venture capital

Stablecoin Issuer JPYC Inc. Secures 2.8 Billion Yen in Series B Second Close to Accelerate Digital Yen Integration

JPYC Inc., the issuer and operator of the Japanese yen-pegged stablecoin "JPYC," has successfully raised 2.8 billion yen in the second close of its Series B funding round. This latest injection brings the total cumulative capital raised in the Series B round to approximately 4.6 billion yen.

The funding round saw participation from a diverse group of institutional and strategic investors, including NCB Venture Capital, Tekmira Holdings, Metaplanet, Canal Ventures, Sumitomo Life Insurance (SUMISEI INNOVATION FUND), i-nest capital, NTVP, North Pacific Bank, and Yokohama Capital.

Allocation of Capital

Management has outlined four primary pillars for the utilization of the new capital:

Infrastructure and Application Development: The company plans to upgrade its system architecture to meet financial institution-grade security and internal control standards. A significant focus will be placed on enabling "Machine-to-Machine (M2M) payments," where AI agents autonomously handle value transfers.
Human Capital: JPYC will aggressively recruit specialists in business development, legal compliance (specifically AML/CFT frameworks), and blockchain engineering to support its transition from a pilot phase to full-scale social implementation.
B2B and Ecosystem Expansion: Funds are earmarked to expand the JPYC ecosystem into corporate settlements, B2B remittances, and future-facing digital salary payment models.
Strategic Strategic Investments: The firm will maintain a reserve for agile investments in new web3 use cases and strategic alliances.

Growth Metrics and Market Penetration

The company highlighted a period of rapid institutional and retail adoption. As of April 15, 2026, JPYC reported that its cumulative issuance has surpassed 2.1 billion yen, representing a 2.6x growth rate over the preceding three months.

Notably, the company observed a significant discrepancy between account holders and wallet activity; while direct accounts stand at 17,000, more than 137,000 unique wallet addresses have held JPYC. This 8-to-1 ratio suggests a robust secondary circulation of the stablecoin outside of the company’s direct platform.

Ecosystem and Multichain Strategy

JPYC currently operates across the Ethereum, Polygon, and Avalanche blockchains, with plans to expand to the Kaia and Arc networks. Recent milestones cited as drivers of credibility include:

An MOU with Sony Bank for service collaboration.
The adoption of JPYC as a native asset in LINE NEXT’s "Unifi" Web3 wallet.
A partnership with Nihon Menzei to develop a blockchain-based tax refund system for inbound tourists.

Investor Sentiment

Leading investors expressed confidence in JPYC’s role in the "AI era" of finance. Noritaka Okabe, CEO of JPYC Inc., emphasized that the funding marks a shift from "points" of innovation to a "plane" of social implementation, positioning the digital yen as a de facto standard in Japan’s evolving financial landscape.

Representatives from North Pacific Bank and Yokohama Capital noted that their participation reflects a commitment to bridging traditional regional finance with Web3 technologies to provide more efficient settlement services to local customers.