DBJ).
The support offered by FinCity.Tokyo covers practical aspects, including assistance with searching for office space, accessing legal support for incorporating an entity, and visibility within the Japanese financial services firms.
The Fintech Insight Session at SFF will further detail how Japanese government policies are enabling innovation and how overseas players can leverage the city’s resources. Furthermore, qualifying foreign fintechs may receive up to JPY 30million (approximately USD $200,000) in subsidies covering business setup and expansion under the Attraction U Project. Tokyo is strategically positioning itself as a springboard for global fintech innovators, combining regulatory facilitation, capital access, and digital asset frameworks.
