NETSTARS and Lawson Partner for In-Store Stablecoin Payment Proof-of-Concept Trial
NETSTARS announced that it will conduct a proof-of-concept trial for its "Stablecoin Pay" service at a Lawson convenience store on Monday, August 17. The trial will take place at the Lawson Osaki Atrium location, following a preliminary trial conducted on August 3.
The experiment will test point-of-sale (POS) terminal-integrated transactions using three pegged digital assets: USDC, USDT, and JPYC. Built on NETSTARS’ proprietary cashless payment platform, "StarPay," the service allows for point-of-sale integration aimed at assessing operational speed, user experience, and impact on store staff during high-volume retail hours.
Key Details of the Trial
- Date: August 17, 2026 (Preliminary trial completed August 3).
- Location: Lawson Osaki Atrium Store.
- Participants: Representatives from NETSTARS, Lawson, and associated entities.
- Supported Assets & Chains:
- USDC (Solana, Morph, Polygon)
- USDT (Solana, Morph, Polygon)
- JPYC (Polygon)
- Supported Wallet: MetaMask.
- Core Objective: Integrate "Stablecoin Pay" directly with Lawson's existing POS register system to evaluate payment speeds, clerk operations, and overall customer ease of use.
Context & Strategic Roadmap
Integrating digital currencies into legacy POS architecture is widely considered a critical hurdle for retail adoption of Web3 payments in Japan. NETSTARS previously introduced its broader Web2-to-Web3 payment initiative, "StarPay-X", in April 2026, followed by the commercial launch of "Stablecoin Pay" on July 13, 2026.
Lawson’s involvement reflects a broader effort by retail operators to evaluate next-generation payment methods for diverse consumer preferences. NETSTARS intends to use insights gathered from this trial to refine store-level operations and promote broader social implementation of stablecoins across convenience stores and retail sectors.
Norbert Gehrke
