Japan Credit Bureau (JCB) to conduct a proof of concept for stablecoin-based payments, aiming to enable in-store payments using „USDC” by inbound visitors to Japan
JCB Co., Ltd. (JCB) and Digital Garage, Inc. (Digital Garage), together with Lawson, Inc. (Lawson), announced that they have concluded a Basic Agreement toward conducting a proof of concept (PoC) for in-store payments using stablecoins.
Under this agreement, the three companies will combine JCB’s stablecoin payment service, Digital Garage’s technologies related to payment APIs and back-end systems, and Lawson’s expertise in store operations to identify challenges and explore solutions for realizing stablecoin payments at physical stores. „The PoC will focus on verifying use cases in which inbound visitors to Japan make in-store payments using the US dollar-pegged stablecoin USDC.” – according to the press release.
Background to the Basic Agreement
As Japan’s cashless payment ratio continues to rise, physical stores are increasingly accommodating a wide range of payment methods. Owing to their high level of convenience, stablecoins are attracting attention around the world as a foundation supporting a new ecosystem for a cashless society, and the market is expanding rapidly. In the payments domain in particular, their use is expected to deliver a broad range of benefits, including reducing the currency-exchange burden on inbound visitors to Japan, further improving the efficiency of fund settlement, and enhancing merchants’ cash flow.
Through this initiative, JCB’s stablecoin payment service, Digital Garage’s technologies related to payment APIs and back-end systems, and Lawson’s expertise in store operations and POS systems will be brought together to conduct a PoC verifying the potential of stablecoin payments at physical stores.
Overview of the PoC
In this PoC, the parties will adopt the CPM (Consumer-Presented Mode) method, in which a barcode containing the stablecoin wallet address information displayed on the user’s smartphone is scanned by Lawson’s in-store POS. Through this, the PoC will primarily verify the practicality and convenience of the use case in which users make in-store payments using the US dollar-pegged stablecoin „USDC.”
In addition, the connection between Lawson’s in-store POS system and JCB’s stablecoin payment service will utilize the code-payment processing technology provided by Canal Payment Service Co., Ltd.
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In January 2026, JCB, together with Digital Garage and Resona Holdings, Inc., launched a collaboration toward the social implementation of stablecoin payments. Under this collaboration, with Digital Garage as a partner, the parties are conducting PoCs on stablecoin payments at physical stores to identify and examine solutions to the challenges involved in realizing stablecoin payments among merchants in Japan.
JCB (Japan Credit Bureau) is a major credit card company and the only international payment brand based in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in January 1961 (issued Japan’s first credit card shortly after), the company currently have 182 million card members and about 72 million merchants. JCB is present as an acceptance network in over 190 countries and territories worldwide. However, the actual issuance of JCB cards is concentrated primarily in 18 to 24 countries and regions, with a heavy focus on the Asia-Pacific market.
