AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings Inc.

AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings announced on July 22 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding for a capital and business alliance with JPYC Inc., the issuer of the yen-denominated stablecoin JPYC. The company will invest approximately 1 billion yen to acquire a 2.9% voting stake and will gradually introduce JPYC for payment of outsourcing fees to roughly 2,300 partner companies, including sole proprietors. The rollout will begin in the Tokyo metropolitan area with a limited scope. The near-term target from closing to payment is around five days, with an image of closing on the 25th and payment at month-end. If achieved, the payment cycle would shrink from the current 20 days to one quarter of that.

JPYC Inc., issuer of Japan's first yen-denominated stablecoin JPYC, marked one year on the 18th since obtaining registration as a funds transfer business, with total circulation reaching approximately 2.83 billion yen. The company obtained registration as a funds transfer business under Article 37 of the Payment Services Act on August 18 last year, and launched its issuance and redemption platform JPYC EX on October 27, 2025 to begin official issuance. Circulation reached 1 billion yen on June 26 this year, then expanded roughly threefold in less than two months, driven in part by support for the Kaia chain in May. On August 5, cumulative funding reached approximately 6 billion yen through a Series B extension, with logistics giant AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings making a new investment and revealing plans to introduce JPYC for paying outsourcing fees to around 2,300 partner companies. In physical store payments, Japan's first demonstration of POS register integration using the HashPort Wallet was conducted at major convenience store chain Lawson on August 6, and a second verification using MetaMask was carried out on the 17th.

JPYC Inc., the issuer of the yen-pegged stablecoin JPYC, has raised a total of 6 billion yen, or 38 million US dollars, in an extended Series B funding round. Part of the new funding, 1 billion yen, comes from AZ-COM Maruwa, a major logistics company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which plans to use JPYC to pay fees and salaries to approximately 2,300 business partners and independent contractors. Earlier in March, Metaplanet Ventures invested 400 million yen in this Series B round. JPYC, which launched last October as Japan's first registered stablecoin, has also trialed stablecoin payments at branches of Lawson, the country's third-largest convenience store chain. Meanwhile, traditional financial institutions such as SBI Group have launched JPYSC, a yen stablecoin backed by a trust bank, and three megabanks—MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho—are jointly developing a co-issued stablecoin.

Major logistics company AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings has announced a partnership with JPYC to develop a logistics payment system using stablecoins. With a logistics network encompassing approximately 2,300 partner companies, the aim is a future where compensation is deposited in real time upon delivery completion. This initiative has the potential to fundamentally change how compensation is received, which has traditionally relied on end-of-month paydays and bank transfers, and a new flow of money is about to begin in the logistics industry, where cash flow is directly tied to business.

Mitsui Matsushima Holdings, Ferrotec, Aun, and others hit limit up. Mitsui Matsushima Holdings announced upward revisions to its earnings and dividend forecasts, raising its operating profit for the fiscal year ending March 2027 from 9.7 billion yen to 10 billion yen, net profit from 7.1 billion yen to 8.6 billion yen, and increasing its annual dividend from 74 yen to 130 yen. Ferrotec revised its operating profit forecast for the fiscal year ending December 2026 upward from 38 billion yen to 60 billion yen, driven by increased demand for semiconductor material products and thermomodules for AI data centers. Aun announced the start of operational support for ChatGPT advertising, providing assistance from planning to performance measurement for ad delivery in seven countries including Japan. AI Mechatronics received an order worth approximately 2.5 billion yen for a solder ball mounter system from a major overseas semiconductor manufacturer, with sales to be recorded in the fiscal year ending June 2028. UBS Securities initiated coverage on Tecsend with a buy rating and a target price of 5,300 yen, citing benefits from expanding investment in logic. AZ Maruwa Holdings announced the establishment of a shareholder benefit program and a capital and business alliance with JPYC, while INPEX extended significant gains on the back of higher crude oil prices due to escalating tensions in the Middle East. Obic posted a 15.7 percent year-on-year increase in first-quarter operating profit to 24.9 billion yen, but the surprise was limited and gains were capped. Bronco B saw first-half operating profit rise 57.5 percent to 1.93 billion yen and revised its full-year forecast upward, but the market reaction was muted. Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Lab raised its target price on Nihon Dempa Kogyo to 4,100 yen, amid heightened expectations related to generative AI.

Logistics major AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings announced it will introduce a shareholder benefit program. The plan targets shareholders holding 400 shares or more as of the end of September each year, awarding points based on the number of shares held, which can be exchanged for goods. It will commence at the end of September 2026. The company handles deliveries for Amazon Japan and others, has consistently increased dividends since its listing in 2014, and maintains a progressive dividend as its basic policy.