Global

UPI To Debut In Japan As India’s Digital Payments Network Expands Global Footprint [Video]

YouTube

"India’s Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, is set to debut in Japan, marking a significant step in the global expansion of India’s flagship digital payments platform. Japanese IT services firm NTT Data has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India to enable UPI acceptance in Japan on a trial basis during fiscal 2026, initially targeting Indian tourists visiting the country."

Tags: India Japan

Global

JCB, Digital Garage and Resona Bank Partner on Stablecoin Retail Payments

Ledger Insights

"JCB, Japan’s major card brand that competes with Visa and Mastercard, has partnered with Digital Garage, one of the country’s largest e-commerce payment providers, and Resona Holdings, Japan’s fourth largest bank, to develop stablecoin payment infrastructure. The companies will conduct a pilot program using USD and JPY denominated stablecoins at physical retail locations."

Tags: Japan

Global

Japan’s Tokenized Deposit Solution DCJPY to Be Used at Retail POS

Ledger Insights

"DeCurret DCP, the developer of the DCJPY tokenized deposit solution, has entered into an agreement with Transaction Media Networks (TMN) to explore retail usage of DCJPY. TMN partners with retailers to provide point of sale solutions. It also offers solutions to merchants to sell gift cards and other prepaid cards. A major feature is the use of customer data to target promotions, which will be central to the DeCurret DCP partnership and exploration of distributed ledger applications."

Tags: Japan

Global

Wise Becomes First Non-Bank to Go Live on Japan's Zengin System via API and Settle Directly With Bank of Japan

Fintech Finance

"Wise is now the first non-bank operating in Japan to connect via the newly established API method rather than the existing Relay Computer system. Additionally, Wise is now the first Funds Transfer Service Provider to settle payments directly with the Bank of Japan, making domestic yen payments almost instant by eliminating the need for intermediary banking partners."

Tags: Japan

Global

JPYC Stablecoin Launches in Japan. Has a Fraud Compensation Policy

Ledger Insights

"JPYC went live as a Japanese regulated stablecoin. It is the first Yen stablecoin to launch under Japan’s stablecoin regulations, which came into force in 2023. The law supports three types of issuers: funds transfer service providers such as JPYC, trust banks acting for third parties, or commercial banks. By international standards, the stablecoin has a novel feature – it offers compensation for fraud under certain circumstances. The issuer also announced a Philippines deal."

Tags: Japan

Global

NTT DATA: Signs MoU with NPCI International Payments Limited for UPI Payment Acceptance Across Merchants in Japan

MarketScreener

"NTT DATA announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NPCI International Payments Limited, a subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The MoU establishes the foundation to enable acceptance of Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India's leading real-time payment system for Indian tourists in Japan."

Tags: India Japan

Global

Japan Extends Work on Stablecoins for Convenience Store E-commerce Payments

Ledger Insights

"Japan has a network of over 65,000 convenience stores where many people use cash to pay utility bills or even for e-commerce orders, a practice referred to as konbini payments. In August, a key service provider for these stores entered a deal to start enabling people to send stablecoin remittances from these convenience stores. Now further details have been shared about an existing deal with a stablecoin issuer, with the scope of collaboration appearing to include domestic payments as well as cross border."

Tags: Japan

Global

PayPay Is Now Accepted in South Korea Via Ant International’s Alipay+

Business Wire

"Starting from late September 2025, Japan's leading cashless payment service PayPay will be accepted at over 2 million merchants across South Korea through Alipay+, a global wallet gateway service operated by Ant International. This will allow its 70 million registered users to make seamless payments during their visit, wherever the Alipay+ logo is displayed."

Tags: Japan

Global

Japanese Firms to Enable Stablecoin Remittances Using In-Store Cash

Ledger Insights

"Japan is notorious for its heavy cash usage, something the government was keen to change. It set a target of reaching 40% cashless payments by 2025 and 80% long term, providing incentives along the way. By the end of 2024 it reached its goal with a cashless figure of 42.8%. Nonetheless, a significant slice of the population remains tied to cash payment habits. More than 65,000 convenience stores in Japan accept payments for utility bills and e-commerce transactions using cash, called Konbini payments."

