PPSC Investment Service Corporation (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Yukiya Sekiguchi)*1 and PayPay Corporation (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Ichiro Nakayama; hereinafter “PayPay”) are pleased to announce the launch of a new course within the “Earn Points” mini app*2, a simulated investment experience in the cashless payment service “PayPay.” The new Reverse Challenge Course will be launched on November 7, 2022*3 as a course that tracks SPXS (Direxion S&P 500 Bear 3X), an inverse*4 ETF with a leverage of 300% that is expected to rise in value as the US stock market falls.
Currently, “Earn Points” offers four courses: Standard Course, Challenge Course, Technology Course, and the Gold Course added in August 2022. With the addition of the Reverse Challenge Course, a total of five courses that were hand-picked based on popularity and themes will be offered, allowing users to select a course that better suits their investment style and preferences.
The number of “Earn Points” users has been steadily increasing, surpassing 7 million in October 2022, in a record-breaking*5 two and a half years after the service was launched in April 2020.
*1. PPSC Investment Service Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of PayPay Securities Corporation.
*2. A mini app is a feature that allows users to smoothly make reservations, order products, and purchase services provided by PayPay Corporation’s partner companies from the PayPay app.
*3. The new course will be available after the system maintenance on this day is completed (scheduled from 13:30 to 16:30).
*4. Inverse instruments tend to rise in value when the underlying stock prices fall, while falling in value when the underlying stock prices rise.
*5. Based on a comparison between the following simulated points investment service providers; au PAY Points Management, Credit Saison’s Eternal Points Investment Service, d POINT Investment, and Rakuten Points Investment, in alphabetical order (as of October 2022, research by PayPay Securities).
■ “Earn Points” Courses
| Course | Reverse Challenge （New） |
Gold | Technology | Standard | Challenge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs Tracked | DIREXION S＆P500 Bear 3X（SPXS） | SPDR Gold Shares（GLD） | Invesco QQQ（QQQ） | SPDR S&P500 ETF（SPY） | DIREXION S&P 500 3X（SPXL） |
| Details | This course offers investing points in multiple major companies in America, with a 300% leverage where users can profit from a decline in value and vice versa. It is suited for short-term investments, as the value rises significantly when the U.S. stock market declines. | This course tracks the price of an ETF which is made up of gold bullion as its assets. Since it is less likely to be affected by a decline in stock prices, the course is suited for users who prefer avoiding the risks that other stock-based courses are exposed to. | This course offers investing in a portfolio consisting of 100 companies that represent the NASDAQ exchange in America. The course is suited for users who prefer investing in leading technology companies in America. | This course offers investing in 500 companies representing America. The course is suited for long term investments, with less volatility compared to investments in individual stocks given the diversification across 500 companies. | This course offers investing points in multiple major companies in America, with a 300% leverage. If the stock price of the companies increases by 10%, the points that are invested will increase by 30%. Likewise, the drop will also be 30%, and is suited for short-term management. |
■ Auto add feature for the Reverse Challenge Course
The auto add feature is available for the Reverse Challenge Course. By enabling auto add, the PayPay Points granted will be automatically added to the Reverse Challenge Course. With this, users can add more PayPay Points to the course without any hassle, for example, when the stock market continues to fall. Further, the auto add feature can be enabled or disabled at one’s own convenience.
*PayPay Points may be awarded multiple times on the same day. If PayPay Points are awarded more than once on the same day, they will be added to the Reverse Challenge Course each time.
*Due to the nature of the course, the Reverse Challenge Course is not included in the All Courses feature.
■ About PPSC Investment Service Corporation
PPSC Investment Service is the operator of the “Earn Points” service, which allows users to experience a simulated investment with a mini app in “PayPay.” “Earn Points” was launched as “Earn Bonus” on April 1, 2020, and has gained the support of many users, as it does not require any extra procedures such as opening an account, and anyone can immediately start a simulated investment on the PayPay app. After two and a half years, the service is now being used by over 7 million people.
PPSC Investment Service will continue to provide and update its services, such as adding more “Earn Points” courses, in order to make asset management more accessible to customers.
