SoftBank Group’s mobile payment subsidiary PayPay inked a deal to acquire a 70% stake in T&D Financial Life Insurance Company for JPY134 billion ($840 million), part of an aim to broaden its range of financial services.

When launched in 2018 PayPay focused on providing contactless mobile payments but has since widened this to include credit cards and other banking services. It had a base of more than 74 million users as of May 2026.

Announcing the deal, PayPay said the move to buy the life insurance company from T&D Holdings was part of an ambition to “provide comprehensive financial services tailored to each stage of users’ lives”.

The company intends to grow T&D Financial Life’s business through use of its existing platforms and by creating “new customer experiences in the digital life insurance domain”.  

In a linked deal, asset management company One Investment Management intends to buy a stake of almost 15% in the insurance company from T&D Holdings. The current owner will retain the other 15%, though a call option on this is being inserted into the acquisition agreement.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

Alongside the proposed acquisition, PayPay agreed a “comprehensive business alliance” agreement 3with T&D Holdings, largely concerning the latter’s insurance brand Taiyo Life.

The pair will “explore the development and provision of services designed to enhance customer convenience and help address social issues, while also drawing on AI, digital technologies, and other capabilities of SoftBank Corp”.

The pact is set to include: offering T&D Holdings’ Taiyo Life insurance products on the PayPay app; exploring call centre enhancement and operational efficiency for Taiyo Life; and jointly exploring a “smart senior city concept”.

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Apple unveiled plans to open a facility for developers in Berlin, Germany, a site intended to help European companies in creating and improving apps for the iPhone-maker’s devices.

The developer centre will be Apple’s first of its type in Europe. It runs similar facilities in Singapore, Shanghai, Cupertino and Bengaluru.

It is set to host workshops for app developers, one-on-one appointments and other in-person sessions in an attempt to help companies elevate the design and performance of applications for iPhones, iPads, macs and other devices using its operating systems.

Apple added dedicated labs will also offer hands-on support across multiple languages.

The company’s VP worldwide developer relations Susan Prescott said Europe was “home to an extraordinary community of developers who are building apps that create connections, encourage creativity, and drive innovation”.

“We have always believed that when developers have the right tools and resources to do their best work, incredible things follow. That belief is what this centre is built on, and we look forward to seeing what the community continues to develop.”

The site, located in the Mitte district of the German capital, is due to open later this year.

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