GMO-VP hits $65M first close on eighth fintech fund, targets AI-era finance
What's the deal? GMO VenturePartners, the venture arm of Japan's GMO Internet GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has held an interim close on roughly ¥10 billion (about $65 million) for its eighth fund, GMO Fintech Fund 8 (GFF8). Backers include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking CorporationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Mizuho BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, other financial institutions, and GMO Internet GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → companies.
What's the endgame? GFF8 targets what the firm calls "AI-era fintech" — companies rebuilding currency, banking, payments, and commerce with AI and software, not just digitising financial services. It invests from seed to growth stage, centred on Series A, across four regions: Japan, India, Southeast Asia, and North America.
Why now? GMO-VP argues that AI is set to take over core financial functions such as credit assessment and customer service, while stablecoins, deposit tokens, and AI-native banks reshape money flows. The fund aims to channel knowledge from these frontiers back into Japan's financial and regional economy.
Who's backing it? LPs cited GMO-VP's 20-year fintech track record and its "bridge function" connecting global fintech to Japan. Several startups that GMO-VP backed early — now among Japan's largest — have joined as investors. The fund has a ¥12 billion cap and is working toward a final close.
Where's the money going? GFF8 has already begun investing in stablecoins, AI-agent payments, and AI-driven industrial transformation. Portfolio names include Japan's 10pct.Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a fully-managed hotel operations service, and US-based 1MoneyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a full-stack infrastructure firm for stablecoins and real-world assets. It has also backed a Silicon Valley fintech-focused VC.
Track record. Since its 2005 founding, GMO-VP has invested in about 230 companies, 21 of which have listed publicly. Past funds produced unicorns including Razorpay in India, Kredivo, Coda, and Xendit in Indonesia, and Flex in North America.
What's different? The firm says GFF8 can support portfolio companies through both equity and debt, tapping GMO Internet Group's payments and finance infrastructure, including GMO Payment GatewayDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. That lets it accelerate capital-hungry areas such as lending, BNPL, and B2B payments while limiting equity dilution.
The signal: The fund reflects growing interest from Japanese banks and lessors in gaining exposure to AI-driven fintech as regional lenders confront population decline and asset outflows. "AI and fintech will rewrite the world's finance over the next decade," said founding partner Ryu Muramatsu (translated from Japanese), framing GFF8 as a channel for importing those shifts into Japan.
Image credit: GMO Venture Partners
