Hotlink Group's Nonagon Capital Partners with Startale Group to Develop Japanese Yen Stablecoin "JPYSC"

Hotlink Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Stock Code: 3680, Group CEO: Yasuhiro Hinono) is pleased to announce that its group company, Nonagon Capital LLC (Headquarters: San Francisco Bay Area, USA, Representative Executive Officer: Kazushi Okamoto), has entered into a business partnership with Startale Group (Headquarters: Singapore, Representative: Sota Watanabe).

Through this partnership, both companies will jointly promote demonstration experiments and business development utilizing the Japanese Yen-denominated trust-type stablecoin "JPYSC", aiming to create new use cases in the field of AI agent payments.

1. Overview and Features of "JPYSC"
JPYSC is a Japanese Yen-denominated trust-type stablecoin being developed under a strategic partnership between the SBI Group and Startale Group.

JPYSC will be issued as a "Type 3 Electronic Payment Instrument (Trust Type)" by Shinsei Trust & Banking Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SBI Shinsei Bank, based on Japan's financial regulatory framework. The trust framework for managing underlying assets ensures that users' assets are protected and managed with a high level of security.

The main features of JPYSC include: Firstly, it is designed in compliance with relevant laws and financial regulations as a reliable trust-type Type 3 Electronic Payment Instrument. Secondly, unlike Type 1 Electronic Payment Instruments, it is not subject to the 1 million yen per transaction limit applicable to domestic remittances. This feature is important for supporting inter-company settlements and large-scale transactions at the institutional investor level. Furthermore, its design seamlessly connects existing financial systems with blockchain networks, realizing global interoperability and aiming to become the foundation for a globally trusted "digital yen."

SBI VC Trade Co., Ltd. serves as the sales partner, and Startale Group leads the technical aspects, including smart contract design and security system construction, as a core partner. The official launch is scheduled for April-June 2026.

2. Future Potential of AI Agent Payments
Stablecoins, having the nature of legal tender usable in the digital space, have various applications. Among these, they are particularly expected to be widely used for payments by AI agents.

According to a report published by Deloitte, "The future of commerce in an agentic world," the scale of commercial transactions by AI agents is projected to reach 17.5 trillion dollars (approximately 2,700 trillion yen, about 4 times Japan's GDP) by 2030, indicating a very large market.

The role of AI agents is evolving far beyond that of traditional personal assistants, becoming core tools that autonomously support the economic activities of corporations. Particularly in the United States, numerous startups related to AI agent payments are emerging, and major companies are also developing new businesses, forming an unprecedentedly large economic sphere.

The key to this economic sphere is autonomous payment by AI agents. Specifically, this includes the purchase of goods and services without human intervention, AI-driven investment activities, and API payments associated with the provision of services between AI agents. As payment behaviors traditionally performed by humans shift to AI, a future is predicted where payments between individuals, corporations, and AI agents become commonplace.

Our group company, Nonagon Capital, believes that the domain of "Agentic Payment (AI Agent Payment)," where "blockchain" and "AI agents" intersect, is the next-generation economy...