～ GRAND PRIX AWARDED TO SBI SECURITIES Co.,Ltd. & Shinsei Trust & Banking Co., Ltd. & Tokio Marine Asset Management Co., Ltd. & BOOSTRY Co., Ltd. ～

FINOLAB Inc. and FINOVATORS – have  announced Grand Prix and Category Excellence for the respective category for “Japan Financial Innovation Award 2026（JFIA 2026）” on Mar. 2 at “Future Frontier Fes by FINOLAB (4F).”

JFIA was inaugurated in the Year 2020 to promote innovative initiatives in financial area by adopting information technology and to share best practices in the industry, and expects to further expand open innovation beyond corporate groups and business sectors. JFIA2026 consists for 3 categories, including Startup, Financial Institution, and Collaboration. FINOLAB, the FinTech Center of Japan, administrated the evaluation process by extracting over 300 innovative initiatives from press releases during the year 2025.  Several category winners were selected by the group of professionals, FINOVATORS, based on the criteria of innovation, growth, and transformation and announced on Feb. 2. And after further evaluation, Grand Prix and Category Excellence for each category was announced during the 4F.

JFIA 2026 Grand Prix and Category Excellence： https://jfia.tokyo/
Award	Company	Initiative (Press Release)	Remarks
Grand Prix	SBI SECURITIES Co.,Ltd.Shinsei Trust & Banking Co., Ltd.Tokio Marine Asset Management Co., Ltd.BOOSTRY Co., Ltd.	Japan’s First: Development of a blockchain-based Private Equity fund investment product for individual investors.https://www.sbigroup.co.jp/news/2025/0926_15775.html	They were honored for pioneering the first domestic public offering program of security tokens within a Special Beneficial Interest Bearing Trust for private equity investments, marking a significant milestone in Japan’s digital asset market.”
StartupCategory Excellence	Wise Payments Limited	Wise becomes the first fund transfer service to connect to Japan’s Zengin System via API; opens settlement account with Bank of Japan.https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000004.000139099.html	Wise was recognized for becoming the first non-bank funds transfer service provider to connect to the Zengin System, opening up new possibilities in the remittance business.
Financial Institution Category Excellence	The General Insurance Association of Japan	Launch of “One-JIBAI,” an industry-wide collaborative system for Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance.https://www.sonpo.or.jp/news/release/2024/g34l0i0000005i6g-att/250121_01.pdf	The recognition was awarded for establishing an industry standard that enables remote procedures for Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance (CALI). By facilitating cashless premium payments and the digital issuance of insurance certificates, the initiative significantly contributed to enhancing operational efficiency.
CollaborationCategory Excellence	Charichari, Inc.Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking CorporationMusic Securities, Inc.Impact Circle, Inc.	Local production & consumption of finance: Charichari × MUTB launch Japan’s first retail financial product secured by shared-cycle bicycles. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000183.000048038.html	The award recognizes the development of a new financial model based on shared cycling services that address regional transportation challenges. This was achieved by leveraging the respective strengths of partner companies to create social and economic value.

JFIA 2026 Winners
Category	Company	Initiative (Some are Only in Japanese)
Startup	Trinity Technology Co., Ltd	“OHI-SAPO,” a lifelong support service for elderly living alone, forms business alliances with 20 banks nationwide.https://trinity-tech.co.jp/corporate/news/108/
	Recept K.K.	Announcement: Launch of “proovy Bank VC Service”.https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000056.000139472.html
	Digital Wallet Corporation	We have started offering the overseas remittance service “TAX REFUND JAPAN” in response to the reform of the tax exemption system for inbound tourists.https://digitalwallet.co.jp/en/news/tax-refund-japan
	BANKEY Inc.	BANKEY officially releases “Pay By Bank,” a cashless payment system for direct-from-account payments.https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000137193.html
	Wise Payments Limited	Wise becomes the first fund transfer service to connect to Japan’s Zengin System via API; opens settlement account with Bank of Japan.https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000004.000139099.html
Financial Institution	The General Insurance Association of Japan	Launch of “One-JIBAI,” an industry-wide collaborative system for Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance.https://www.sonpo.or.jp/news/release/2024/g34l0i0000005i6g-att/250121_01.pdf
	Seven Bank, Ltd	A new financial experience for daily life: Launch of “FACE CASH” facial recognition deposit and withdrawal service.https://contents.xj-storage.jp/xcontents/AS96633/da9a0e7d/c7e6/4db7/8a95/6ef297424f6c/20250205144424504s.pdf
	Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation	Launch of “Trunk,” a comprehensive digital financial service for corporations, starting May 2025.https://www.smbc.co.jp/news/pdf/j20250415_01.pdf
	Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited	Launch of “Shareholder Passport”: Supporting DX-driven dialogue between listed companies and individual shareholders. https://www.smtb.jp/-/media/tb/about/corporate/release/pdf/250417.pdf
	ALTERNA TRUST, Ltd.	Establishment of “Alterna Trust,” a New Company that Specializes in Digital Securities.https://www.smtb.jp/english/-/media/tb/english/news/pdf/E250703.pdf
Collaboration	Dwilar, IncSeven Bank, Ltd	Seven Bank × Dwilar, Inc.: Utilizing cross-border credit across 42 countries to innovate daily infrastructure for foreign residents. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000004.000149219.html
	GMO Aozora Net Bank, Ltd.Senshu Ikeda Holdings,Inc.	“BaaS by GMO Aozora” enables advanced initiative: A bank providing BaaS services and functions for 01 Bank. https://gmo-aozora.com/news/2025/20250724-01.html
	Charichari, Inc.Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking CorporationMusic Securities, Inc.Impact Circle, Inc.	Local production & consumption of finance: Charichari × MUTB launch Japan’s first retail financial product secured by shared-cycle bicycles. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000183.000048038.html
	SBI SECURITIES Co.,Ltd.Shinsei Trust & Banking Co., Ltd.Tokio Marine Asset Management Co., Ltd.BOOSTRY Co., Ltd.	Japan’s First: Development of a blockchain-based Private Equity fund investment product for individual investors.https://www.sbigroup.co.jp/news/2025/0926_15775.html
	UI Bank Co., Ltd.The Kansai Electric Power CO., INC.	UI Bank and Kansai Electric Power announce the launch of “CQ BANK,” a new banking service.https://contents.xj-storage.jp/xcontents/AS04434/1a4190e6/8f67/4c9d/ba3d/72bb26f3a76f/140120251104586138.pdf

（In order of announced Order）

■About FINOLAB Inc.

Address：Otemachi 1-6-1, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo

Representative：CEO, Hiroshi Yamamoto

Founded：2019-07-11

Capital：JPY 300 Million 

Business Domain：Promoting FinTech initiatives of Members, including startups and corporates, and expand FinTech ecosystem in Japan. 

Web：https://finolab.co.jp/

■About FINOLAB Community 

The Fintech Center of Tokyo, FINOLAB is a membership community and an office space located in the heart of international financial district in Tokyo）to promote  FinTech ecosystem. Launched in Feb. 2016 by Mitsubishi Estate and Dentsu Group as the first FinTech Center in Japan. Consists of 60 Startup Members, 6 Associations and 21 Corporate Members (As of Feb. 2026). https://finolab.tokyo/

■About FINOVATORS, General Incorporated AssociationNon-profit organization, with a group of pro-bono experts（Layer, Investor, Consultant, Analyst, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Banker, Public Sector Specialist, etc.）for supporting startups. Driving health innovation ecosystem in Japan by activities based on global and future vision, not limited to any organization or business area. http://finovators.org/