Japan logistics firm to pay contractors with JPYC stablecoin

AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings will adopt JPYC, a yen-pegged stablecoin, to pay fees and salaries to roughly 2,300 business partners and individual contractors, including truck drivers. The company plans to use onchain settlements to accelerate payment timing and make transfers more convenient for its subcontractor network.

The program is intended to cover about 2,300 partners and is part of the company's effort to attract and retain workers amid an aging workforce and stricter overtime limits for drivers. AZ-COM Maruwa is considering a closer partnership with JPYC Inc. that would include a proposed investment of about 1 billion yen (about $6.2 million).

JPYC began operations in late 2024 and is officially registered in Japan. Onchain circulation of JPYC has exceeded 2 billion yen. Retail pilots to accept JPYC have started, and private investors have participated in JPYC Inc.'s financing rounds, including a March Series B placement that attracted 400 million yen from an investor.

Other yen-denominated stablecoin initiatives are underway in Japan. A trust bank-backed token launched earlier this year, and three major Japanese banks — MUFG, SMBC and Mizuho — plan to begin live commercial transactions with a jointly issued stablecoin in fiscal 2026.

Adopting JPYC for payouts raises operational questions including how contractors will convert between fiat and JPYC, compliance with financial regulations and how firms will manage risks if the token's peg moves. AZ-COM Maruwa and JPYC Inc. have not released a detailed rollout timeline or the technical and compliance arrangements they will use.