JPYC Pockets ¥6B and a Logistics Wingman as Stablecoin Yen Goes Cross-Country 🚚💴

Japanese yen stablecoin issuer JPYC has completed an extension of its Series B funding round, lifting the round's cumulative total to roughly 6 billion yen ($38 million). The company announced Wednesday that Japanese logistics group AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings joined the round as a new investor. JPYC said the proceeds will be used to expand its financial and Web3 ecosystem and accelerate adoption of its yen-pegged stablecoin.

JPYC did not disclose the exact amount raised in the extension or the size of AZ-COM Maruwa's investment. The round's cumulative total rose by about 1 billion yen from the approximately 5 billion yen announced in May, and financial terms for the companies' capital and business alliance were not provided. Earlier in the year, Metaplanet Ventures invested 400 million yen into the funding round. JPYC did not respond to requests for details about the investment and the partnership's planned applications by the time of publication.

AZ-COM Maruwa was reported by Nikkei on July 20 to be considering investing more than 1 billion yen in JPYC, and the logistics firm is exploring using the stablecoin to pay about 2,300 delivery partners and contractors. JPYC said Wednesday that pairing its stablecoin with AZ-COM Maruwa's logistics network could support onchain finance that integrates commercial, logistics and payment flows.

JPYC launched last October as Japan's first registered stablecoin and has since expanded commercial partnerships while preparing new payment use cases for businesses and consumers. The funding announcement comes alongside broader stablecoin payment activity in Japan, including an expanded Lawson payment trial and a Netstars launch referenced in related coverage, as regulated issuers continue to roll out yen-denominated digital payment services.