Binance Pay Brings USDT Payments to Millions of Merchants in Japan
Binance Pay has expanded its reach in Japan by allowing eligible overseas visitors to use Tether USDt (USDT) at a wide range of merchants that already accept PayPay. This update starts on Wednesday and targets PayPay-supported locations using an interoperability layer run through HIVEX.
According to Binance, the company is the first crypto payments provider to connect to PayPay merchants via HIVEX. Merchants do not need to complete a separate opt-in process for the new USDT spending option, and settlement for merchant payouts will continue in Japanese yen.
The integration of USDT with PayPay's merchant network is significant because it reduces friction between international payment methods and local merchant ecosystems. This means that visitors can arrive in Japan and pay at established PayPay locations using a QR-based flow supported through Binance Pay, without requiring each merchant to tailor its systems for a new foreign payment rail.
With this expansion, Binance has signaled a shift from one-off pilots or limited merchant deployments toward using an intermediary infrastructure to scale across a broader base of acceptance. This could potentially lower the operational barriers for adoption, as merchant networks can extend payment choice without redoing onboarding steps for each new external partner.