yen

Noetra, a company developing foundational models for physical AI and robotics supported by the Japanese government, CEO Hironobu Tamba stated in an interview that the company represents Japan's "last chance" to enhance domestic supply capabilities for critical technologies. In its first year, Noetra received over 380 billion yen (approximately 2.33 billion USD) in government funding and support from 44 companies, including SoftBank, Honda, and Sony. The company plans to procure 27,500 Nvidia Rubin chips, starting AI infrastructure construction in April 2027 and commencing operations in June 2028.Tamba stated that Noetra will provide Japanese companies with reliable and secure foundational models, enabling them to manage data independently. The Japanese government's goal is to deploy 10 million AI robots in manufacturing, shipbuilding, nursing, and other fields by 2040, while also advancing key technology projects like the chip foundry company Rapidus to enhance self-sufficiency and technological levels in the Sino-U.S. AI competition.

According to Cointelegraph, Japanese logistics company AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings plans to use the JPYC stablecoin to make payments to approximately 2,300 business partners, potentially becoming the first large-scale enterprise in Japan to use the yen stablecoin JPYC. This stablecoin will be used to pay transportation contractors (including truck drivers) fees and compensation.Since JPYC does not charge transfer fees, using the stablecoin allows for faster and more frequent payments. AZ-COM Maruwa is also considering establishing a partnership with JPYC and plans to invest over 1 billion yen (approximately 6.2 million USD). AZ-COM Maruwa is a medium-sized Japanese logistics company, with major clients including Amazon Japan.

According to CoinPost, the Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed company Bitcoin Japan (Old Horita Maru Masashi: 8105) announced the issuance of unsecured convertible bonds with stock subscription rights and the second round of stock subscription rights through the Cayman Islands investment fund EVO FUND, with an estimated total amount of approximately 9.657 billion yen.This marks the first time the company has allocated funds to Bitcoin since its name change, with an amount of 662 million yen, accounting for about 7% of the total financing. The remaining funds are primarily used for undisclosed equity investments (3.756 billion yen), investments in South African rare earth mines (3.503 billion yen), and investments in RaaS business (1.446 billion yen).

According to Jinshi reports, Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management stated that the U.S. Treasury yield curve may begin to steepen. In addition, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, and the Federal Reserve may coordinate interventions before the end of 2026 to boost the yen.

According to CoinPost, Kinexys, a blockchain division of JPMorgan, announced the addition of five currencies to its Blockchain Deposit Account (BDA) network: Australian Dollar (AUD), Hong Kong Dollar (HKD), Japanese Yen (JPY), Renminbi (RMB), and Singapore Dollar (SGD). This expands the total supported currencies to eight, including the existing Euro, British Pound, and US Dollar, making it the platform with the most supported currencies in the global blockchain settlement and on-chain foreign exchange field.The BDA operates on JPMorgan's private blockchain, supporting 24/7 settlement and programmable payment features. Japanese energy giant JERA Global Markets became the first enterprise to adopt the Yen BDA, aimed at optimizing internal fund flow management and liquidity allocation. Currently, Kinexys has processed a cumulative transaction volume exceeding $40 trillion, with a daily transaction volume of over $7 billion.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY briefly touched 161.941, then quickly fell back 20 points, currently reported at 161.84.

Japan's financial group SBI Holdings announced the official issuance of the yen stablecoin JPYSC, with the first issuance completed. This stablecoin is managed by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank for reserve asset management, while the licensed cryptocurrency trading platform SBI VC Trade is responsible for circulation and distribution. SBI stated that JPYSC is Japan's first yen stablecoin managed by a trust bank and is also the first to be recognized as a "similar product to electronic payment means" under the Payment Services Act. Unlike the previously launched fund transfer-type stablecoins in Japan, JPYSC is not subject to a single transaction and account balance limit of 1 million yen.SBI expects that JPYSC will attract retail and institutional users with lower transaction costs and the ability to support large transactions, and it can serve as the yen-based asset for on-chain foreign exchange markets, institutional lending, and RWA (real-world asset) tokenized settlements. Currently, JPYSC is only available to SBI VC Trade account holders, with plans to expand its usage after regulatory and tax frameworks are further clarified. SBI also plans to launch JPYSC lending services.In recent years, Japan has been continuously promoting compliant stablecoins to integrate into the mainstream financial system. Following the approval of JPYC in 2025 as Japan's first legally recognized yen stablecoin, Japan's three major banks—Mitsubishi UFJ Bank (MUFG), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), and Mizuho Bank—are also jointly advancing stablecoin projects, with plans to launch commercial trading in the fiscal year 2026.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY has briefly dropped nearly ten points, currently reported at 161.66.

