Circle picked a great partner for this collaboration. With Tokyo stores piloting first and then rolling out later, stablecoins in Japan’s offline scenarios really could gain traction—Lawson is also testing JPYC, and the regulatory outlook is clearly getting looser.

JCB has reached a cooperation with Circle’s affiliated entities, and plans to test USDC payments within the year at a store in Tokyo with a high number of foreign tourists, evaluating expansion to more partner merchants. The pilot is intended to reduce tourists’ currency exchange steps and lower payment processing fees. Previously, JCB had tested offline USDC and JPYC payments with Digital Garage, Resona Holdings, and others; Japan has also recently been accelerating stablecoin merchant payment trials, including Lawson planning to test JPYC in-store settlement in August. (CoinPost)