■ About “PayPay,” the cashless payment service provided by PayPay Corporation
PayPay is a cashless payment service expanding across the country, available not only at major chain stores but also at small and medium size retailers, vending machines, taxis and even public transportation. It can also be used in a variety of other scenes, including paying for online services and utility bills. PayPay is also expanding its range of services beyond just payments, including a “send/receive” feature (remittance/transfer and receiving of money) that allows users to transfer their PayPay Balance (PayPay Money and PayPay Money Lite) between each other for free, or “point management,” a service that allows users access to a simulated investment experience involving the exchange of PayPay Points with points provided by PPSC Investment Service Corporation. The company also strives to create a safe and convenient environment for users through a hotline available 24/7 and a full compensation scheme ensuring a compensation for any damages that may be suffered.
PayPay Corporation is a member and registered service operator with the following associations.
・Prepaid Payment Instruments (third party type) Issuer, Registration #: Director-General of the Kanto Finance Bureau, No. 00710 (Registration date: October 5, 2018)
・Fund Transfer Operator, Registration #: Director-General of the Kanto Finance Bureau, No. 00068 (Registration date: September 25, 2019)
・Japan Payment Service Association (https://www.s-kessai.jp/, Date of admission: September 12, 2018)
・Business Operator that Concludes Contracts on the Handling of Credit Card Numbers, etc., Registration #: Kanto (K) No. 106 (Registration date: July 1, 2019)
・Japan Consumer Credit Association (https://www.j-credit.or.jp/, Date of admission: July 1, 2019)
・Telecommunications Carrier (Filing #: A-02-17943 / Date filed: July 2, 2019)
・Notified Person Entrusted with Intermediation (Filing #: C1907980 / Date filed: December 18, 2019)
・Bank Agency Operator, License: Director-General of the Kanto Finance Bureau, No. 396 (Registration date: November 26, 2020)
・Financial instruments intermediary service registration number: Kanto Finance Bureau Director (Kinchu) No. 942 (Registration date: June 25, 2021)
* “PayPay” provides 4 types of PayPay balance: PayPay Money, PayPay Money Lite, PayPay Points and PayPay Bonus Lite. PayPay Money can be used to pay for partner services and merchants if it is within the amount deposited into the PayPay account opened after completing an identity verification process. It can also be used for sending and receiving money between PayPay users free of charge. PayPay Money can also be cashed out to a designated bank account (no withdrawal fee if using PayPay Bank). The legal nature of this is an electromagnetic record which can be used to pay for goods and other services, and can be remitted or cashed out, issued by the Company who is a Fund Transfer Operator registered under Article 37 of the Payment Services Act. Based on the provisions of Article 43 of the Payment Services Act, PayPay preserves the debt it owes to its users in full amount and more by depositing its assets. PayPay Money Lite is an electronic money issued by PayPay, which can be purchased and used to pay for services and merchants. PayPay users can transfer and receive PayPay Money Lite free of charge. The legal nature of this is a prepaid payment instrument issued by PayPay (Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Payment Services Act). Based on the provisions of Article 14 of the Payment Services Act, PayPay preserves the relevant assets for the purpose of protecting the owners of the prepaid payment instrument by providing a security deposit for issuance to the Legal Affairs Bureau in an amount that is half or more of the unused balance of prepaid instrument methods as of March 31 and September 30. In addition, PayPay Points and PayPay Bonus Lite, which are granted through campaigns and promotions when using PayPay, can be used for partner services and merchants in addition to PayPay Money and PayPay Money Lite. However, PayPay Bonus and PayPay Bonus Lite cannot be sent or transferred between PayPay users or be cashed out. PayPay Bonus Lite has an expiration date, after which date it will no longer be valid.
PayPay also strives to create a safe and secure environment for users. If an unexpected payment is made by a third party using a PayPay account, or if a request to settle a payment suddenly arrives from PayPay to a user that does not have a PayPay account, there is a scheme that ensures compensation for the damages suffered (the difference will be provided as compensation if compensation is also provided by a third party), given that the prescribed conditions are met. Please see applying for compensation for details.
*Company names, trade names, and products/services in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
