FX PRIME by GMO

What FX PRIME by GMO does

FX PRIME by GMO was a Japanese retail foreign exchange (FX) trading service that operated under GMO Coin, Inc., a subsidiary of the GMO Internet Group. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Tokyo, the company offered online forex trading to Japanese individual investors through a self-serve, digital-only distribution model. In September 2023, FX PRIME by GMO merged with GMO Coin, consolidating all former FX PRIME customer accounts, currency pairs, and trading functionality under the GMO Coin platform. Post-merger, the combined entity operates as a unified retail trading venue serving both FX and cryptocurrency markets from a single web and mobile interface.

The combined platform is built around a proprietary unified trading stack that integrates cryptocurrency spot exchange, crypto margin trading, crypto lending (basic and premium tiers), staking, an IEO (Initial Exchange Offering) launchpad, crypto savings (dollar-cost averaging), and foreign exchange trading across 22 currency pairs. A distinguishing technical feature is the reduction of the minimum trade size from 1,000 currency units (the legacy FX PRIME standard) down to 1 currency unit, which lowers the entry-level required margin from approximately 5,600 yen to roughly 6 yen. The platform embeds TradingView charting with 81 technical indicators and 70+ drawing tools, and supports trading through web, iOS/Android, Apple Watch, and REST APIs for both crypto and FX. The company is regulated as a cryptocurrency exchange operator (Kanto Local Finance Bureau Registration No. 00006) and as a financial instruments business operator (Registration No. 3188), and is a member of the Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) and the Financial Futures Trading Association of Japan (FFTA).

Revenue is generated transactionally: trading commissions on spot and exchange crypto and FX trades, margin interest on leveraged crypto and FX positions, interest income from crypto lending, staking rewards (with a platform take-rate), and IEO listing fees. The product is distributed exclusively through self-serve online account opening, mobile app stores, and SEO/content marketing, with no disclosed offline sales motion. The customer base is overwhelmingly individual retail investors in Japan, segmented into general retail traders, crypto beginners seeking automated savings, former FX PRIME transfer customers, and a small corporate accounts tier. Revenue concentration is structurally low given the retail-only, distributed long-tail base.

Name

FX PRIME by GMO

Legal name

GMOコイン株式会社

Website

https://fxprime.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FX PRIME by GMO was a Japanese retail forex trading service that merged with GMO Coin in September 2023, now operating as the unified GMO Coin platform offering FX and cryptocurrency trading to Japanese individual retail investors via a self-serve mobile and web app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Forex and Cryptocurrency Brokerage

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

FX Electronic Trading Platforms (Spot/Forwards/Swaps) (FSAFANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Currency Accounts, Wallets & FX Management (Consumer/SME) (FSAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Retail forex trading
• Cryptocurrency exchange
• Digital asset brokerage
• Foreign exchange services
• Crypto margin trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Trading Commission Fees: Transaction fees charged on each trade executed on the platform for both cryptocurrency and forex trading.
2. Margin Trading Interest: Interest earned on margin positions in forex FX trading and crypto margin trading.
3. Crypto Lending: Lending services (Basic and Premium tiers) where users lend their crypto assets to earn interest.
4. Staking Services: Cryptocurrency staking services generating returns for users.
5. IEO Platform: Initial Exchange Offering platform fees from new token launches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FX PRIME by GMO, merged into GMO Coin, Inc. in September 2023, operates a unified retail trading platform offering foreign exchange (FX) trading across 22 currency pairs starting from a 1-currency-unit minimum, alongside cryptocurrency spot trading, exchange, margin trading, automated crypto savings (dollar-cost averaging), crypto lending (Basic and Premium tiers), staking, and Initial Exchange Offerings (IEO). Access is provided via web, iOS/Android mobile apps, Apple Watch app, and REST APIs.

Product overview

FX PRIME by GMO, now merged with GMO Coin in September 2023, operates as a unified financial trading platform offering both cryptocurrency and foreign exchange FX services. The platform provides cryptocurrency spot and exchange trading, leveraged crypto margin trading, crypto savings (dollar-cost averaging), crypto lending (basic and premium tiers), staking, and IEO services. For FX trading, it offers 22 currency pairs with 1-currency minimum trades and integrates TradingView charting with 81+ technical indicators. The unified smartphone app enables both crypto and FX trading with advanced charting, technical analysis tools, alerts, and widgets. The platform also provides APIs for both cryptocurrency and FX trading integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foreign Exchange FX (外国為替FX) Retail foreign exchange trading service offering 22 currency pairs including USD/JPY, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY, AUD/JPY, NZD/JPY, CAD/JPY, CHF/JPY, TRY/JPY, ZAR/JPY, MXN/JPY, HUF/JPY, SEK/JPY, EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD, NZD/USD, EUR/GBP, AUD/NZD, AUD/CAD, NZD/CAD, and NOK/SEK. Minimum order size is 1 currency unit (10 units for TRY/JPY, ZAR/JPY, MXN/JPY), and new orders require approximately 6 yen of margin. Target users are Japanese individual retail investors.
• Spot Exchange (販売所)

Quantifiable outcome

• Lower entry barrier: 1 currency unit minimum (vs 1,000) reduces required margin from ~5,600 yen to ~6 yen

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TradingViewcoreTechnology or IntegrationTradingView provides the charting engine for GMO Coin's web platform. Offers 81 technical indicators and 70+ drawing tools including Elliott Wave, Fibonacci, and advanced position analysis tools. Used by traders worldwide as a professional-grade charting solution.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Monex: Japanese online brokerage group that owns Coincheck. Comparable as a multi-asset Japanese financial services platform with retail broker heritage, though its primary FX exposure is via the Coincheck subsidiary rather than a standalone FX product.
• Rakuten Securities: Large Japanese online brokerage under Rakuten Group. Comparable as a multi-asset Japanese retail financial services platform with broad customer reach, though its core is domestic stocks and investment trusts rather than FX or crypto.
• GMO Coin: Parent entity that absorbed FX PRIME by GMO in September 2023. Now operates the unified crypto+FX platform directly under the GMO Coin brand; directly comparable as the surviving operating entity of the same business.

Direct peers

• Coincheck: Major Japanese cryptocurrency exchange owned by Monex Group. Comparable as a JVCEA-regulated Japanese retail crypto platform with spot trading, lending, and staking for consumer users.
• eToro: Global retail multi-asset platform offering FX, crypto, and stocks through a unified app and account. Comparable for the unified retail multi-asset proposition and TradingView-style charting, though at global rather than Japan-only scale.
• bitbank: Japanese cryptocurrency exchange targeting professional retail traders. Comparable for advanced charting, REST API access, and JVCEA-regulated spot and margin crypto trading aimed at active users.
• LINE BITMAX: Japanese cryptocurrency exchange operated by LVC Corporation (LINE Group). Comparable as a JVCEA-regulated Japanese retail crypto venue with strong consumer brand affiliation and similar mobile-first product positioning.
• bitFlyer: Largest Japanese cryptocurrency exchange by volume. Comparable as a JVCEA-registered Japanese retail and institutional crypto venue offering spot, margin, and staking products to a similar demographic.
• SBI FXTrade: Major Japanese retail FX broker under SBI Holdings. Closely comparable on Japanese retail FX with low-minimum electronic trading, though it does not bundle crypto into the same account offering.
• DMM Bitcoin: Japanese cryptocurrency exchange operated by DMM Group. Comparable for retail crypto spot and leveraged trading with Japanese regulatory registration and a similar consumer target audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fx_prime
• Facebookfacebook.com/FXPRIMECorporation

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FX PRIME by GMO