SBI DigiTrust, NICE and DSRV stablecoin QR payment pilot for Japanese tourists in South Korea

SBI DigiTrust, NICE Information & Telecommunication and DSRV expect to complete tests of QR-code stablecoin payments by Japanese tourists at South Korean merchants by the end of December 2026. The specific stablecoins used in the pilot have not been named, and no commercial launch has been committed.

What is happening

On October 1, SBI DigiTrust, a subsidiary of Japan's SBI Group, announced a joint verification project with South Korea's NICE Information & Telecommunication and blockchain infrastructure company DSRV. The three companies are testing a system that would let Japanese tourists pay at participating South Korean merchants by scanning QR codes.

The project covers payment instructions, the movement of funds between customers and merchants, settlement processes and connections between the participating financial systems. Each partner has a defined role: NICE, whose payment infrastructure serves approximately 1.2 million merchants in South Korea, contributes experience in managing merchant payments. DSRV provides blockchain infrastructure expertise, and SBI DigiTrust handles financial and regulatory considerations relating to the Japanese market.

The companies plan to finish the tests by the end of December 2026. They will then use the findings to assess whether the service can operate under applicable financial regulations. The pilot is part of SBI's broader stablecoin QR payment testing between Japan and South Korea, which has examined real merchant payment procedures and the technical requirements for moving funds across the two countries.

Why it matters

The pilot is an early practical test of whether stablecoin payments can work at ordinary South Korean merchants for visitors from Japan, one of the country's neighboring travel markets. By running the test through an established merchant payment network, the partners are examining how such payments would fit alongside existing financial systems rather than replacing them.

For observers of the project, the main outcome to follow is the regulatory assessment. The partners have said they will judge whether the service can operate within the applicable financial rules, and they have not promised a rollout. The pilot also sits alongside other SBI Group cross-border initiatives, including a separate agreement announced on October 13 with KB Kookmin Card, Everspin and SBI Everspin that also explores stablecoin payments for Japanese tourists in South Korea. No launch date, supported stablecoin or budget has been disclosed for that effort either.

Key details

• Date: expected completion of tests by December 31, 2026 (end of December)
• Project: SBI DigiTrust, with NICE Information & Telecommunication and DSRV
• Coins: not specified
• Category: Partnership
• Status: confirmed; no commercial launch committed
• Source: crypto.news (https://crypto.news/sbi-kb-kookmin-card-plan-crypto-payments-for-tourists/)