Key Takeaways:
- Ikuyo Corp. plans to establish an industry association promoting stablecoin use in Japan’s trade finance sector.
- The initiative targets inefficiencies in B2B payments, which the company says remain fragmented and outdated.
- The association will involve firms across sectors and focus on technical standards, compliance, and digital trust.
- No launch date has been set, but Ikuyo says further details will be announced as planning advances.
Japanese manufacturer Ikuyo Corp. is preparing to launch an industry association set to introduce stablecoin settlement to B2B trade, arguing that Japan’s current settlement system is fragmented and outdated compared with global practices.
The planned body, named the General Incorporated Association for Stablecoin Settlement, will focus on overhauling settlement methods in trade finance, which Ikuyo says remain slow, costly and lag behind the digitization of global commerce despite government efforts to modernize infrastructure.
According to the official announcement, the new association aims to support cash flow improvements, reduce settlement burdens, and promote trust in digital transactions. It is also expected to develop shared technical standards, issue security and operational guidelines, and coordinate with regulators to ensure legal compliance.
Furthermore, Participation will be open to companies across a range of industries, including manufacturing, logistics, blockchain development, and financial technology, as the association is intended as a cross-sector platform rather than a proprietary framework.
The company did not provide a timeline for the association’s launch but said further updates will follow as planning progresses.
From Trade to Energy Markets, Blockchain Settlement Gains Ground
Ikuyo’s plan comes as other major players in Japan launch their own digital currency projects. Monex Group is considering a yen-backed stablecoin, potentially supported by government bonds, with its chairman and founder Oki Matsumoto warning that Monex cannot afford to fall behind in adapting to new forms of digital finance.”
At the same time, digital deposit token known as DCJPY in fiscal 2026. With about ¥190 trillion ($1.3 trillion) in deposits, the bank says the token will allow customers to convert savings into blockchain-based money that can be used for near-instant settlement of digital assets.
Furthermore, DeCurret DCP, GMO Aozora Net Bank and Internet Initiative Japan have begun applying the same digital currency framework to environmental markets. The project, set to go live in 2024, will convert non-fossil certificates into blockchain-based tokens and settle them using DCJPY. The partners say the approach will replace paper-based certificates with programmable digital assets and could expand to other sectors, such as security tokens and NFTs.
Together, these initiatives highlight how Japan’s financial and industrial sectors are testing blockchain-based settlements, signaling that stablecoins and tokenized deposits are moving closer to mainstream use.
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