The Japanese Bitcoin industry has launched the Aurora payment platform

Japan Bitcoin Industry Co., Ltd. launched the self-custody Bitcoin payment platform Aurora at the Bitcoin Asia conference held in Hong Kong, aiming to help Japanese businesses sell content such as anime, manga, and games to international fans. The company stated that the overseas Japanese anime content market is expected to reach 21.7 trillion yen in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 26%, but traditional payment systems often keep overseas consumers at bay.

Aurora allows international customers to make Bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network while providing Japanese merchants with a simple point of sale (POS) and API layer for managing invoices, payment tracking, and integration. The core design principle of the platform is that JBI does not touch the funds; each merchant operates their own self-custody Lightning Network node, directly receiving Bitcoin from customers, which provides merchants with a clearer regulatory foundation.

JBI stated that Aurora draws on the experience of its existing consumer business UseBitcoin.jp, which has allowed customers to purchase digital gift cards including au PAY, V-Preca, and Kyash using the Lightning Network for the past two years. The company invites media, potential merchants, and wallet providers to contact the team at the 2026 Hong Kong Bitcoin Asia conference.