Tokyo's Kita Ward to Launch First Digital Regional Currency in Autumn 2026, Adopts 'Pokepay' System

Pocket Change Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shin Aoyama), a group company of Digital Garage, Inc. (TSE Prime: 4819), has been commissioned by Kita Ward, Tokyo, to implement its 'Digital Regional Currency Project' starting this fiscal year. This project aims to revitalize local industries and solve regional challenges.

The service is scheduled to begin in the autumn of 2026 with the offering of premium digital gift certificates. Merchant recruitment for businesses within Kita Ward is expected to start this summer.

### Background of the Initiative
Kita Ward previously implemented a premium digital gift certificate project using the 'PayPay' app in FY2024 to promote cashless payments and regional economic activity. Through that project, there were growing needs for a system that could respond more flexibly to specific policies, provide ease of use for residents, merchants, and the ward, and enable data collection and utilization by the issuer (Kita Ward).

In response, Digital Garage and Pocket Change proposed a solution based on their expertise in building the 'Hachipay' app for Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. Their proposal, which looks toward more efficient administrative management and further economic revitalization, led to this commission.

### About Digital Garage and Pocket Change's Efforts
In this project, a dedicated app for Kita Ward will be built using 'Pokepay,' which has a proven track record including 'Hachipay.' Multiple wallet functions will make it possible to reward points for volunteer activities and administrative policies. The specifications are designed to be useful not only for economic revitalization but also for various other administrative measures.

### Campaign Information
#### 1.8 Billion Yen Scale Campaign Scheduled for Autumn 2026
The project plans to establish a mechanism that can be used not only by residents of Kita Ward but also by commuters, students, and visitors. As part of this, a campaign with a total issuance scale of over 1.8 billion yen is planned for the autumn of 2026.

### Comments
#### Kanako Yamada, Mayor of Kita Ward, Tokyo
'In 2026, Kita Ward will celebrate its 80th anniversary. We are planning the Kita Ward Digital Regional Currency App as a leading project to create new vitality in this commemorative year. It is a system that creates a virtuous cycle of people and the economy within the community. I hope Kita Ward will develop into an even more vibrant city through this project.'

#### Kaoru Hayashi, Representative Director and President Executive Officer and Group CEO, Digital Garage, Inc.
'Through collaboration with Pocket Change, Digital Garage has worked on building original electronic money platforms for local governments and educational institutions. We recognize that our selection for the Kita Ward digital regional currency project is an evaluation of the expertise and technology we have cultivated. We hope to contribute to the revitalization of the regional economy by promoting cashless payments.'

### About 'Pokepay'
Pokepay is a solution that allows businesses to issue their own original digital value and create digital wallets on consumers' smartphones. It can be used as a unique mobile payment method in various online and offline scenes. As a SaaS/platform service, it requires no initial development cost or period and can be introduced quickly at a low cost. Many major functions are provided as APIs/SDKs, making integration with external systems easy.