Japan’s largest bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), will launch a blockchain-based payments network in 2020.

The firm published a press release on Tuesday stating that a joint venture with US-based firm Akamai Technologies has been formed, with the two companies developing a blockchain-based platform for next year.

MUFG has made the bold claim that the network, entitled the Global Open Network, will be able to facilitate more than one million transactions per second. The platform will also integrate Akamai’s cloud computing platform into the network.

The announcement states that the platform will “utilise MUFG’s presence in the payment business and Akamai’s intelligent edge platform, which offers world-class speed and security, with the aim of providing an open payment network in Japan based on new blockchain technology by the first half of 2020.”

It was also confirmed that the two firms will “strive to support diverse payment schemes that take IoT into account, to expand our payment network business globally and to further enhance our services.”

Japanese regulators have shown a keen interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology over the past few months. In January, it emerged that the Japanese financial watchdog was exploring the possibility of a cryptocurrency-based ETF, in spite of continued delays and rejections in the US markets.