Tags: Japan

Global

Hokkoku, Soft Space to Unveil SoftPOS Supporting Stablecoin Payments [Japan]

Yahoo Finance

"Hokkoku Financial, in collaboration with fintech firm Soft Space, has revealed plans to launch a SoftPOS solution. The solution enables merchants to process contactless card payments and regulated stablecoin transactions using mobile devices."

Tags: Japan

Companies Global

Stripe Launches New Features for Businesses in Japan, Adds PayPay Integration

IBS Intelligence

"Stripe has launched a set of major product updates aimed at supporting businesses in Japan and international companies expanding into the Japanese market. Stripe is now making it easier for businesses to cater to local customer expectations by enabling support for PayPay, Japan’s widely used digital wallet with over 68 million users. Businesses can now accept PayPay for online purchases and benefit from faster payouts, receiving funds in as few as four business days—far ahead of the industry norm of month-end settlements."

Tags: Japan Stripe

Global

Japan’s Paypay Ties up With BigPay, 3 More Digital Payment Platforms

Nikkei Asia

"Japanese e-payment service PayPay has entered partnerships with four platforms operating in a combined six countries to better serve the influx of tourists visiting Japan. Users of BigPay and K PLUS, which are widely used in Thailand, Bluecode, used in Germany, and Kaspi.kz, used in Kazakhstan, will now be able to pay at Japanese stores by scanning PayPay QR codes. BigPay also operates in Malaysia and Singapore, while Bluecode is also used in Austria"

Tags: Japan

Global

New Guidance from Japan Credit Associate (JCA) on EMV 3DS Mandate

Forter

"The Credit Transaction Security Measures Council of the Japan Credit Association (JCA) has mandated the use of EMV 3D Secure on Japanese credit cards beginning in April 2025.  As fraud becomes increasingly sophisticated and prevalent in Japan, the mandate aims to mitigate risks by encouraging merchants to implement fraud prevention and account protection measures across the entire customer lifecycle."

Tags: Japan

Global

Alibaba Targets Japan With Tao, a New Cross-border E-commerce Platform

KrASIA

"Alibaba Group has unveiled Tao, a cross-border e-commerce platform tailored for Japanese consumers, as part of its latest push into international markets."

Tags: Japan

Global

Checkout.com Forays Into Japan to Strengthen Its Global Presence

IBS Intelligence

"Global digital payments company Checkout.com has announced its expansion into Japan, supported by new direct acquisition capabilities."

Tags: Japan

Global

Are you ready for 3DS? [Japan]

Medium

"The Japan Credit Association has mandated the use of EMV 3D Secure (3DS) for all Japanese credit card transactions, effective March 2025. This is part of new Credit Card Security Guidelines introduced by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to combat rising credit card fraud."

Tags: Japan

Global

Visa Rolls Out of BNPL-Specific Credentials, Launches “VIC in a Box” With Three Partners in Japan

Medium

"Visa has announced that it will roll out the Visa Installment Credential (VIC), a dedicated credential for Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products, in Japan."

Tags: Japan

Global

New Guidance from Japan Credit Associate (JCA) on EMV 3DS Mandate

Forter

"The Credit Transaction Security Measures Council of the Japan Credit Association (JCA) has mandated the use of EMV 3D Secure on Japanese credit cards beginning in March 2025. The JCA recently published updated guidance to its members on how the EMV 3D Secure implementation will work in practice."

Tags: Japan

Global

Japan Releases New Banknotes for First Time in 20 Years

The Japan Times

"Wednesday marked the debut of Japan’s redesigned ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 banknotes into circulation, which incorporate some of the world’s leading anti-counterfeiting technology and feature historical figures."

Tags: Japan

Global

Japan to Collaborate on Chinese Payment Services With Joint QR Code

Nikkei Asia

"Efforts are underway between Japan and other Asian countries to allow mutual access and use of QR code payment services that are popular in their own countries."

