Expanding Payment Solutions for Businesses in Japan

Stripe has recently integrated Furikomi and Konbini payment methods, alongside credit and debit cards, into its platform. This enhancement is expected to accelerate the company’s growth strategy in the Japanese market.

Furikomi enables businesses to receive payments directly from customers’ bank accounts, making it particularly popular for B2B transactions due to its widespread use. According to a press release, Furikomi is ten times more common than B2C transactions, and 96% of all B2B transactions in Japan are settled via bank transfers, with an annual volume nearly reaching $3 trillion.

Stripe’s automated Furikomi solution streamlines the reconciliation process for businesses by eliminating the need to manually compare outstanding invoices with bank statements at the end of each month. Additionally, it supports refunds, allowing companies to fully or partially refund bank transfers from within the Stripe dashboard—something that is not typically possible with traditional bank transfer products.

Furthermore, the company has announced support for Konbini payments in over 34,000 outlets across Japan. These convenience store-based payments are ideal for consumers without access to cards or those who prefer paying with cash for online purchases. In fact, they account for approximately 18% of the roughly $167 billion in annual B2C online payments in Japan.