Building the “PayPay Financial Tower” — Redefining the Future of Banking

The Leader Interview series highlights the people and ideas shaping companies across the PayPay Group. In this edition, we spoke with Tomoaki Tanida, who assumed the role of President and CEO of PayPay Bank Corporation in April 2026. Centered around his vision of the “PayPay Financial Tower,” a layered financial ecosystem built on PayPay, he shares how he sees the future role of banking, the evolution of financial experiences, and the strategy behind creating a more seamless financial platform for users.

The PayPay Financial Tower: A New Vision for Redefining Banking

Could you tell us about your career journey so far?

Since joining Yahoo Japan Corporation in 2003, I’ve consistently worked in both internet services and financial businesses. One thing that became deeply rooted in me during that time was the mindset of “building things ourselves and delivering them quickly.”

Working closely with engineers and designers, listening to user feedback, and continuously improving products together — that sense of speed and collaboration became the foundation of how I think about product development today.

I was also strongly influenced by the idea that “once you step outside the company, you are no longer an employee — you are a user.” I’ve always valued looking at products from the user’s perspective and asking myself whether I would genuinely recommend the service if I were using it as a customer.

Now that you have become President and CEO of PayPay Bank, what kind of strategy are you envisioning?

I want to deliver financial services on PayPay in a way that naturally evolves alongside people’s growth and changes throughout their lives. For example, payments serve as the foundation, and on top of that, banking, cards, securities, and insurance are layered over time as users move through different stages of life.

The day someone makes their first cashless payment.
The day they open their first bank account.
The day they receive their first paycheck.

At each of these moments, I want PayPay’s financial services to naturally become part of the experience. I call this concept the “PayPay Financial Tower” — a layered financial ecosystem built on PayPay.

Today, PayPay has 74 million registered users (as of May 2026), with over 40 million users having completed eKYC verification, making it one of the largest digital financial platforms in Japan. PayPay Bank surpassed 10 million accounts in April 2026, and since becoming part of the PayPay Group, the number of users adopting PayPay Bank services within the ecosystem has continued to grow steadily. What we ultimately aim for is a world where using PayPay Bank becomes the natural choice for anyone using PayPay. Behind that vision is a belief that “to become truly unique, you first have to become the overwhelming No.1.” Rather than settling for a middle position, we want to build products that people choose decisively and naturally.

From “Linked Balances” to a Unified Financial Experience

What do you see as the most important growth area for PayPay Bank?

What we are aiming for is a unified balance experience between PayPay and PayPay Bank. With PayPay and PayPay Card, we successfully unified the payment experience. Creating consistent experiences that users already love is one of the PayPay Group’s greatest strengths. Now we want to bring that same approach to balances — transforming PayPay balances and bank deposit balances into something users can treat as a single, seamless balance without even thinking about the distinction. For example, when a salary payment arrives, you receive a PayPay notification instantly. If money is transferred from family, you immediately know who sent it. Payments and transfers all become part of one connected experience.

The goal is to bring the familiar experience users already have with PayPay balances directly into the banking deposit experience as well. We also want to eliminate the concept of “charging” balances altogether, allowing users to make payments directly from their bank balance. Beyond that, we want to remove even the idea of “sweeping” funds between services, creating a much simpler and more unified experience overall.

Reinventing Credit Management Through Data and AI

What do you see as the key growth areas for PayPay’s financial business?

One of the most important priorities across the group is credit management. Traditionally, this area is referred to as “credit underwriting,” but we see it a little differently. Rather than simply “granting credit,” we believe the real role of finance is to help users access and use money in ways that are sustainable and appropriate for them. PayPay has an enormous amount of data, along with deep experience in payments and card services. By leveraging that data, we are already beginning to create entirely new financial experiences through products such as the “PayPay Merchant Loan (service page available in Japanese only).”

Instead of optimizing each company independently, we want PayPay Bank, PayPay Card, and PayPay itself to work together to build the best possible models across the entire ecosystem. Ultimately, that leads to financial services that can deliver immeasurable value to users.

Becoming a Technology Company That Builds Banking

How do you think about AI and its role in the future of banking?

At our core, we aspire to be both a financial institution and a technology company. AI is fundamentally changing the way products are built. With generative AI, development productivity is already improving dramatically — in some cases, we are beginning to see fivefold or even tenfold improvements in efficiency. We are currently rebuilding core banking systems, and by integrating AI into that process, we believe we can achieve a speed of development that traditional financial institutions have never been able to reach.

That is why in-house development is so important. We want to build products ourselves, improve them ourselves, and create an organization capable of continuously strengthening that cycle. To make that possible, we are also investing heavily in creating an environment where engineers genuinely want to work. From modern development environments to flexible ways of working, we are building the kind of technology-driven foundation that has traditionally been difficult for banks to achieve.

Building an Organization With People Who Create Together

What values matter most to you when building an organization?

The most important thing is the people. When a service is built by people you work alongside every day, you can genuinely recommend it with confidence. On the other hand, it is difficult to feel the same level of ownership toward something you did not build yourselves. Another important mindset is steadily accumulating results across every area of the organization. Whether it is HR, development, or design, what matters is whether each team is continuously improving beyond where it was yesterday. I believe that consistently building on those improvements is what ultimately creates something uniquely positioned in the market. For that to happen, every individual must continue updating and evolving themselves constantly.

Completing the “PayPay Financial Tower” — The Vision for 80% In-House Share

What is your long-term vision for PayPay Bank?

Five years from now, I want us to achieve what I call an “80% in-house share.” For example, the majority of funds used for PayPay payments would come directly from PayPay Bank accounts. The same would apply to card payment settlements and securities sweep accounts. Only when usage reaches that level can we truly say that PayPay Bank has become the bank users naturally choose. With PayPay’s massive platform as the foundation, we want to establish a future where banking sits at the center of that ecosystem. If we can achieve that, it will create tremendous value.

Looking for People Ready to Build the Future Together

Finally, what message would you like to share with readers?

The most rewarding part of this work is being able to create entirely new financial experiences with our own hands and bring them into the world. If I had to describe it in one phrase, it would be: incredibly exciting. Another major attraction is being able to build those experiences together with people who create together.

Finance is still in its early stages, and the opportunities for transformation are enormous. And I believe the PayPay Group is uniquely positioned to drive that transformation through technology. We want to build the “PayPay Financial Tower” together and reshape the future of finance. If that challenge excites you, we would love to build it together.

*Information such as job openings and employee affiliations is accurate as of the time of the interview.