Noritaka Okabe is Founder and CEO at JPYC Inc., issuing Japan's first regulated yen-pegged stablecoin under the country's Payment Services Act. JPYC operates as a Fund Transfer Service Provider, pioneering digital yen infrastructure across Ethereum, Polygon, and Avalanche blockchains.

Okabe studied economics at Hitotsubashi University and founded his first company in 2001 trading in-game currency. In 2017, he co-founded Real World Games, creating Arukcoin, a virtual currency rewarding users for walking.

Okabe was appointed director of the Japan Cryptocurrency Business Association in 2025 and serves as Visiting Professor at iU Information Management Innovation Professional University. He learned decentralized management principles from playing Ingress, commanding thousands of players in the online game.

JPYC raised $4.4M Series A in 2021 led by Headline Asia with Circle Ventures, and $12M Series B in 2026 led by Asteria Corporation. The company achieved over 1.3 billion yen in cumulative issuance with 69% monthly growth by January 2026.

JPYC became the first entity in Japan to issue a regulated stablecoin after obtaining Fund Transfer Service Provider registration in August 2025. The stablecoin maintains a daily asset turnover rate exceeding 100% with over 80,000 wallet addresses holding the token.