Monex : Announcement of setting up Monex Cryptocurrency Laboratory

Announcement of setting up Monex Cryptocurrency Laboratory

TOKYO, January 31, 2018 - Monex Group, Inc. ("the Company") hereby announces that its subsidiary Tokenz, Inc. set up "Monex Cryptocurrency Laboratory" today to offer up-to-date and easy-to-understand information on cryptocurrencies as the environment rapidly changes and various information floods.

Advancement of blockchain and other technologies are changing life and financial transactions. While individual investors are increasingly interested in and willing to invest into cryptocurrencies that can be classified as a new asset class, comprehensible explanations and organized information have not been sufficiently provided. Given the fact, the new Laboratory, led by Nana Otsuki, currently an Executive Director, and Chief Analyst, and Head of Monex University at Monex, Inc., Monex Group's subsidiary, will study cryptocurrencies, which are new trading products and asset class with volatility and volume, and offer up-to-date and easy-to-understand information. Nana Otsuki will continue to assume the current roles.

Biography of Nana Otsuki:

Executive Director, Chief Analyst, and Head of Monex University of Monex, Inc.

Nana completed her undergraduate study at Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo, and earned MBA from London Business School.

She was engaged in market research at financial institutions such as Standard & Poor's, UBS, and Merrill Lynch and has been highly rated by diverse media outlets. Since January 2016, she has taken the role as Chief Analyst at Monex Inc., analyzing domestic and international financial markets as well as stock markets overseas. In addition, recently Nana is actively working on analysis and reporting about cryptocurrency, ICO, etc.

She is also Professor of Economics at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business. She is a member of multiple organizations such as Tokyo Metropolitan Government's public fund management and operation advisory board, Deposit Insurance Corporation for JAs' policy board, and Fiscal System Council subcommittee.

Nana frequently appears in media programs including "News Morning Satellite" broadcasted by TV Tokyo.

Contributed articles by Nana related to cryptocurrencies:  Toyo Keizai Online, December 27, 2017http://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/202842

Title: Emergencing Altcoins outperform Bitcoin - Verifying risks and future outlook of crashed cryptocurrencies (only available in Japanese, interim translation)

 Toyo Keizai Online, January 24, 2018http://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/205794

Title: Are rapidly increasing ICOs good buy? Points that should be examined (only available in Japanese, interim translation)

About Tokenz, Inc.:

Established: August 21, 2017 Paid-In Capital: 1 million yen

Main Business: Researching, planning, studying, developing, and consulting regarding cryptocurrency services

Contact:	Akiko Kato, Toshiaki Koike	Atsushi Demoto, Yuki Nakano
Corporate Communications Office	Investor Relations, Financial Control Department
Monex Group, Inc.	Monex Group, Inc.
[phone]	[phone]

This material is an English translation of a Japanese announcement made on the date above. Although the Company intended to faithfully translate the Japanese document into English, the accuracy and correctness of this English translation is not guaranteed and thus you are encouraged to refer to the original Japanese document. This translation was made as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or to solicit an offer to buy securities in the U.S.