GMO Ransomware Attack Hits Japan's Credit Market, Bond Spread Widens 52 Basis Points in 5 Days

After a publicly listed company under Japan's GMO Internet Group suffered a cyberattack, related risks are spreading to Japan's credit market. Data shows that the spread on a GMO Internet Group yen bond maturing in June 2031 widened to approximately 174 basis points on October 28, up from about 122 basis points on October 20—before the company disclosed the unauthorized access incident—reflecting investor concerns over damaged earnings and rising compensation costs.

The GMO subsidiary that provides cloud services disclosed on October 21 that it had suffered unauthorized access and received a ransom demand of approximately 8 billion yen (about $50.7 million). The attackers subsequently published data they claimed contained customer information. GMO refused to pay the ransom and plans to compensate customers for their losses. Analysts noted that as AI-powered cyberattacks increase, such incidents could affect corporate financing and bond issuance arrangements.

GMO Internet operates the cryptocurrency exchange "Z.com EX," which has obtained licenses from the Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission and the Thai Ministry of Finance. The exchange disclosed that it has been acquired, with the acquisition involving all shares of the target company held by shareholders including GMO Internet and its related subsidiaries. It remains unclear whether customer information data involves the related cryptocurrency exchange. (Bloomberg)