Takuya Koyama: Making Everyone an Investor

2019/08/23

Turning 60 in March 2016, looking back on my life, I have spent my career in the financial industry since graduation, spending one-third of my time abroad and two-thirds in Japan. I was studying in LA during the Los Angeles Olympics, working in the City of London when the Gulf War broke out, and even served as president in Frankfurt when the Euro was launched. After returning to Japan in 2000, I gained experience in the foreign asset management industry. Just before turning 60, the president of the management company I was with at the time told me, "Knowing you, if there's something you want to do, I'll release you at 60." This made me want to take on a new challenge as the final chapter of my career.

At that time, I believed that "FinTech" would become a new trend replacing existing businesses, and I began looking for ways I could contribute to that field. If people start building assets properly from a young age, they can avoid the risk of running out of funds in old age and survive the era of 100-year lifespans. While I was wondering if there was a system that allowed for steady investment even before one has significant assets, I learned that "investing with spare change" had grown into a major business in the U.S. two years ahead of Japan. Bringing the same business model to Japan was extremely difficult due to various barriers, but fortunately, I met some experienced friends and was able to establish TORANOTEC three years ago.

By downloading the asset-building app "Toranoko," users can track the "spare change" from their registered shopping data (credit cards, electronic money, etc.) for a monthly fee of 300 yen, and invest in investment trusts in increments of 1 yen starting from 5 yen. It is a system where the equivalent of one month's worth of accumulated spare change is withdrawn from a bank account and automatically invested in an internationally diversified portfolio. Currently, the user base is expanding primarily among millennials, but it is not just for the youth. In an environment where people in their mid-50s can now work until around age 70, seniors can also build up assets with the feeling of a second pension. I believe people can truly experience the importance of steady saving through the power of compound interest. With the slogan "Making Everyone an Investor," TORANOTEC sincerely hopes that a wide range of people will start investing.