IDEI AWARD History
IDEI AWARD History

The IDEI AWARD has been held annually since 2005 as an internal recognition program designed to honor individuals and teams who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and implemented innovative approaches. Open to employees across all Group companies worldwide, the award celebrates groundbreaking ideas and their successful execution.

Here is a digest of all the IDEI AWARD winners over the past 20 years, from 2005 to 2024.
* Organizational details are as of the time of the award.

2005 - 2009

2005

Monex, Inc. Contact Center members

After the merger of Monex, Inc. and Nikko Beans Securities, Inc., the number of accounts doubled and inquiries surged. The contact center carefully responded to inquiries from customers who were perplexed by the system change and through its generous support, was able to establish the brand as a beginner-friendly online securities company.

2006

Monex, Inc. Web Management Department members

In the early 2000s before the terms UI and UX became commonplace, the Web Management Department took a very scientific approach to redesigning the website by repeatedly conducting user tests with the cooperation of our customers to investigate where the transaction screens were freezing and how to improve them.

2007

Monex, Inc. Investment Banking Division, China Capital Markets Department members

When Chinabochi (listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2024) listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Monex became the managing securities firm thanks to the efforts of the China Capital Markets Department of the Investment Banking Division. With the initial price exceeding the offering price by 100,000 yen, our customers who acquired the company's shares through the IPO were delighted.

2008

Monex, Inc. FX Project members and Finance Department members

After the Lehman Shock crashed the markets, the FX Project team tirelessly worked 24-hour shifts struggling to manage credit, system failures and customer complaints in the severe market. The Finance Department supported the foundation of the company and contributed to earnings, protecting customer assets by continuing to process stock lending services and managing segregated customer money trusts.

2009

2 new graduate employees, Monex, Inc.

Two new graduate employees developed a Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) system to improve service by posting and sharing with all employees on the intranet customer opinions and requests received daily at the contact center.

 

Trade Science & Monex, Inc. Kaburobo Fund related department members

Trade Science, which joined the group in 2008, and Monex, Inc. collaborated to develop the Kaburobo Fund, a completely new mutual fund managed by multiple robots. The robot management offered new values to individual investors by eliminating human emotions, such as desire, anxiety, fear, and hesitation. Another key factor in winning the award was the synergy effect achieved through the collaboration of two companies within the group.

2010 - 2014

2010

Monex Alternative Investments members

Monex Alternative Investments, which has been providing new investment opportunities to individual investors through its "Premium Hybrid Series" of mutual funds that incorporate private equity funds and hedge funds, and Mizuho Trust & Banking collaborated to manage funds from pension funds.

 

Monex, Inc. members involved in the introduction of the Monex Suica point exchange service

Monex points are earned by investing in mutual funds, using Monex cards, and buying and selling stocks. In 2010, a new service was introduced that enabled Monex points to be exchanged for Suica points, which increased the value of Monex points.

2011

Monex, Inc. Product Service Department members

Monex's bond business has a long history of making bond investments more accessible to customers by selling World Bank bonds in units of 100 instead of the previous 10,000 by selling of zero-coupon bonds nicknamed "time capsules," and by selling Monex bonds to individuals with interest rates closer to prevailing rates. In 2011, the Product Service Department received an award for their contribution in introducing RMB-denominated bonds to customers.

 

Oki Matsumoto

In 2010, Oki Matsumoto orchestrated the acquisition of BOOM Securities (Hong Kong) and announced his global vision the same year. In March of the following year, while Japan was shaken by the Great East Japan Earthquake, the company saw the historic appreciation of the yen as an opportunity to conduct cross-border M&A and on June 8, 2011, a Florida-based online brokerage firm TradeStation Group, Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary. Monex turned its focus toward growth through global collaboration and decided to develop a trading platform using TradeStation's technological capabilities to provide high value-added online financial services to individual investors in the world's three major financial centers – Japan, the U.S., and China.

2012

Monex, Inc. US Equity Project

The company completely revamped its US stock trading services by introducing the trading system of the TradeStation Group, which it integrated in 2011. With an infrastructure directly connected to the U.S. market and access to the engineering resources that support these systems, the trading tools were developed in-house, and the number of stocks and commissions were renewed to the highest level in the industry, providing a trading environment that is unrivaled by any other domestic securities company.

2013

Monex, Inc. MONEX INSIGHT team

By leveraging the technological capabilities of the TradeStation Group to develop in-house investment information services that are considered to be the killer content of the online securities industry, we were able to respond quickly to customer needs and improve our services. The synergies achieved through collaboration between group companies were highly evaluated, leading to the award.

2014

(Grand) Monex, Inc. Tianfeng Securities JV Project team

We established a joint venture with China's Tianfeng Securities to provide expertise in Japanese online securities services. This was an extremely important stepping stone for business development in China, where barriers to entry are extremely high and foreign corporate activities are strictly regulated. In addition to the activities in China, Monex, Inc. in Tokyo accepted Tianfeng Securities employees as trainees to deepen their understanding of Chinese business through personnel exchange.

