Stablecoins are moving beyond on-chain finance and into real-world payment scenarios. For WEA Japan, a Web3 payment infrastructure company, Japan is the starting point for bringing stablecoins into physical commerce and enterprise settlement.
On January 26, 2026, at Terminal 3 of Tokyo Haneda Airport, an international traveler used a MetaMask wallet to display a QR code and pay in USDC. The transaction was completed within seconds, with the merchant receiving settlement in Japanese yen. The pilot marked Japan’s first airport in-store payment using USDC.
Behind this frictionless checkout experience was a payment solution jointly developed by Netstars, one of Japan’s largest QR code payment gateway providers, and WEA Japan. The solution connects self-custody wallets, on-chain stablecoins, payment gateways, and merchant systems to facilitate automated fiat settlement. Consumers can pay directly from their own wallets, while merchants receive funds through familiar processes without needing to manage digital assets or operate blockchain systems.
Following the Haneda Airport pilot, stablecoin payments were introduced at TCG BW Himeji, a trading card specialty store. The expansion shows that the model is not limited to major transportation hubs, but can also be applied to everyday retail environments.
A Global Shift Toward Stablecoin Payments
Stablecoins such as USDC and USDT have historically been used mainly for crypto trading and cross-border settlement, with limited presence in physical consumer payments. That is beginning to change. As circulation grows and demand for faster cross-border payments increases, and regulatory frameworks become clearer, stablecoins are evolving from on-chain financial instruments into practical tools for real-world transactions.
Japan became WEA Japan’s launch market for a reason. Its partner, Netstars, operates more than 700,000 POS terminals across the country, supported by a mature Web2 payment gateway network. Combined with Japan’s adoption of QR codes and cashless payments, the Haneda Airport pilot provided a natural testing ground for stablecoin payments in a live commercial environment.
WEA Japan’s next phase will focus primarily on Asia, particularly Southeast Asian markets such as Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. These markets have strong demand for cross-border consumption, tourism payments, digital wallets and merchant digitization, making them well suited for stablecoin payments to scale from single-location pilots into broader retail, travel and merchant acquiring ecosystems.
Building on its growing footprint of real-world use cases in Asia, WEA Japan is expanding into Europe and North America to embed stablecoin payments into mature global commercial networks. Beyond consumer crypto spending, the platform targets high-impact B2B verticals: cross-border settlement, travel retail, merchant acquiring, and enterprise payments. This global expansion follows a proven blueprint: validated in Japan, scaled across Asia, and replicated in Europe and North America.
WEA Japan’s Partner Ecosystem
As a Web3 payment infrastructure provider focused on real-world commerce, WEA Japan has built a broad partnership network across the stablecoin payments sector.
To connect Web2 and Web3 payments, WEA Japan has joined forces with leading ecosystem partners, including NetX, Netstars, Aptos, Solana Foundation, Bitget Wallet and Canton Foundation. Together, these partners are participating in the development and implementation of StarPay-X, a payment gateway initiated by Netstars.
The StarPay-X network is designed to support major blockchains including NetX, Solana, Aptos and Canton, while integrating stablecoins such as USDC and USDT. Its goal is to connect existing financial infrastructure with the efficiency of Web3, helping bring next-generation financial services into mainstream commercial use.
The Transformative Role of Stablecoin Payments
For stablecoins to reach mainstream adoption, high-performance blockchains and smooth wallet experiences are not enough. The larger challenge is making stablecoins easy for merchants to accept, intuitive for consumers to use, compatible with regulation, and connected to banking and settlement systems.
WEA Japan is positioned at this intersection. Through its collaborations with Netstars, NetX, and other global partners, it is helping define a new payment model: Consumers spend stablecoins, merchants receive local fiat currency, Web3 technology operates securely in the background, and the front-end experience remains close to traditional payments.
This model removes one of the biggest barriers to stablecoin adoption in commerce. Merchants do not need to hold crypto assets, redesign accounting processes, or build blockchain expertise in-house. Consumers can use digital assets through familiar QR-based payment flows.
About WEA Japan
WEA Japan is an enterprise-grade Web3 payment infrastructure provider based in Japan and dedicated to real-world commercial applications. The company is building a compliant payment network that connects the fiat financial system with the digital asset economy, supporting stablecoin adoption across everyday consumption, merchant acquiring, cross-border payments and enterprise settlement. Built on a foundation of regulatory compliance, institutional security, and systemic stability, WEA Japan is developing the next-generation payment layer for merchants, enterprises, and global users.
The company is led by experienced industry leaders and technical experts. CEO Yoshimoto Bansho is a veteran of Japan’s traditional payment industry, with previous experience at NTT, Netstars and GMO Payment Gateway. He has deep expertise in mobile payments, QR code payments and merchant acquisition, and leads the company’s commercial implementation and strategic planning.
Chief Scientist Dr. Anbang Ruan holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford and specializes in trusted computing, blockchain and digital economy research. He also maintains long-term cooperation with international research institutions, including the Oxford-Octa Digital Economics Lab. CTO Wei Ming holds a doctorate from Peking University and leads WEA Japan’s core technical architecture and engineering implementation, with expertise in on-chain payments and enterprise systems.
This unique leadership synergy provides WEA Japan with an unparalleled understanding of payment systems, decentralized settlement mechanics, and real-world compliance frameworks.
Backed by more than 30 core patents, WEA Japan has developed proprietary technologies in secure payments, encrypted communications, and Trusted Execution Environments. The company is also integrating AI into its infrastructure through autonomous agent models and automated risk control frameworks designed to improve transaction monitoring and real-time settlement. With its combined strengths in payment expertise, blockchain engineering, compliance, and AI-driven infrastructure, WEA Japan is positioned to support the broader adoption of stablecoin payments worldwide.
For more information, visit www.weajapan.co.jp or follow the company on X and Medium.
Media Contact
WEA Japan Team
contact@weajapan.co.jp
