SBI Leads Japanese Bitcoin Exchange’s $27 Million Series C
Japan-based bitcoin exchange bitFlyer has raised ¥3bn, or just shy of $27m, in a Series C funding round led by Venture Labo Investment and SBI Investment, the venture capital division of financial services conglomerate SBI Group. The announcement is the latest for bitFlyer, which raised ¥510m ($4m) as part of a funding round last August that included Dentsu Digital Holdings, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital Co and Venture Labo. In interview, bitFlyer CEO Yuzo Kano indicated that the funding could be used to double the size of the exchange’s 23-person....
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In a follow-up to the previous article in which a Japanese source claimed that the Japanese Metro Police Department was looking into additional charges against former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles for fraudulent system manipulation, sources now confirm that Karpeles has been arrested by Japanese Police. Karpeles is suspected of having accessed the exchange’s computer system and falsifying data regarding its outstanding balance. Mt. Gox Formerly claimed that the balance issue was caused by a bug, but later filed for bankruptcy, losing over 850,000 bitcoins. Since the huge loss, over 200,000....
One of the largest bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, Kraken, has announced an investment from a leading Japanese foreign exchange brokerage, in the exchange’s Series B round of financing. Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has announced an investment from Tokyo-based Money Partners Group as a part of its Series B round of financing, in a press release today. Money Partners Group holds a market cap of over $260 million and is among the leading foreign exchange brokerages in Japan with over 270,000 client networks. The terms of the investment were not disclosed. This would mark....
A Tokyo-based financial technology company called Kyash has raised $41.2 million in a Series D funding round which saw participation from the Block (formerly known as Square). The investment into the Japanese mobile financial app firm is the Block’s first investment in the Asia Pacific region, according to the announcement.
Fintech Firm Kyash Gets a Capital Raise Boost From the Block
According to a report by Nikkei, the financial technology (fintech) company Kyash has raised $41.2 million in a Series D financing round. Kyash was founded in 2015 and is a fintech platform....
Japanese venture capital firm SBI Investment is leading a Series B funding round in bitcoin exchange Kraken. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Kraken said that a “multi-million dollar” investment had been agreed upon with SBI. Kraken did not say when it expected the Series B round to be completed. “It’s a fantastic first step toward completing Series B, which will ultimately enable us to scale our business worldwide,” said Kraken CEO Jesse Powell. SBI Investment is the venture capital arm of SBI Holdings, an Internet-based financial group that reported an operating revenue of....
Shamed Mt. Gox former CEO Mark Karpeles allegedly used suspected embezzled funds to pay for prostitutes, new reports claim. Citing Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, local news publication Astrowani writes that Karpeles “spent an unspecified sum on prostitutes.” Another agency citing police makes reference to “several women whom he met at venues that offer sexual services.” Mt. Gox bitcoin CEO Mark Karpeles re-arrested on charges of embezzlement. The embattled ex-CEO is currently being held by Japanese police after it was alleged that he wired 20 million Yen (US$166,000) of Mt. Gox funds to his....