 

(Second) Monex, Inc. Active Trader Department Employee

Not only carry out an April Fool's Day project called “The world's first trading tool that uses a vegetable turnip to trade stocks, Vegetal Trader "Kabuko-san" has been developed!”, he also created a prototype of a next-generation trading tool that automatically trades stocks (it does not actually buy or sell, only sends out buy and sell signals) using the turnip's bioelectric potential (a weak electric potential generated by the life-supporting activities of a living organism). His out-of-the-box thinking was crowned the winner.

Vegetal Trader “Kabuko-san”

(Second) TradeStation Lean Agile Process team

The award was presented to the Lean Agile Process Team from the U.S. for their implementation of the centralized software development lifecycle tracking solution (JIRA). JIRA was highly recognized for its ability to dramatically improve transparency of teams, processes, and prioritization in systems development.

2015 - 2019

2015

Monex Saison Vanguard Investment Management Project team

The discretionary investment management company established as a joint venture between Monex Group, Credit Saison, and Vanguard Group received the award. Under the slogan "The world's best long-term asset management for you," the award recognized the company's innovative approach to fundamentally changing the way asset management is practiced in Japan by offering everyone in Japan a low-cost, tailored asset management solution for both small and large investments.

 

TradeStation IdeaLab

IdeaLab, TradeStation's internship program in the U.S., was the co-winner of the 2015 award. IdeaLab was established to improve innovative approaches to financial services technology and operates according to six guiding principles: strategic perspective, innovative thinking from all angles, customer-oriented, technology-driven, knowledge-sharing, and rapid prototyping.

2016

TradeStation Next Generation Platform Team

The Next Generation Platform Team's newly developed TradeStation desktop environment (TS NeXT) won the award for implementing a new UX/UI design that provides a consistent experience and improved stability and performance, saving time and effort for U.S. investors.

2017

2 employees of The Monex Stock Scouter

The Monex Stock Scouter, an analysis tool for Japanese stocks that is overwhelmingly popular among Monex users, focuses on the UI and consolidates necessary information for company analysis in an easy-to-read format, making it simple for even those who are not good at company analysis. After winning the award, Monex released U.S. and Chinese stock versions in 2020. Many fans say, "I use Monex because of the stock scouter.”

2018

"blockchain bonds" Project Team

A coalition team of Coincheck, Monex Group, and Monex, Inc. received the award for its work in developing a new system for the issuance, settlement, and term management of "blockchain bonds" using blockchain technology when Coincheck joined the Group in 2018. This development was recognized as a very significant initiative that will lead to the development of STOs and other systems.

2019

Monex Saison Vanguard Investment Advisors members

Monex Saison Vanguard Investment Management, the predecessor of Monex Asset Management, launched Japan's first hybrid robo-advisory service for individual investors. Along with the innovation of being the first "hybrid type" in Japan, the service was recognized as groundbreaking in that it was designed to be a win-win situation for all stakeholders and embodies "one step ahead of MONEY."

2020 - 2024

2020

Coincheck Sharely Division members

Sharely, a virtual shareholder meeting support service, was commercialized within only three months after the reviewing began. This service was linked to Coincheck's long-term vision (to develop services that contribute to the efficiency of economic activities) and also contributed to the establishment of a stable profit model, which had been a challenge for Coincheck.

 

TradeStation crypto team

TradeStation crypto team received an award for its efforts to build a crypto asset lending business and the launch of a crypto earn program where customers earn interest for depositing crypto assets. By building an infrastructure that automates collateral management and loan settlement, the team helped manage counterparty risk and simplified the acceptance of multiple forms of collateral. The ability to monetize crypto assets in an overcollateralized method has shifted the model of the crypto asset brokerage business from transaction-dependent to asset-accumulating.

2021

"Takusu-Kabu" Project Team

The trust service "Takusu-Kabu" is a groundbreaking service that enables family members to dispose domestic stocks on behalf of the customer in the event of dementia and to receive the property smoothly at the time of inheritance. This product also received the Nikkei Veritas Award.

2022

GENEX

GENEX launched a whole genome testing demonstration project. The "Clinical Trial Report" published by GENEX for patients with intractable diseases allows consumers to directly apply for and receive the results of a high-end, advanced research level genetic test (whole genome test). By providing specialized and difficult clinical trial information in an easy-to-understand format, GENEX developed a niche market among those interested in its services.

2023

AI Therapist co-mii Project Team

The AI therapist "co-mii," developed by Viling’s team to enhance medical education in after-school daycare services and child development support facilities, was recognized for its innovative concept, significant social impact, alignment with the company's corporate philosophy, and pioneering efforts to exemplify a 21st-century AI-driven business model. The award emphasized the originality of the concept, its meaningful societal contributions, its embodiment of the company's core values, and its visionary approach to leveraging AI in modern business practices.

2024

Coincheck Group N.V. Nasdaq Global Market Listing Project Team

As the first Japanese and second global listing of a cryptocurrency exchange, the De-SPAC scheme posed a significant challenge, bringing together experts from Japan and the U.S.
The IDEI AWARD 2024 honored the project team for their efforts in preparing financial statements, audits under different standards, internal controls, risk management systems, and passing the U.S. SEC examination.