Japan's Mizuho is implementing API interfaces to third party personal financial management apps through a collaboration with IBM, Finextra reports. The bank will run IBM Japan's FinTech API interface, as well as IBM API Connect on the IBM Cloud and IBM DataPower Gateway. For its part, IBM Japan says it will also collaborate directly with Mizuho Bank to offer advanced IoT ('internet of things') payment services to its customers all within the IBM Cloud. Amazon has released figures showing that it lent more than US$1 billion to small businesses in the last 12 months. According to Finextra, Amazon Lending offers short-term business loans, for up to 12 months, to invited micro, small and medium businesses. Amazon's intimate understanding of merchant sales patterns though its online marketplace means that it can identify small traders with strong potential who wouldn't otherwise qualify for a typical bank loan. The company mines data from more than two million active sellers on its website to identify those who are most creditworthy, offering advances of between $1,000 to $750,000 payable within one year.