Nudge Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takashi Okita) is pleased to announce that it has successfully raised ¥1.48 billion through asset finance from Morgan Stanley, venture debt from Resona Bank, Ltd., and investment from existing and new shareholders. In this round, founder and Representative Director Takashi Okita also made an additional equity investment. Background and Purpose of Funding In Japan's startup ecosystem, the importance of debt finance and asset finance is rapidly increasing as means to achieve both improved capital efficiency and suppression of existing shareholder dilution. For Fintech startups, particularly those responsible for payment infrastructure, securing flexible and robust financing methods is crucial for sustainable business growth, especially with the rapid expansion of transaction volumes. Nudge's next-generation credit card, "Nudge," has seen a surge in membership due to its unique model that incorporates fan activities ("oshi-katsu") and social contributions into payments, primarily among younger demographics. Payment transaction volume is also on an upward trend. To further accelerate this growth speed and build a strong financial momentum for future large-scale equity financing, Nudge has expanded its financing scheme in collaboration with leading financial institutions both domestically and internationally. Features and Scheme of This Funding Nudge has achieved the following three advanced approaches in this funding round: - Optimization of capital efficiency and establishment of a dynamic funding system through securing diverse financing methods. By securing and expanding diverse financing methods such as asset-backed finance and debt finance, Nudge has strengthened its dynamic working capital supply system while minimizing equity dilution. Total cumulative funding has reached approximately ¥6.5 billion. - Financial support from strong domestic and international financial institutions. Strong domest