PPSC Investment Service Corporation (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Yukiya Sekiguchi; hereinafter “PPSC Investment Service”)*1 and PayPay Corporation (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & Representative Director, CEO, Corporate Officer: Ichiro Nakayama; hereinafter “PayPay”) are pleased to announce that “Earn Points,” a service which provides a simulated investment experience through a mini app*2 in “PayPay,” has exceeded 8 million users in December 2022, approximately two years and eight months after it was rolled out on April 15, 2020. This is the fastest speed of growth*3 for any major point management service provider. To commemorate this, the “Celebrating 8 Million Users! Let’s Start Using ‘Earn Points’ Campaign” will be held. For more details, please visit the campaign page.
*1. A wholly owned subsidiary of PayPay Securities Corporation.
*2. A feature that allows users to easily make reservations, order products, and purchase services provided by PayPay Corporation’s partner companies from the PayPay app.
*3. Based on a comparison between the following 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 December 2022, research by PayPay Securities).
“Earn Points” is a service that allows users to enjoy simulated investments by converting PayPay Points*4 issued by PayPay into unique points*5 provided by PPSC Investment Service. The service was launched on April 15, 2020, in the hopes of lowering the barrier to entry for investing and making it easier for people to give it a try. “Earn Points” is a popular service which does not require any extra procedures such as opening an account, and allows anyone to immediately avail oneself of simulated investments via the PayPay app.
The service has been used by many customers since its launch in April 2020 and surpassed 1 million users in about 3 months. There were already 2 million users by the time the company changed its name to PayPay Securities*6 in February 2021, 7 million in October 2022, and 8 million after an additional two months.
The “Gold Course” introduced in August 2022 and the “Reverse Challenge Course” introduced in November 2022 have also been well-received and are steadily increasing the balances of users.
*4. Points awarded by PayPay by redeeming special offers, participating in campaigns, etc. They cannot be cashed out or transferred.
*5. Unique points provided by PPSC Investment Service are currently used only for “Earn Points” and converting them to PayPay Points, and cannot be used for other services.
*6. Currently, PPSC Investment Service has taken over the rights and obligations related to the point management service business.
■ Details of “Celebrating 8 Million Users! Let’s Start Using ‘Earn Points’ Campaign”
During the campaign, new users who agree to the terms of service and enable the auto-add setting will receive a balance (investment points) in the “Standard Course.” For more details, please visit the campaign page.
| Campaign Details | During the campaign, new users who agree to the terms of service and enable the auto-add setting will receive a balance (investment points) in the “Standard Course.” *If users do not enable the auto-add setting after agreeing to the terms of service, they will not be eligible. 1st prize: 8,000 yen worth (10 winners) 2nd prize: 800 yen worth (1,000 winners) 3rd prize: 10 yen worth (all campaign participants) *1st and 2nd prize winners are not eligible for this prize. |
| Campaign period | Wednesday, December 21, 2022 to Tuesday, January 31, 2023 |
| Eligibility | New users who agree to the terms of service and enable the auto-add setting during the campaign period *Users who have agreed to the terms of service at least once before the campaign period are not eligible for the campaign. *After agreeing to the terms of service, a user will be eligible once they enable auto-add (users are not eligible if auto-add is not enabled). *The campaign applies to any course for which auto-add is enabled. |
■ “Earn Points” Courses
| Course | Gold | Technology | Standard | Challenge | Reverse Challenge |
| ETFs Tracked | SPDR Gold Shares （GLD） |
Invesco QQQ （QQQ） |
SPDR S&P500 ETF （SPY） |
DIREXION S&P500 3X （SPXL） |
DIREXION S&P500 Bear 3X （SPXS） |
| Details | 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 balance into a diverse 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 in multiple major companies in America, with a 300% leverage. If the price of the ETF 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. | This course offers investing 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. |
■ About PPSC Investment Service Corporation
PPSC is the operator of the “Earn Points” service, which allows users to experience simulated investments with a mini app in “PayPay.” “Earn Points” was launched as “Earn Bonus” in April 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 simulated investments on the PayPay app. After two years and eight months, the service is now being used by over 8 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 “Earn Points,” 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, 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 5 types of PayPay Balance: PayPay Money, PayPay Money Lite, PayPay Points, PayPay Bonus Lite, and PayPay Gift Voucher.
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 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 Gift Voucher is a type of electronic money issued by PayPay, which can be used to make payments for affiliated services and merchants designated by the PayPay Gift Voucher. However, it cannot be transferred to other users or cashed out. PayPay Gift Vouchers have an expiration date within six months of issuance and will be invalid after that date.
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.
