IG Group has appointed Qu Zhao as Head of Japan. The appointment follows the departure of Tomoharu Furuichi, who stepped down after nearly seven years in the role of Representative Director and Chief Executive Officer of IG Japan.

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Zhao Held Senior Roles Across Asia Tech Platforms

Zhao most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer at moomoo securities Japan, a position she held for around two years. Before that, she was Country Head for Japan and Head of Tinder East Asia at Tinder. She spent around three years in the role, overseeing Japan, Korea, and Taiwan and reporting to regional and global leadership.

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She previously served as Head of Japan and East Pacific Region at BIGO, where she spent around four years leading growth strategy and operations across Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Australia.

Earlier in her career, she co-founded WorkHub, Inc. in Tokyo and served as Chief Executive Officer for around five years.

Japan Rules Drive IG Product Changes

Separately in Japan, IG Securities has stopped offering cryptocurrency ETF CFDs. The decision follows guidance from Japan’s Financial Services Agency stating that derivatives linked to overseas crypto ETFs are treated as crypto-related products and fall under domestic regulation , as the issuance and sale of such ETFs remain prohibited in Japan.

In a further operational change, IG Japan’s subsidiary has ended its introductory trading program for new clients. The program had allowed reduced minimum trading sizes during the first two weeks after account opening and has now been phased out.

The company said the change followed earlier adjustments to product sizes, which it said had created a “more comfortable trading environment” and reduced the need for promotional incentives. Accounts opened before the termination date continued to receive benefits until the program ended.