SSK to Host “Cashless Payments 2026” Seminar on Regulations, Market Structure, and Emerging Trends

The Institute for New Social Systems (SSK) will hold a seminar titled “Cashless Payments 2026: The Overall Picture and Latest Trends in Evolving Regulations and Markets” on June 24, 2026. The lecturer will be Masayuki Yamamoto, representative of Yamamoto International Consultants and lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Meiji Gakuin University. The seminar will provide a systematic overview of regulatory, market, and technology trends as Japan’s cashless society continues to accelerate. Topics include the structure of credit, debit, and prepaid cards under international card brands such as Visa, Mastercard, and JCB; merchant fees and IRF, or interchange reimbursement fees; the current state of payment networks; and the classification of QR code and barcode payment systems. The program will also cover key developments expected in 2026, including the rise in fraud losses and its underlying causes, trends surrounding merchant fees, discussions by the consumer affairs expert panel on cashless payments, the spread of contactless fare tickets, API support by credit card companies, new services such as JR East’s Teppay and the PayPay/Visa partnership, bank and credit card company collaboration platforms, and the implications of stablecoins becoming subject to regulation under Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. The seminar aims to answer why the current payment landscape has taken shape and where it may head next, offering practical perspectives for interpreting daily news and regulatory changes. Participants can attend in person, join via Zoom webinar, or watch the archived recording for two weeks.