TORANOTEC

About TORANOTEC

TORANOTEC is a Japanese financial technology group founded in August 2016 by President and CEO Justin Balogh. Balogh, who spent 18 years at State Street in securities, asset management, and banking, established the firm to make wealth creation more accessible in Japan and broader Asian markets. The company is headquartered in Tokyo and operates through its primary holding company, TORANOTEC Ltd., which focuses on app development and partnerships, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, TORANOTEC Asset Management Ltd., which handles investment management and regulated financial services.

The group's flagship service is "Toranoko," a micro-investment application launched in 2017 that enables users to invest small amounts of money. The core feature of Toranoko is its ability to round up users' daily purchases from linked credit cards or e-money and invest the spare change. The platform also allows users to invest loyalty points, airline miles, and cash, effectively bridging daily consumption with long-term asset building. Toranoko is designed to be accessible to first-time investors, offering three professionally managed funds with different risk levels, all of which provide globally diversified portfolios of stocks and bonds. The service aims to lower the barrier to entry for investing, with investments starting from small increments.

TORANOTEC serves both individual retail investors and institutional clients. For individuals, it provides the Toranoko app and related services like "Money Step," a pedometer app that rewards users with points for walking, which can then be invested. For institutional clients, the firm offers specialized investment strategies, including actively managed Japanese equity funds and global alternative investment strategies. The company's business model involves partnerships with companies in various sectors like retail, travel, and telecoms to integrate its investment services into their customer loyalty programs. In August 2021, TORANOTEC completed a Series C financing round of JPY 2.9 billion, led by JIC Venture Growth Investments. Other key investors include Seven Bank, Rakuten, and Aslead Capital Pte. Ltd.