#Japan #Tokyo #Smart Plus #Digital Wealth Manager #Tatsuo Ichikawa

Tatsuo Ichikawa Takes on Role as Bond Strategy Advisor at Smart Plus

Smart Plus, a part of the Finatext Group focused on integrated finance through next-generation financial infrastructure, has announced the appointment of Tatsuo Ichikawa as Bond Strategy Advisor. This move is aimed at enhancing expertise in bond trading and expanding customer services on the Digital Wealth Manager (DWM) platform.

Background of the Appointment

Since the launch of its bond trading services in March 2025, Smart Plus has been actively expanding its business operations. Following the initiation of bond trading on the DWM, sales through independent financial advisors (IFAs) have steadily increased. To support this growth, the company introduced the DWM Bond Navigator, a bond investment support service, slated for release in October 2025. With plans for further expansion of its bond services, the company sought the expertise of Ichikawa to provide specialized advisory in the bond market.

Tatsuo Ichikawa's Profile

Tatsuo Ichikawa is a distinguished figure in bond trading, holding a master's degree from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University. Starting his career at Morgan Stanley as a bond strategist, he has engaged in yield curve analysis and portfolio strategy formulation. Additionally, Ichikawa has contributed to building core deposit models at ABN Amro and RBS securities, providing various banks with these models. After rejoining Morgan Stanley in 2009, he held significant roles including Head of the Bond Division and Director. In 2016, he joined Japan Post Bank as Executive Officer in the Quantitative Department, overseeing all quantitative analyses in market sectors, including asset allocation. Recently, he has devoted time to pro bono activities focusing on financial education, and has been an adjunct lecturer at Tokyo Metropolitan University since 2017, teaching on bond investments and asset-liability management.

Role and Contributions of Ichikawa

In his new role, Ichikawa will leverage his extensive experience to help build optimal bond portfolio proposal systems for investors. His key responsibilities include providing strategic advice based on practical experience and insights into the bond market. By integrating his knowledge as an institutional investor with real-world system development, Ichikawa is expected to deliver accurate advisory services.

Specific Initiatives

Ichikawa’s advisory efforts will concentrate on the following areas:

• - Development of strategies and advice for the bond portfolio proposal system
• - Provision of specialized insights into bond market analysis and investment strategies
• - Advising on product development and sales strategies from an institutional investor’s perspective

Comments from Tatsuo Ichikawa

Ichikawa expressed his gratitude upon joining Smart Plus: “I am honored to take on the role of Bond Strategy Advisor. I am fully committed to utilizing my extensive experience in the bond market to enhance the investment services we provide to clients. Bond investments, when approached with proper risk management and strategic portfolio construction, can yield stable returns. I am excited to contribute to the realization of new investment services merging technology and financial expertise at Smart Plus.”

Comments from Noriko Kobayashi, CEO of Smart Plus

Noriko Kobayashi remarked, “We are thrilled to welcome Ichikawa to our team. His rich experience as a bond strategist at a leading securities firm and deep insights as an institutional investor provide immense value in strengthening our bond services. With Ichikawa’s support, we aim to develop high-quality bond investment services for IFA operators and other intermediaries via the DWM platform, ensuring that we continuously deliver valuable services to investors.”

About the Digital Wealth Manager (DWM)

The DWM is Smart Plus’s securities trading platform, enabling intermediaries to swiftly build and provide proprietary brand securities services. Operators can create discretionary investment management services with unique strategies and have access to an active-type investment management service called +Alpha, which includes selected mutual fund and bond trading functions. Each operator can customize their securities trading platform according to their business needs. Notably, services can begin as soon as two weeks after contract signing.

About Finatext Group and Smart Plus

Finatext Group is a fintech organization that aims to “reinvent finance as a service.” Through the provision of next-generation financial infrastructure, Finatext realizes embedded finance by rethinking financial services from the user perspective in collaboration with partner businesses. Smart Plus, a key component of this group, focuses on offering a brokerage service that supports businesses in providing securities services to their customers.