日本語 
CCI Group and Infcurion are supporting the provision of Smart Plan, a new card merchant service launched by Hokkoku Bank on October 1, 2026. The service uses Axios, a next-generation fully cloud-based acquiring platform developed by CCI Group and Infcurion, and is the platform’s first implementation.
Smart Plan allows merchants to accept card contactless payments and QR code payments using an Android device with a dedicated application installed. Because the service does not require a dedicated payment terminal, it is designed to provide a more flexible payment environment for businesses, including small stores with limited space and merchants seeking to reduce initial equipment costs. It can also be used for mobile sales and event-based businesses.
The service supports international-brand card payments as well as payments using Tochika, Hokkoku Bank’s deposit-based stablecoin, through the Tochitsuka digital regional currency application. This capability is enabled through Axios, which integrates multiple payment methods within a single acquiring infrastructure.
Axios was developed to address challenges associated with conventional acquiring systems in Japan, which have historically relied heavily on internally built, on-premises infrastructure. Such systems can involve significant development costs and complex operational requirements, while the increasing diversity of payment methods has created a need for faster technology deployment.
The platform provides acquiring functions through modular components and uses Visa Cloud Connect and Visa Platform Connect. It also supports API-based extensibility and payment methods such as Tap to Phone, which enables merchants to accept Visa contactless payments using mobile devices rather than dedicated payment terminals.
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Hokkoku Bank selected Axios as its next-generation acquiring platform based on several requirements. These included the ability to process international-brand card payments and Tochika through a single system, respond quickly to payment methods that do not depend on dedicated terminals, and support a cost structure suitable for lower-rate plans aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.
The launch is also part of CCI Group’s broader focus on cashless payments. The group, with Hokkoku Bank at its core, positions cashless services as one of its key business areas and is developing acquiring, issuing and digital regional currency businesses together. The bank said Smart Plan will help extend cashless payment services to local merchants that may have previously faced cost or equipment barriers.
Going forward, CCI Group and Infcurion plan to support the adoption of Axios by regional financial institutions, payment providers and companies considering entering the acquiring business. The companies intend to use the Hokkoku Bank deployment as a starting point for expanding the platform and supporting the development of Japan’s acquiring and cashless-payment infrastructure.
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