JPYC added to Kaia contribution reward program

On October 21, 2026, the Kaia DLT Foundation will add the yen-pegged stablecoin JPYC as an eligible asset in its contribution reward program, joining USDT. The change involves the KAIA and JPYC tokens.

What is happening

Starting October 21, users who deposit JPYC will be able to earn Kaia contribution rewards if they meet the program's requirements. Until now, only Tether (USDT) qualified. JPYC is a yen-pegged stablecoin issued as an electronic payment instrument under Japan's Payment Services Act.

The eligibility rules for JPYC mirror those for other stablecoins. A user must deposit the stablecoin into a designated protocol while staking KAIA in the same wallet, with 10 KAIA staked for every $1 of stablecoin deposited. The dollar value of JPYC held in a Unifi wallet will be calculated using the average exchange rate from the on-chain oracle Orakl, and the required KAIA stake follows from that figure.

JPYC deposited before October 21 will not qualify retroactively. The contribution reward system was introduced in July and replaced an earlier arrangement in which 10 percent of block rewards were split equally among Governance Council participants. Rewards are now allocated according to each participant's actual contribution to the network, with a monthly budget of 2.5 million KAIA.

The foundation has said it intends to use the JPYC addition as a starting point to attract stablecoins from across Asia onto Kaia and to expand their use in payments and settlement. The same date also marks the first on-chain burn of unpaid contribution rewards, a separate measure announced alongside the JPYC change.

Why it matters

For JPYC holders, the change creates a new way to put the stablecoin to use on Kaia, though earning rewards requires staking KAIA at the stated ratio. Because deposits made before October 21 are excluded, only deposits made on or after that date count toward eligibility.

For the Kaia ecosystem, adding a non-USD stablecoin broadens the set of assets tied to its reward mechanism and fits the foundation's stated aim of building an Asian stablecoin hub. Traders and stakers may want to watch how much JPYC is deposited after the start date, since each deposit comes paired with a KAIA staking requirement, and how the foundation reports reward distributions and burns in its monthly governance forum updates.

Key details

• Date: October 21, 2026
• Project: Kaia DLT Foundation
• Coins: KAIA, JPYC
• Category: Partnership
• Status: Confirmed
• Source: https://mbiz.heraldcorp.com/article/10902455