Business

The Tokyo Financial Award 2025 Is Now Accepting Applications From Participating Companies for Financial Innovation Category!

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, with the aim of making Tokyo an “Innovation and Financial Hub in Asia for Realizing a Sustainable Society,” is making effective use of “Special Zones for Financial and Asset Management Businesses” established in June 2024 to promote initiatives that will position Tokyo as the leading city for sustainable finance, and as the city where global startups are born.

The Tokyo Financial Award 2025 recognizes initiatives that contribute to the creation of innovation in the financial sector, and that utilize the power of finance to achieve a sustainable society. We are now accepting applicants for this award “Financial Innovation Category” as detailed below.

Applications for the "Sustainability Category" are scheduled to open around the end of May.

1. Outline

This is a business plan contest that recognizes ideas making use of the latest financial technology to offer solutions for the societal issues facing Tokyo residents and society as a whole.

Applications will be judged from the perspective of the innovativeness of the idea, social impact, and feasibility.

Businesses that pass the first screening (written proposal) will be provided with mentoring and additional support to brush up their plan (about 15 applicants). Prize money will be awarded to the top three applicants in the final screening (presentation). (1st place: 10 million yen; 2nd place: 5 million yen; 3rd place: 3 million yen)

Information about the Screening Committee will be updated on the Tokyo Financial Awards website from time to time.

Application deadline: Thursday July 31, 2025.

2. Business Themes for Application

*Underlined items indicate themes newly open for application this fiscal year.

Category	Business themes
Themes shared across all financial services	Collaboration between financial and non-financial industries and the non-financial industry's use of Fintech and entry into the financial industry (e.g., embedded finance) Improved convenience of asset management through extended compatibility, etc. (e.g., collective management of banks, insurance, securities, inheritance, etc.) Personal advisory services Preparing for the era of “the 100-year life”（e.g., services to compensate for cognitive decline, bridging the digital divide） Financial services available in multiple languages and currencies (e.g., for non-Japanese people, overseas travelers) Promotion of financial education (e.g., education regarding asset management and insurance) Digitalization of financial services to SMEs and bridging the digital divide Expansion of Peer-to-Peer (P2P)* financial services (e.g., financing, insurance, investment) *A communication technology that allows terminals to share data directly with each other without using a server, etc.
Payments	Promotion/ Enhanced convenience of online transactions (e.g., cost reduction, simplifying methods for operations/management) Greater availability of cashless payments (e.g., expanded payment options, proliferation of stores that accept cashless payments, enhanced interoperability, diffusion of digital payroll system) Enhanced convenience and safety of payment/remittance methods (e.g., cost reduction, expansion of value-added features beyond payment functionality)
Asset management	Investment products and services with low barriers to entry (e.g., investments with small amounts, reduced costs, investment advisory) Sophisticated management analysis and risk management (e.g., investment decisions using AI, etc.)
Insurance	Simplified procedures and operational efficiency Diversification of services (e.g., provision of pre-insurance and post-insurance services)
Financing	Easier-to-use financial services (e.g., shorter screening times, lower interest rates) Financing services available to a diverse range of targets (e.g., individuals, SMEs, start-ups)
DX/infrastructure	Promotion of data utilization (e.g., opening up data, Co-creative problem-solving using finance) Streamlined work processes (e.g., accounting, verifying IDs) Improved security (e.g., anti-money laundering, anti-phishing measures) Facilitation of carbon credit trading (e.g., building trading platforms, enhanced transparency of carbon credits) Promotion of supply chain finance (e.g., acceleration of fund collection, streamlining of trade procedures) Use of generative AI (e.g., data analysis and prediction, fraud detection, chatbots) Blockchain-based financial services (e.g., security tokens, stable coins, decentralized security systems)