KDDI Integrates Crypto Wallet into au PAY App, Accelerating Web3 Financial Adoption in Japan
Japanese telecommunications giant KDDI, alongside joint-venture partner au Coincheck Digital Assets, blockchain developer HashPort, and au Financial Services, announced the launch of "αU wallet," a non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet embedded directly as a mini-app within the widespread au PAY mobile payment platform.
The integrated service allows users to convert up to 300 Ponta loyalty points per month into digital assets—including Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), Ethereum (ETH), and the yen-pegged stablecoin JPYC—without requiring a traditional crypto exchange account. Users can also purchase digital assets using Japanese yen directly via Coincheck OnRamp. Managed assets or stablecoins held in the αU wallet can subsequently be converted into an au PAY balance to fund purchases across the platform’s national merchant network.
This initiative follows KDDI’s strategic capital partnership with HashPort in November 2025 and the May 2026 formation of au Coincheck Digital Assets, a joint venture between KDDI, au Financial Holdings, and Coincheck. Designed to lower barriers to digital asset ownership in Japan, the platform leverages HashPort’s proprietary infrastructure (HashPort Studio Wallet Core) and KDDI’s base of over 7 million users already participating in its simulated bitcoin point-investment features.
Looking ahead, the consortium plans to expand the service in winter 2026 by rolling out native crypto-staking features to allow asset holders to yield returns on their holdings. Meanwhile, the standalone αU wallet mobile application originally released in 2023 will officially sunset on October 30, 2026.
Norbert Gehrke
