Bitget Wallet is exploring the integration of self-custodial crypto payments into Japan’s stablecoin payment ecosystem through discussions with Netstars, a payment infrastructure provider. The initiative centers on how Web3 wallets can connect to existing merchant networks, marking a potential step toward bringing stablecoin payments into one of the world’s most advanced cashless markets.
The discussions take place under Netstars’ “StarPay-X” concept, a financial gateway designed to connect Web2 payment infrastructure with Web3 systems, including wallets, stablecoins, and blockchains. Through this framework, both parties are evaluating how wallet-based payments can be embedded into real-world QR payment flows, with a focus on enabling practical use cases such as in-store payments and cross-border transactions. Netstars operates a QR payment aggregation network in Japan, connecting multiple domestic and international payment methods across merchants.
The discussions build on Bitget Wallet’s broader push to make self-custodial crypto usable in everyday commerce. Last week, the company announced the expansion of its QR payment capabilities across Asia-Pacific, enabling users to pay with stablecoins such as USDT and USDC by scanning local merchant QR codes. The rollout marked one of the first large-scale deployments of crypto QR payments in the region, designed to integrate with existing payment behaviors rather than introduce new checkout systems.
Japan represents a key market in this transition, where cashless payments have reached nearly 40% of total transactions, and QR-based payments are among the fastest-growing segments. Platforms such as PayPay and LINE Pay together serve tens of millions of users and are accepted across millions of merchants nationwide. While the ecosystem remains fragmented across providers, QR aggregation layers such as Netstars have enabled standardization at the merchant level, creating a unified interface for multiple payment methods.
“What matters is not replacing existing systems, but connecting to what already works at scale,” said Alvin Kan, COO of Bitget Wallet. “QR payments are already a dominant interface in many Asian markets. The opportunity is to make self-custodial assets usable within that experience, without changing how users or merchants transact. By connecting wallet-based payments to established QR infrastructure, the collaboration aims to reduce the gap between onchain assets and real-world spending environments.”
The initiative is supported by Bitget Wallet’s Onchain Payments Matrix, its underlying payment infrastructure that connects blockchains, wallets, and regional payment rails.
The initiative reflects broader payment trends across Asia-Pacific, where scanning to pay is already embedded in daily commerce. Digital wallets accounted for 38% of global point-of-sale spend in 2024, while in APAC they represented 59% of transaction value and were the leading online payment method in eight of 14 markets tracked by Worldpay. The region also accounted for more than 60% of global QR payment activity in 2025, with total QR payment value projected to grow from $5.4 trillion in 2025 to over $8 trillion by 2029.