According to CoinPost, Japan's national corporate pension fund plans to start investing in cryptocurrencies in the fiscal year 2026, with an allocation ratio of about 1% of its total operating assets (approximately 21.3 billion yen).The report states that the asset allocation ratio for the fiscal year 2025 is: 80% in yen, 15% in US dollars, and 5% in other currencies. However, in the fiscal year 2026, the yen allocation ratio will decrease to 70%, and a new 10% allocation will be made for currencies from developed countries. The remaining 5% will consist of emerging market currencies, gold, and cryptocurrencies.The main purpose is to diversify currency risk. The fund's executive director, Ai Yuki, stated that due to the potential weakening of the US dollar as a benchmark currency, they decided not to increase their holdings in US dollars and instead use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as a hedge against currency depreciation, as Bitcoin has a lower correlation with the US dollar index.After approximately six years of investigation, the fund has determined that the cryptocurrency market has matured as the investor base has expanded. In the future, the fund will continue to explore the possibility of expanding cryptocurrency investments, including funds for arbitrage trading of various cryptocurrencies.

According to the Nikkei, the SBI Group has obtained approval from the Financial Services Agency of Japan and plans to issue a yen-pegged stablecoin, JPYSC, within this week, becoming the first trust-type stablecoin in Japan.The stablecoin is issued by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank, with SBIVC Trade responsible for trading, and it is jointly developed with Singapore fintech company Startale Group. The SBI Group plans to deeply integrate JPYSC with its financial services, including securities, crypto assets, and banking, to enhance user convenience.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY has briefly dropped over 30 points and is now rebounding to 161.48.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY short-term fell by more than 40 points, turning down 0.1% during the day, with a low of 161.07.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY exchange rate has briefly dropped by about 70 points, currently reported at 161.7.

According to the Nikkei Asia report, the Japanese government recently announced plans to achieve over 370 trillion yen (approximately 15.59 trillion yuan) in public-private joint investment in 17 strategic areas by fiscal year 2040. Among these, approximately 10.5 trillion yen (about 442.3 billion yuan) will be specifically allocated to the field of physical AI.It is reported that the Japanese government expects physical AI technology to play a key role in scenarios such as industrial automation, unmanned transportation, and infrastructure inspections, to alleviate the labor shortage caused by the intensifying aging population and the imbalance between labor supply and demand, thereby comprehensively enhancing productivity. In addition, to mitigate the potential risks of high-performance artificial intelligence, Japan also announced a new AI policy draft last week, planning to further strengthen relevant threat control and safety assessment mechanisms.

According to a report by Kyodo News, the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested three men on suspicion of violating the Organized Crime Punishment Law for laundering criminal proceeds on behalf of an investment fraud gang. It is said that these three individuals exchanged approximately 14 million yen from 10 victims across six prefectures into stablecoins and other cryptocurrency assets to conceal the source of the funds.According to the Osaka Prefectural Police, these three individuals belong to "over-the-counter traders" who conduct personal cryptocurrency transactions without using trading platforms and are believed to have participated in money laundering activities amounting to billions of yen.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY short-term fell by 20 points, currently approaching 161.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY briefly fell about 80 points to 160.94, and has now rebounded to 161.53.

According to Jinshi reports, the US dollar against the Japanese yen (USD/JPY) has risen above 161 for the first time since July 2024, and the yen exchange rate has hit a nearly 2-year low.