UPBOND said on the 19th that it began a test operation in June with JapanTicket, a company supporting tourism-content sales and customer acquisition. The service guides APA Hotel guests to tourism experiences and restaurant reservations. UPBOND is building around an AI agent for inbound travelers, with AI-based proposals set to begin in April, and is considering payments using JPYC, a yen-denominated electronic payment instrument-type stablecoin (digital currency designed to track fiat value). The company has about 1 million wallet users and is examining a conversation-based process covering suggestions, reservations and payments.