Zentoshin

Zentoshin Co., Ltd., known in Japanese as 全東信, was a credit card payment processing company based in Shimanouchi, Osaka City. Founded in 2006, it operated for two decades as an intermediary, handling card transactions for merchants across Japan. Its specialty was the restaurant trade: it advanced eateries their expected card proceeds ahead of settlement, a service that helped small businesses manage daily cash flow. At its peak, Zentoshin served roughly 200,000 shops nationwide.

The company's fortunes reversed dramatically in 2026. On July 6, it filed for bankruptcy with the Osaka District Court, reporting liabilities of ¥115.2 billion (about US$710 million). That made it the largest corporate bankruptcy in Japan that year. The collapse was blamed on rising costs, tighter regulatory scrutiny, and, according to the Asahi Shimbun, suspected fraudulent activities stretching back some 20 years. By the time of filing, its active merchant base had shrunk to just 32,000, and around ¥5.3 billion in unsettled funds was deemed unrecoverable.

The fallout hit regional banks and restaurants hard. Sixty-three creditors filed claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, and banks like Taiko Bank and Bank of Kochi saw their stocks dip on exposure. Many bars and eateries that relied on Zentoshin's advances faced sudden cash crunches, with some on the brink of closure. Japan's Financial Services Agency announced on July 23, 2026, that it would examine credit risk management at regional financial institutions in response. Court-appointed administrators now oversee the bankruptcy proceedings, and while the company's website remains online, all business operations have ceased. [edit]