Monex Group, Inc. started as online brokerage Monex, Inc. in April 1999 with CEO Oki Matsumoto and Sony Corporation as core investors. The company grew through mergers with Nikko Beans, Inc. in 2005, and ORIX Securities in 2010. The group expanded overseas by adding Boom Group (in Hong Kong) in 2010 and TradeStation Group, Inc. (in the US) 2011. Seeing blockchain and cryptocurrency technology as key growth drivers in the future, Monex Group has been preparing to enter this field since announcing its “new beginning” initiative in October 2017. In keeping with this plan, it subsequently acquired cryptocurrency exchange operator Coincheck, Inc. in April 2018.