Shinichi Takatori, President and CEO of Kyash Inc.

2025.03.01

Connecting people with value and freeing up the flow of money

President and CEO of Kyash Inc.　Shinichi Takatori(Takatori Shinichi)

■ Profile
After graduating from the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University, he joined Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. After working in corporate sales, he established overseas branches in corporate planning and researched domestic and international banking models as a person in charge of partnership strategies with financial institutions. He then worked on new B2C businesses at the US and Japan branches of a US strategic consulting firm. He conceived the next generation of currency and founded Kyash Inc.

Payment methods have become increasingly diverse in recent years. Amid this, Kyash Inc. is developing a unique service that combines smartphone payment services with credit card functions. CEO Shinichi Takatori says that, especially now that cashless transactions are rapidly increasing, he wants to "restore the relationship between money and people." We spoke to Takatori about his student days, the appeal of the company, and his outlook for the future.

■Diversity learned through studying abroad

I studied abroad in the US for a year during high school. After returning to Japan, I immediately took the entrance exams and enrolled in university. Having received an education different to that in Japan, I experienced a major culture shock when I returned home, and I thought, "If I do the same as everyone else, I'll never catch up," so I began to think about how I could catch up with others and come up with my own way of doing things. It was during my time at university that I faced myself and tried to figure out what my own way of doing things was.
The School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University, where I was enrolled, was a newly established school. All classes were taught in English, and the curriculum included study abroad. I had studied abroad in high school, and I wanted to do it again, so I chose this school. My parents in Nagoya were host families, and we had international students living at home, so naturally, I wanted to go abroad myself. Studying abroad in the United States in high school and college taught me the vastness of diversity in the world. It also taught me that America isn't like Japan, where no one will do anything for you (laughs). Overseas, everything is your own responsibility, and nothing happens unless you raise your hand and take action. I believe the importance of initiative I learned there has shaped the way I think today.

My time as a banker gave me the opportunity to reassess Japanese banking services

Although I had never thought about starting a business, I thought it would be great to create something. After joining Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and working on setting up the bank's overseas bases, I learned what banks can do and what their role is in foreign countries. The presence of banks in local areas differs depending on the country, and I was able to see the diversity of banks, such as what kind of financial functions banks can provide to increase people's convenience, and I also learned about the challenges facing banking services in Japan.
Shortly after moving to the bank's headquarters, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, and the bank opened a cash account to collect donations. However, there was a fee to send even 100 yen to the disaster area. It seemed like the value of digital money was being diminished by the fee, even though it was simply being delivered to a place in need. In other words, the toll on the money highway felt too high.
After that, I changed jobs to become a consultant and became involved in what is now known as DX, which is how to combine in-store experiences with smartphone experiences.
If money could move on a money highway, that is, via mobile phones and the internet, there would be no tolls. I wanted to take on the challenge of building such a system myself, which led to the founding of the company.

■ Creating a true value transfer infrastructure

Kyash's service, which partnered with Visa early on, allows users to charge their smartphone digital wallet, much like other smartphone payment services. A key feature is that it can be used anywhere Visa is accepted. Transferring value between wallets is free, and Kyash offers a service that allows users to not only charge their wallets in advance but also pay later when they run out of cash. It's like combining the functionality of a smartphone payment service with that of a credit card. Kyash also has no age restrictions. Credit cards allow users to pay later, so the concept is similar to lending money. Some may question the appropriateness of lending money to minors. However, not everyone spends too much, and given that we live in an age where paying with cash is difficult, I believe it's only natural that a system will emerge that allows people of all ages to use money without restrictions, as long as they have a smartphone.

■Contributing to future generations and society is also Kyash's mission

By using the money transfer function, you can easily do crowdfunding by creating and displaying your own QR code and asking supporters to donate money. I think we are entering an era where individuals will have more influence and become stronger. It won't be the case that you have to be famous to take on a challenge, but rather an environment will be created where anyone with a good idea can take on the challenge.
For example, if you draw a picture and attach a QR code underneath it, someone who likes it might send you 100 yen... I think small successes like these can spark all kinds of opportunities. I hope Kyash can contribute to that bright and wonderful future.
Another of our founding missions is to expand our role in delivering value to those who take on challenges and those in need, without travel costs.We believe that if Kyash can change the way money moves and create a society where economic activity is more active, it will also contribute to society.

■Reconnecting people to their money

When we first started, we envisioned an infrastructure that would create a smooth financial channel between those who wanted to send money and those who needed it. However, as we provided this service, cashless payments rapidly spread throughout society, and it seems that the mistaken impression that cashless payments were confusing people was planted in our minds. Indeed, looking at society today, the concept of money and the businesses and systems that handle it have become so convenient that people seem to have lost control over their money and are instead being manipulated. Therefore, Kyash places great importance on restoring the relationship between people and money. This idea is at the heart of our introduction of a system in the Kyash app that allows users to see how much money they are spending and what they are using it for. Of course, sticking to the vision we established at the time of our founding isn't always a good idea, and we need to adapt flexibly to social changes. In this environment, I feel that the challenge—and the challenge—is to establish ourselves as a necessary presence in society.

■Message to students

Nowadays, when you open social media like Instagram, only things you like and related to you appear, and it's become commonplace to see content optimized for each individual. While it may seem like you have access to a wide variety of things through the internet, in the end, only a very small portion of society has access to things that are biased toward your own way of thinking. With that in mind, it's important to truly understand diversity and the world around you. I myself have treasured the many experiences I've had, taught by my family and friends. After coming into contact with diverse values, I hope you'll get a sense of the vastness of the world and think about the future you want to create.

Student Newspaper Online December 6, 2024 Interview by Toyo University sophomore Rinno Koshiyama