AZ-COM Maruwa to use JPYC for payments to about 2,300 carriers and drivers

AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings plans to use the regulated yen stablecoin JPYC to settle fees and other payments with around 2,300 business partners, including subcontractors and truck drivers, in what Nikkei Asia described as the first large-scale corporate use of a stablecoin in day-to-day operations in Japan. The Tokyo-listed logistics company, which has worked with Amazon Japan since 2017, reported 230.5 billion yen in revenue for the fiscal year ended March. The company aims to improve cash flow for drivers and small carriers as Japan’s logistics sector grapples with labor shortages, an aging workforce and tighter overtime rules. Nikkei Asia said AZ-COM Maruwa hopes near-instant, fee-free conversion into yen will make contract work more attractive. JPYC, issued by Tokyo-based JPYC Inc., is described as Japan’s first fully regulated yen-pegged stablecoin. The token launched in October last year under the Payment Services Act, maintains a 1:1 peg to the yen, and is backed by bank deposits and Japanese government bonds. Its onchain circulation had surpassed 2 billion yen as of last week. AZ-COM Maruwa is also considering a formal business partnership with the issuer and a 1 billion-yen investment in the token. The plan follows Lawson’s move to pilot JPYC payments at its Takanawa Gateway City store in Tokyo from early August, underscoring growing mainstream adoption of regulated stablecoins in Japan across both retail and business payments.