"TwooCa" Adopted by Infrastructure Company to Combat Inflation: Welfare DX as the "Third Wage Increase"

Kort Valuta Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hideki Shibata; hereinafter "the Company") announces that Shimatec Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture; CEO: Atsushi Nagashima; hereinafter "Shimatec"), a company supporting local infrastructure through machinery installation and demolition, has introduced the next-generation wallet "TwooCa" to enhance its employee welfare benefits.

Through this introduction, Shimatec aims to improve the quality of life and fulfillment of its employees facing soaring prices, while building a new model of "Health Management" utilizing digital technology.

■ Background
Shimatec has traditionally strived to enrich its welfare system, but further increasing its utilization rate remained a challenge. In this context, the company resonated with TwooCa's unique mechanism, which aims for a "substantial increase in take-home pay" by encouraging behavioral changes in employees through the awarding of points exchangeable for electronic money. The decision to introduce the system was made to create an environment where employees can more actively utilize welfare benefits.

Amidst continuous inflation, the initiative known as the "third wage increase" has been attracting attention, particularly in the media. Through TwooCa's functions utilizing points convertible to electronic money, our Company believes it can support the "substantial increase in take-home pay" for employees, while also contributing to improved Employee Satisfaction (ES) and lower turnover rates.

Our initiatives were featured on TOKYO MX News as an effort to "increase substantial take-home pay" utilizing electronic money.

■ Overview
Shimatec is deploying the following services through TwooCa to promote health management and improve the workplace environment:

In-house Campaign (Point Earning)
The in-house campaign awards points exchangeable for electronic money based on internal measures and employees' daily actions. Shimatec implements this campaign to promote employee health. Because the electronic money exchanged from points can be used for cashless payments, it creates an environment where employees can continuously engage in health management while feeling a sense of accomplishment and everyday value. It also aims to promote the "third wage increase" and health management through behavioral encouragement.

TwooCa Mental Check Service
By periodically conducting mental health checks that simply capture the state of mental health using voice analysis technology, the service helps to grasp employees' daily physical and mental conditions early and connects them to preventive care.

■ Comments on this Initiative
Mr. Atsushi Nagashima, CEO of Shimatec Co., Ltd.
Although Shimatec is a small organization compared to major corporations, this is exactly why we want to value the presence and daily expressions of every individual. In reality, it is not easy for me to see all on-site staff face-to-face daily. Therefore, when I do have the chance to meet them directly, I naturally try to pay attention to their expressions and the atmosphere, ensuring they are "working energetically." The introduction of TwooCa has allowed us to add new value to everyday communication, such as "smiles" and "mutual support," which tend to be overlooked.

In our line of work, sudden troubles and challenges are inevitable. However, to overcome such situations, I feel it is most important that employees are connected with smiles and have built good relationships on a regular basis. I am very looking forward to seeing how the connections between employees and the organizational atmosphere will change in the future through TwooCa.

■ What is TwooCa?
TwooCa is the collective name for various services provided by our Company, primarily delivered through the TwooCa app, which features an employee/member card with an international brand card payment function. The payment card linked to the app is prepaid, making it available to all employees and members (limited to residents of Japan). It also allows for expense transfers and peer-to-peer transfers between employees and members.

Furthermore, TwooCa was developed based on the idea that valuing employees and members leads to an increase in corporate and organizational value. It embodies the philosophy of "Compassion is not for others (Caring actions eventually become a strength for the organization and society)" through technology.

[List of TwooCa Features]
- Electronic payment (Supports touch payments with international brand cards)
- Point awarding utilizing digital money (evaluating employees' and members' daily actions and contributions*)
*Limited to welfare purposes that do not fall under wages according to the Labor Standards Act.
- Payment function compatible with internal payments for meals and snacks (a new feature leading to the utilization of meal subsidies)
- Closed mall for workplaces (a limited mall accessible only to employees and members of TwooCa-adopting companies and organizations)