Japan’s USDC Airport Pilot Beat Expectations 10x | Gen Adachi on Crypto Payments

Japan’s USDC Airport Pilot Beat Expectations 10x | Gen Adachi on Crypto Payments

Author: Bitcoin.com April 18, 2026 Duration: 16:04

What happens when crypto payments go live in a real-world retail environment—like an airport?


In this episode, Gen Adachi shares how Netstars launched a USDC payment pilot at Haneda Airport in Japan—and saw demand exceed expectations by 10x. This isn’t theory or hype—this is one of the strongest real-world use cases for stablecoins in everyday payments today.

We dive into how USDC is being used at checkout, why QR payment infrastructure in Japan makes it easier to integrate crypto, and how Netstars is positioning itself as a major payments aggregator with access to over 700,000 merchants.

Gen also breaks down the future of crypto payments—from multi-wallet and multi-chain support to expanding pilots beyond airports, including a Pokémon card shop in Osaka and international markets like Qatar, Mongolia, and Cambodia.

If you're interested in crypto adoption, stablecoins like USDC, real-world blockchain use cases, or the future of digital payments in Asia, this conversation is packed with insights.


Topics covered:

- USDC payments in real-world retail

- Haneda Airport crypto payment pilot

- Stablecoin adoption in Japan

- QR code payment systems and Web3

- Multi-wallet, multi-chain payment infrastructure

- Netstars and Japan’s payment ecosystem

- Global expansion of crypto payments


Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:11 – Netstars: Aggregating 60 Payment Methods

01:26 – USDC Live Pilot at Haneda Airport

02:28 – Multi-Wallet, Multi-Chain Future

04:06 – 10x Results: Pilot Performance Beat Expectations

06:53 – Market Position: 700K Merchants in Japan

07:29 – Second POC: Pokémon Card Shop in Osaka

11:45 – International Expansion: Qatar, Mongolia, Cambodia


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Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

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