Online brokerage giant Monex has partnered with Tokyo-based NTT Docomo to launch a new service that allows customers to purchase mutual funds using their credit cards.

Promoting mutual fund investments

Monex will offer customers the ability to make regular purchases of mutual funds using NTT Docomo's d CARD, sources said. The integration, which allows investors to receive 1.1 per cent of their monthly mutual fund payments back in the form of d POINT, is expected to greatly encourage regular investment.

Customers using d Card GOLD will reportedly receive a 1.1 per cent fixed rate of return on their regular investments in their NISA accounts, a move that Monex says is a way of providing users with a financial service that meets their needs and simplifies their investment process.

In April, Monex Group completed the acquisition of a majority stake in 3iQ Digital Holdings. The acquisition, initially announced in December 2023, adds 3iQ and its subsidiaries to the Monex portfolio.

To facilitate 3iQ's growth, Monex invested $7.5 million in 3iQ's managed account platform (QMAP), which is designed to provide institutional investors with access to a diversified range of cryptocurrency hedge funds. The company expects the investment to strengthen 3iQ's business in institutional digital asset management.

Strengthening the global business

Monex's acquisition and investment in 3iQ is in line with its wider strategy to boost its asset management business. monex has been expanding its presence in the asia-Pacific region, with plans to expand its sales team by 80 per cent.

Elsewhere, Nick Edgeley recently stepped down as CEO of Monex Europe Limited, the UK arm of Monex Europe Holdings. Following his departure, he has been replaced by Michael Quinn, who will also lead the investment firm's Monex Europe Markets Limited as CEO.

Edgeley founded Schneider Foreign Exchange in 2006, which was acquired by Monex in 2012 and rebranded.18 He will leave the firm after 18 years, reportedly to pursue other endeavours outside the firm. Under his leadership, the firm has grown from a small team of four to a global enterprise with operations in five international offices.