Plug and Play invests in Tokenz, a next-gen payment gateway

Plug and Play Japan has invested in Tokenz, a company providing next-generation payment gateway solutions. Tokenz supports digital content businesses such as games, e-books, software, and streaming platforms by offering a Merchant of Record (MoR) solution that enables seamless and flexible global expansion, supporting over 200 payment methods across 170 countries and regions.

Currently, in-app purchases through Apple and Google app stores require businesses to pay 15-30% fees, which represents a significant burden for small and medium-sized app development companies. This limits their payment method options. Global movements are underway to break these monopolistic situations, and in Japan, the "Smartphone Software Competition Promotion Act" is scheduled for full implementation in December 2025.

Moreover, tax compliance for overseas sales has become increasingly complex, creating a high demand for solutions that can appropriately manage multi-country transactions. Recently, there have been reports of overseas game development companies receiving substantial additional tax assessments from Japanese tax authorities, highlighting the need for compliance with each country's tax regulations. Tokenz supports Japanese businesses in appropriately navigating overseas markets.

Tokenz provides an MoR solution that allows digital content providers to independently build and integrate payment systems on their own sites. This brings the following freedoms to the market:

• Establishing independent payment routes without being bound by app store policies
• Automating multi-currency payments and tax compliance to support global expansion of content providers
• Providing a secure payment environment with fraud prevention features, enabling businesses to focus on their core operations

Tokenz has already established operations in five countries (Japan, Singapore, United States, Lithuania, and Taiwan) and is expected to experience global growth as a startup offering solutions tailored to digital content markets where Japan has strengths, such as anime, games, and online comics. Since its founding in 2024, it has provided significant value to game companies, content providers in E-learning and entertainment (anime/manga), and software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses.

Plug and Play Japan highly evaluated Tokenz's technology and growth potential in building an environment that enables businesses to expand globally more freely, leading to this investment. They will continue to support Tokenz in pioneering the future of digital payments and simplifying global digital sales.

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