credit card
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank will reorganize its subsidiaries engaged in the credit card business, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Card and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Club, with the merger of both companies scheduled for October 1, 2025. Trust Club issues cards such as the Diners Club Card, which has many high-income members, while
crypto
Sony Electronics Singapore (SES) and Crypto.com have enabled the acceptance of Circle's USDC, a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, exclusively on the Sony Store Online in a move to make direct crypto payment accessible to SES’ consumers. The integration of cryptocurrency payments is gaining traction worldwide to appeal
cashless
PayPay Corporation announces that the number of "PayPay" payments in 2024 has exceeded 7.46 billion, accounting for approximately 1 in 5 of the total 38.8 billion cashless payments in Japan. The total number of QR code payments increased by 23% year-on-year to over 11.5 billion,
payments
Filippino conglomerate Ayala and Mitsubishi have executed an investment agreement for the Japanese multinational’s acquisition of a 6.5% stake in e-wallet giant GCash, according to a stock exchange filing. Mitsubishi will subscribe to 18.03 million common and redeemable preferred shares of AC Ventures Holding (ACV), which holds
stablecoin
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, TIS, Ava Labs, and Fireblocks have signed a basic agreement concerning joint exploration of stablecoin utilization with a view toward future commercialization. Overview of the Agreement SMBC Group, TIS, Ava Labs, and Fireblocks have formally agreed to begin joint exploration of stablecoin
weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. Happy new fiscal year! There were a few deals that still had to get done before the end of March, with insurance and regional banking being especially busy. Congratulations and best of luck to anyone who started a
payments
JR Shikoku, Toyo Denki Seizo, and DG Financial Technology have equipped the "On-board Supplementary Ticket Issuance App" used by conductors with QR code payment functionality starting April 1, 2025. This will allow passengers to pay for tickets purchased from conductors on JR Shikoku trains using QR code payment
banking
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company announced that the number of accounts opened for "Olive," a comprehensive financial service for individual customers, has surpassed 5 million. Olive is a completely new service that seamlessly combines bank accounts, card payments, financing, online securities, online insurance, and
crypto
Open House Group, which in February had started accepting cryptocurrency for real estate purchases, has made significant updates to their "Open House Global" portal, designed to enhance convenience for the real estate purchasing experience in Japan for international clients. * Expanded Cryptocurrency Payment Options: In addition to Bitcoin and
stablecoin
OwlTing Group partners with GMO-Z.com Trust Company to enhance the accessibility to GYEN, the first regulated Japanese Yen stablecoin. This strategic move aims to provide users with diversified cross-border transaction options in one of the world’s major reserve currencies. By integrating GYEN and ZUSD (USD stablecoin) into the
payments
Revolut Technologies Japan has launched a new service targeting children and teenagers aged 6 to 17, designed to help them learn financial literacy in a gamified way through daily life experiences. By using separate apps for parents and children, the service provides features that allow learning about money management through
payments
Plug and Play Japan has invested in Tokenz, a company providing next-generation payment gateway solutions. Tokenz supports digital content businesses such as games, e-books, software, and streaming platforms by offering a Merchant of Record (MoR) solution that enables seamless and flexible global expansion, supporting over 200 payment methods across 170