Japanese finance firms adopt AI translation and expanded QR payments

Japanese financial entities are implementing new technologies to enhance services for international visitors and improve internal communication.

PayPay Corporation has integrated the UnionPay App into its nationwide merchant network via the HIVEX platform. This allows users with cards issued in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau to make payments at participating merchants across Japan for items such as meals, accommodations, and souvenirs. PayPay’s network now supports 36 overseas payment services across 17 markets.

Separately, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has rolled out ‘SMBC-Interpreter,’ an AI-powered tool for bank employees. Utilizing OpenAI’s GPT-Live-1, the system provides live voice translations and synchronized onscreen text to facilitate communication between staff and customers. SMBC stated that customer audio and translated outputs are not stored or used for model training.