Lawson Pioneers Stablecoin Payments at Japanese Convenience Stores

• Lawson, Japan’s leading convenience store chain, has introduced stablecoin payments into its point‑of‑sale (POS) system, providing near‑instant settlements and lower transaction costs compared to traditional credit card and QR‑based methods.

Japan’s regulatory framework continues to position the country at the forefront of fintech innovation, encouraging a growing number of participants to explore the real‑world utility of digital assets.

Lawson, one of the largest convenience store chains in Japan, is the first retailer in the country to offer stablecoin payments directly through its POS system.

Lawson’s JPYC Stablecoin Pilot

The pilot will commence at Lawson’s Takanawa Gateway City store in Minato Ward, Tokyo, from early August. Transactions will be processed using JPYC, a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the Japanese yen.

Hashport, a leading non-custodial wallet provider in Japan, has partnered with Lawson to facilitate seamless payments from customers’ smartphones directly to the store’s POS terminal.

How It Works

Leveraging the efficient settlement rails of stablecoins, JPYC offers zero processing fees for purchases and redemptions. Consumers will, however, incur minimal merchant fees when using the stablecoin at Lawson’s POS, though overall costs remain substantially below those of conventional credit card or QR code payments.

The payment process is straightforward: a shopper opens the Hashport wallet app, the clerk scans a barcode at the POS, and Hashport updates the stablecoin balance in real time.

If the pilot proves successful, Lawson plans to expand the stablecoin payment option across its network, which currently includes 14,693 stores nationwide, with 4,624 located in the Kanto region as of January 2026.

JPYC’s Market Position

JPYC Inc., a Tokyo‑registered fintech company established in 2019, launched JPYC in October 2025. The stablecoin currently commands an estimated $15.81 million market cap, based on a circulating supply of 2.14 billion tokens reported by the issuer.

JPYC is Japan’s first stablecoin with legal recognition as a yen‑backed digital asset. It is backed by 1:1 yen deposits and Japanese government bonds, and operates under the Payment Services Act framework.

The stablecoin initially launched on Ethereum, Polygon, and Avalanche, before expanding to the Kaia Network in mid‑May, capitalizing on the merger of Kakao’s Klaytn and LINE’s Finschia networks.

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