Itabashi Pay
Itabashi Pay is the digital local currency of Itabashi Ward in Tokyo. The ward's two shopping street federations run it on the MoneyEasy platform with ward support. Users charge yen in an app and pay at member shops at one coin per yen. It launched in October 2022, passed 100,000 users in its first year, and has moved more than 10 billion yen through about 1,800 shops. A point campaign pays 1% back on purchases through February 2027.
Itabashi Pay is one of Tokyo's largest ward-level digital currencies, 135,000 users and over 10 billion yen circulated, but like its class it is a yen-pegged, custodial prepaid system on a commercial platform with grant-funded incentives.
M69 Score
Scored against the Money2069 Manifesto — see methodology. Higher = more aligned.
Detailed Rating Breakdown
Issuance Model3x2.0
Coins exist only when users charge yen into the federation-run system. Single permissioned issuer, fully fiat-funded, no independent supply rule.
Spending Power Stability2x2.0
Pegged 1:1 to the yen, so it inherits yen purchasing power. No stability mechanism of its own beyond the peg.
Fiat Independence & Interoperability2x1.0
Unit of account is the yen, balances are prepaid yen, and charging runs over bank and convenience-store rails.
Traction2x4.0
135,000 users and 10 billion yen total circulation by July 2024 (operator release), about 1,800 member shops by 2026, and a ward-backed 1% point campaign running April 2026 to February 2027 on the ward's official page.
Sovereignty1.0
The shopping street federations and the ward control issuance, accounts and data on a commercial platform. The operator can halt the system unilaterally.
Governance2.0
Run by two merchant federations with ward backing. Decisions are administrative; campaign terms are published but participants have no formal say.
Resilience2.0
Depends on ward subsidies, national grant campaigns and one platform vendor. No independent funding or redundancy.
Inclusivity3.0
Free to join with a smartphone, light registration only. App-only access excludes people without one.