Tags: China Japan

Global

Biometric Payment Cards Launching in Japan, Turkey

Biometric Update

"Credit card fraud is spiking in Japan, with a 30 percent year-over-year increase, leading to greater interest from banks in biometric cards as well as metal cards, according to the announcement."

Tags: Japan Turkey

Global

Bank of Japan Launches Forum with 60 Firms on Digital Yen Pilot Programme

Reuters

"The Bank of Japan on Thursday kicked off a series of discussions with 60 companies on a pilot programme for developing a digital yen, joining peers around the globe ramping up efforts towards issuing digital versions of their currencies for retail use."

Tags: Japan

Global

Face Biometrics Deployed for Cardless ATM Transactions at Japan’s Seven-Elevens

Biometric Update

"By as early as March 2024, Japan’s Seven Bank will allow customers to make deposits and withdrawals using facial recognition at roughly 20,000 ATMs in Seven-Elevens nationally, said the bank’s president Masaaki Matsuhashi, according to Nikkei."

Tags: Japan

Global

MUFG to Facilitate Japanese Bank-Backed Stablecoins via Progmat Coin Platform

Cointelegraph

"Megabank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) has announced its stablecoin issuance platform “Progmat Coin” will soon be used by banks in Japan to launch Japanese yen-pegged stablecoins on several public blockchains."

Tags: Japan

Global

Japan’s New Stablecoin Framework Could Spur US To Act

Blockworks

"As Japanese banks get set to issue stablecoins under new legislation, the US’ lack of regulatory clarity in the segment is one hurdle blocking institutions in the country from doing the same."

Tags: Japan

Global

Japan Enforces "Travel Rule" for Crypto Exchanges in June

FinanceFeeds

"Japan is preparing to enforce stricter anti-money laundering measures, which will include the implementation of the “travel rule” recommended by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)."

Tags: Japan

Global

Bank of Japan Governor Confident in CBDC’s Ability to Coexist With Other Forms of Payment

CoinGeek

"Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has expressed his optimism that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) can exist with other payment mechanisms in the Japanese payment ecosystem. Kuroda’s comments were contained in a Tuesday speech titled “Evolution of Payments: Payment Systems for Neoteric Individuals,” where he hailed the potential of CBDCs in improving payments for consumers. The central bank chief claimed that CBDCs, in addition to improving enhanced user convenience, are integral in improving financial inclusivity and cross-border payments."

Tags: Japan

Global

Japanese Fintech Leader Smartpay First to Launch the Next Phase of Digital Consumer finance Through Open Banking

TechCrunch

“Japan-based fintech Smartpay has launched Smartpay Bank Direct, the country’s first digital consumer finance service that allows customers to pay for online installment purchases straight from their bank accounts. Smartpay Bank Direct emphasizes user security while delivering convenience for the consumer, through a network of 67 partner banks across Japan[1]. Smartpay is Japan’s first digital consumer finance company to utilize Japan’s open banking system.”

Tags: Japan

Companies Global

Japan Pushes Apple to Support Digital ID Card Function on iPhone

Biometric Update

“Japan wants its My Number cards on the iPhone and Tim Cook is hearing about it, according to Yahoo Japan. In a meeting with the Apple CEO, Fumido Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan, pushed to have his country’s digital ID card installed on the iPhone. Android should accommodate My Number by May. But the best Cook would promise Kishida was that he would work on it. The Prime Minister’s request follows new services accessible via the 12-digit My Number digital ID card.”

Tags: Japan

Global

Japanese Regulators Loosen Crypto Laws and Make it Easier to List Coins

Cointelegraph

“The Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association, the governing body that deals with crypto assets in Japan, released documents of plans to further ease crypto laws in the country.  According to a Bloomberg report, as early as December of this year, the association wants to implement a looser screening process for already authorized exchanges to list virtual coins. However, this would apply to tokens that are not new to the Japanese market. The regulators could abolish the lengthy pre-screening process altogether, even for coins new to the market, by March 2024. This scenario could also include tokens issued through initial coin or exchange offerings, according to comments by Genki Oda, the association’s vice president.”

Tags: Japan