Binance Pay tourists can finally blast USDT at Japan's PayPay vending machines 🇯🇵

Eligible overseas visitors to Japan can now spend Tether USDt (USDT) at the majority of PayPay-supported merchants starting Wednesday, with merchants continuing to receive settlement in Japanese yen. The service routes through HIVEX, a payment interoperability framework developed by TBCASoft that connects overseas QR payment services to PayPay's nationwide merchant base. Binance told Cointelegraph it is the first crypto payment service to access PayPay-supported merchants through HIVEX, and that no separate merchant opt-in is required.

PayPay is a Japanese cashless payment service accepted at millions of locations nationwide, including major chains, smaller retailers, vending machines, taxis and public transportation. PayPay lists nine other overseas payment services supported through HIVEX, mainly from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Under the new integration, overseas Binance users scan a PayPay QR code or present a payment code, and the system converts crypto balances to yen at checkout.

Binance Pay reaches approximately 48 million users across more than 100 countries, according to the company. The launch carries a limited-time 10% instant discount, with Japan residents excluded from the promotional offer. The deal deepens Binance's stablecoin push and follows PayPay's 40% stake in Binance Japan, as well as Binance's $100 million investment in Circle.

Japan welcomed a record 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. In the latest comparable global ranking, based on 2024 data, it ranked ninth worldwide and first in Asia. The country recorded 3.1 million visitor arrivals in August, down 9.6% from a year earlier, bringing the total for the first eight months of 2026 to 27.6 million, down 2.7%, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Related coverage notes that Laser Digital recently received Japan's first crypto exchange approval in four years.