In 2025, we’ve opened new offices in Singapore and Vietnam each one a step in a bigger story: making real-time payments and loyalty truly borderless.
Today, we’re proud to share that Hello Clever is now live in Japan.
This marks our third office opening in Asia Pacific this year, and one of our most exciting chapters yet. Because Japan isn’t just another market. It’s a place of extraordinary potential, precision, and pace. And we believe we have something different to offer.
A Market on the Move
Japan’s digital payments industry is set to surpass USD 1 trillion by 2030, growing rapidly from today’s USD 280 billion base. And while cashless adoption has already exceeded 40%, there’s a long runway ahead with a government-backed target of 80% by 2030.
But digital transformation isn’t just about payments. Businesses here are looking for smarter ways to turn each transaction into growth: from automated loyalty to real-time data insights and AI-powered recommendations.
That’s where Hello Clever comes in.
Built Different
Most fintechs talk about speed. We talk about relevance. The ability to act on insight instantly, and to earn loyalty, not just process payments.
Our real-time infrastructure is designed to help businesses:
- Accept payments faster, across borders and currencies
- Launch loyalty campaigns tailored to their customers
- Understand trends and customer segments in real time
- Operate securely and compliantly (PCI DSS v4.1 certified)
- Use AI that’s clear, actionable and embedded
- Support both Japanese merchants going global and global merchants entering Japan
Whether you’re a domestic business expanding internationally, or an overseas brand localising in Japan we’ve built for both.
Built Locally, With Care
(L-R: Kaido Chiwata Head of Japan, Caroline Train CEO, Reinard Surya COO)
We don’t believe in entering markets. We believe in earning the right to serve them.
In Japan, that starts with local integration, regulatory alignment, and a strong leadership presence. That’s why we’ve appointed Kaido Chiwata as our Head of Japan & Global Expansion. A fintech operator with experience at Stripe, Moneytree, Spenmo, and most recently BillPay, which he co-founded in Tokyo.
Kaido brings both international scale and grassroots understanding, and has already begun shaping our merchant-first partnerships on the ground.
One Ecosystem. Many Markets.
At Hello Clever, we’ve always built with the same goal in mind: Help merchants turn every transaction into growth. We’re excited to bring that vision to Japan. And even more excited to do it in a way that respects what’s local, while building for what’s next.
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