WILLs Joins the Government DX Promotion Council, Creating a New Hometown Tax Donation Channel Using Shareholder Benefit Points

The Government DX Promotion Council (GDX), a general incorporated association, announces that WILLs Inc. (WILLs), which operates a hometown tax donation service using shareholder benefit points, has joined the organization. In August 2025, WILLs added a hometown tax donation function to its Premium Yutai Club, which has more than 650,000 registered shareholders. Through an industry-first mechanism, shareholder benefit points can be exchanged for the company’s proprietary currency, WILLsCoi, and then used directly for donations, creating a new donation channel. About WILLs WILLs provides shareholder and investor services for listed companies. It works with more than 700 listed companies, and its flagship service, Premium Yutai Club, has been adopted by over 100 companies. As the expansion of Japan’s new NISA program has pushed the number of individual shareholders to a record high, WILLs has established a unique position as a closed platform connecting shareholders and companies. Initiatives in the Hometown Tax Donation Market In August 2025, WILLs added a hometown tax donation function to Premium Yutai Club. WILLs’ hometown tax donation service follows a simple flow: shareholder benefit points granted by companies are exchanged for WILLsCoi, then donated through the hometown tax system. A key feature is that users can combine benefit points from multiple companies. Portal members currently hold coins worth approximately 900 million yen in total, representing potential funding that can be used directly for donations. In addition, about 88% of users are individual shareholders, more than 82% of donations are made through WILLsCoi, and about 22% of members have household incomes of 10 million yen or more. This makes the service a new donation channel that can directly reach affluent investors, a segment that conventional hometown tax portals often struggle to access. Following regulatory changes in October 2025 that banned point rewards on hometown tax portal sites, differentiation among major portals has narrowed. In this environment, WILLs’ model, which uses shareholder benefit points granted by companies, is not affected by the regulation. By leveraging shareholder benefit points and WILLsCoi, it is becoming easier for users to choose hometown tax donations with effectively no out-of-pocket cost. Activities Within GDX With WILLs joining GDX, the council expects to provide practical support to more local governments by drawing on WILLs’ expertise in developing new donor segments for hometown tax donations. This includes acquiring donations through a closed site with a clear investor persona and building ongoing relationships that lead to repeat donations. Publication in the Association Magazine In connection with the membership announcement, interviews with WILLs Executive Officer Ken Ishikura and Yoshikiko Hirose, leader in charge of hometown tax donations on the PYC team, will be published in the May 2026 issue of the association magazine Government DX Guide Vol. 9, in the special feature “Hometown Tax Donations: Returning to the Origin.” The article will also be published in the web version of Government DX Guide. Government DX Guide Web Edition “Shareholder Benefits” × “Hometown Tax Donations”: A New Donation Market Created by a Base of 650,000 Investors GDX will continue strengthening collaboration with member companies including WILLs, supporting local governments’ DX initiatives and the sustainable development of regional communities. Company Information WILLs Inc. https://www.wills-et.co.jp/ Toranomon 2-chome Tower 6F, 2-3-17 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan The Government DX Promotion Council (GDX) is an organization that promotes digital transformation among local governments and aims to support the sustainable development of regional communities. Working with local governments, it supports the use of digital technologies to solve regional issues and create innovation. GDX serves as a bridge between local governments and businesses, providing a partnership platform to accelerate regional revitalization through digital transformation. Please feel free to contact the organization. Contact for this press release Government DX Promotion Council (GDX) Secretariat Phone: 03-6683-0106 Email: info@gdx.or.jp https://www.gdx.or.jp/contact/