Following the Seoul Round in May, SVIF’s 2026 global roadshow reached its next stage in Busan. On June 17, 2026, the main event of the International Future Finance Forum (IFFF) Busan Round 2026 was held at the iconic Nurimaru APEC House in Haeundae, drawing around 130 participants from Korea, Japan, and beyond. Under the slogan “From Port to Platform,” the forum brought Busan’s digital and financial strengths (DX·FX) together with Sapporo’s GX and AI capabilities to open a new route for the future of cross-border finance.
A Distinguished Opening and Keynote
The forum opened with a welcome address by Dr. Cho Kwan-hong, General Director of the Busan Forum, who framed the gathering as a stage where Korea and Japan jointly chart a new route for future finance. Opening remarks followed from the head of the SVIF delegation and from SVIF Chairman Takahashi Akinori.
SVIF Vice Chairman Simon Ken then delivered the keynote, “Why Sapporo? Why Busan? Why Co & Cross Finance?”, showing how the “port” of Busan is evolving into a “platform” for data and capital, and laying out a virtuous-cycle roadmap of co-demonstration, co-investment, and co-finance linking Busan, Sapporo, Singapore, and Riyadh.
Main Sessions — Sapporo’s GX and Busan’s DX
Across five thematic sessions, speakers from both countries set out a shared agenda:
- Tanaka Shigeru (Sapporo City, GX Director) opened the Sapporo side with “Sapporo’s GX and Finance Initiatives,” framing green transformation not as environmental policy alone but as an industrial transformation — anchored by Japan’s plan to invest ¥150 trillion in GX over the next decade.
- Taniwaki Takahide (SPARX Group, GX Fund) presented the global expansion of SPARX’s GX Fund, combining Busan’s DX·FX infrastructure with Sapporo’s GX vision. SPARX’s Sapporo·Hokkaido GX Fund is a ¥10 billion, 10-year, public–private vehicle with a first close targeted for March 2027 and a final close by December 2027
- Kim Hyounggu (Director, Busan Economic Research Institute) addressed the Busan side with directions for building an integrated global AX·DX·GX network.
- Ebe Genichiro (SPARX Group, Deputy President, VC Fund) closed the sessions with SPARX’s venture-capital strategy, centered on aerospace investment and the fund’s global expansion.
Outcomes — From Dialogue to Continued Cooperation
- Sapporo and Busan came to the table together, opening a direct city-to-city dialogue.
- The two sides affirmed continued collaboration between their financial special zones — Busan’s BIFC and Sapporo’s Team Sapporo-Hokkaido (TSH).
- Additional LP commitments were advanced for the Sapporo GX Fund managed by SPARX, strengthening the capital base behind the region’s green transition.
- The forum drew broad, high-caliber participation — financial institutions, government bodies, and research institutes from many quarters, including distinguished guests active in Saudi Arabia — who lent real weight to the occasion.
The Road Ahead
With Busan complete, SVIF’s 2026 circuit continues across Asia and into the Middle East:
- ① Seoul — May 2026 ✓
- ② Busan — June 2026 ✓
- ③ Sapporo — August 2026
- ④ Singapore — October 2026
- ⑤ Riyadh — December 2026
Connect with SVIF
To learn more about SVIF’s cross-border investment work connecting Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the Middle East, visit the official SVIF website. We warmly welcome partnership and collaboration inquiries.
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