Mizuho to launch fintech venture

New venture: A security guard stands at the entrance to Mizuho headquarters in Tokyo. The company says there are already 20 projects in the pipeline for fintech ventures, utilising blockchain technology and artificial intelligence programmes in areas such as farming and travel. — Bloomberg

TOKYO: Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group will start a venture next month to create new businesses using “fintech,” an executive said, joining a global race in financial technology that threatens to unsettle traditional players.

Japan’s second-largest lender by assets said there were already 20 projects in the pipeline for the venture, utilising blockchain technology and artificial intelligence programmes in areas such as farming and travel.