What GMO Card System does

GMO Card System, Inc. (GMOカードシステム株式会社) is a privately held Japanese payment technology company founded in December 2007 and headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. It provides payment acceptance infrastructure and adjacent retail technology primarily to small and mid-sized merchants across Japan. Its core offering is credit card payment processing through CAT (Card Authorization Terminal) hardware, including the stera terminal and VEGA3000 Touch, supporting international card brands (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners, AMEX, UnionPay) along with Apple Pay, QR code payments (PayPay, LINE Pay), and various electronic money options.

Beyond terminals, the company sells an integrated portfolio of payment-adjacent products: the Clever KIOSK touch-type ticket vending machine with POS and kitchen-printer integration for restaurants; automatic payment machines for medical clinics and hospitals (compatible with approximately 80% of Japanese medical accounting systems); unmanned store operation services combining smart locks, lockers, reservation authentication, and remote concierge; the QR Ordering System for table-side smartphone ordering; and Order Gate, a 2024-launched WEB procurement system that connects restaurants to a 6,000-supplier network processing roughly 60 billion yen in monthly volume.

The business model is a mix of transaction-based fees on credit card processing (the primary revenue stream), one-time hardware sales for terminals and kiosks, and a small but growing recurring subscription component (Order Gate at 10,000 yen/month). Distribution relies on field sales representatives visiting merchants, supplemented by a segmented website inquiry funnel. The company operates under the broader GMO Group ecosystem, with business relationships to GMO Payment Gateway, GMO Epsilon, GMO Aozora Net Bank, Tokyo Credit Service (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group), Rakuten Card, and Toyota Finance.

Name

GMO Card System

Legal name

GMOカードシステム株式会社 (GMO Card System, Inc.)

Website

https://gmo-cas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

GMO Card System is a Tokyo-based payment technology provider selling credit card terminals, kiosks, and adjacent retail hardware/software to Japanese SMB merchants across F&B, retail, medical, hospitality, and tourism verticals, generating revenue primarily through transaction fees on card processing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing and Merchant Services

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331)

SIC

Computer Terminals (3575), Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software (5045)

akta.pro primary industry

Payment Gateways & Orchestration (BPAMAFAA)

Keywords

• Payment processing
• Credit card terminals
• Merchant services
• POS solutions
• Cashless payments

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Credit Card Transaction Fees: Percentage-based transaction fees charged on credit card payments processed through terminals. Fees vary by merchant contract and are the primary revenue stream. Monthly settlement with 2 transfers per month (with option for 3 transfers based on circumstances).
2. Terminal Equipment Sales/Leasing: Sale or lease of payment terminals including stera terminal and VEGA3000 Touch. Initial equipment costs may be free for merchants meeting annual transaction volume thresholds (approximately 2.5 million yen+ for Visa/Master annual volume).
3. Order Gate Monthly Subscription: Monthly subscription fee for the Order Gate procurement system starting from 10,000 yen per month. Initial setup is free. Revenue from restaurants subscribing to the procurement cost optimization platform.
4. QR Ordering System Sales: One-time sale of QR ordering system equipment starting from 1,400,000 yen (excluding tax). Price varies based on store size and number of tables.
5. Clinic Automatic Payment Machine: Sales of automatic payment machines for medical clinics and hospitals. Pricing varies based on required functionality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GMO Card System provides credit card payment processing services and payment terminal hardware (CAT terminals) to merchants of all sizes across Japan, supporting VISA, MASTER, JCB, Diners, AMEX, UnionPay, Apple Pay, and electronic money. Beyond core terminal services, the company offers touchscreen ticket vending machines (Clever KIOSK), automated payment machines for medical clinics, unmanned store operation services, a WEB procurement ordering system (Order Gate) for restaurants, and QR ordering systems.

Product overview

GMO Card System provides a comprehensive payment and retail technology portfolio consisting of credit card payment terminals (CAT terminals), touch-type ticket vending machines (Clever KIOSK), automatic payment machines for medical clinics, unmanned store operation services, and a WEB procurement system (Order Gate) for the food service industry. The core offering centers on credit card payment processing with hybrid terminals (stera terminal, VEGA3000 Touch) supporting international card brands, QR codes, and electronic money. Additional products include QR ordering systems and cost reduction solutions that work alongside the payment infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Credit Card Payment Terminals (CAT Terminals) Multi-brand credit card payment terminals (CAT terminals) supporting VISA, MASTER, JCB, Diners, AMEX, UnionPay, Apple Pay, and electronic money, available to retail merchants of any size in Japan via direct sales and on-site consultation.
• Clever KIOSK (Touch-type Ticket Vending Machine) Touchscreen ticket vending machine for restaurants and retail that accepts PayPay, LINE Pay, credit cards, and QR code payments and integrates with POS registers, kitchen printers, cash modules, and cloud-based sales data.
• Automatic Payment Machine for Clinics/Medical Automated patient payment settlement machine for hospitals and clinics, supporting cash, credit cards, electronic money, and QR code payments, compatible with approximately 80% of Japanese medical accounting systems with a shortest payment time of 20 seconds.
• Unmanned Store Operations Service Comprehensive unmanned store management service for hotels, net cafes, share offices, and retail pickup operations, integrating web reservation authentication, cashless payment, smart lock/locker access control, and remote concierge (online reception).
• Order Gate (Procurement Cost Reduction Solution) Web-based procurement ordering system for restaurants that reduces ingredient purchasing costs through joint purchasing power across a 6,000-supplier network (~60 billion yen monthly transactions), supports credit card payment for procurement with point accumulation, and provides paperless ordering with electronic record storage compliance.
• QR Order System QR code-based ordering system that allows customers to order from their seats via smartphone, with optional integration to automatic payment machines for fully automated checkout, priced from 1,400,000 yen (excluding tax).

Quantifiable outcome

• Average 5-15% procurement cost reduction for restaurants using Order Gate system
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and standard.

• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational payment card brand supported by terminals. Required for merchant registration.
• MastercardcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational payment card brand supported by terminals. Required for merchant registration.
• JCBcoreTechnology or IntegrationJapan-based international payment card brand. JCB agency arrangement also enables American Express merchant registration.
• Diners ClubcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational payment card brand. Diners Club merchant registration available through JCB agency.
• American ExpresscoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational payment card brand. American Express merchant registration available through JCB agency.
• 銀聯 (UnionPay)coreTechnology or IntegrationChina-based international payment network supported for foreign tourist transactions.
• Apple PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile payment platform supported via NFC terminals.
• PayPay / LINE PaystandardTechnology or IntegrationQR code payment services supported via Clever KIOSK ticket vending machines.
• リーテイルブランディング社 (Retail Branding)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvider of Order Gate procurement system. Partnered to provide scale benefits and cost optimization for restaurant ingredient procurement.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Digital Garage: Japanese fintech operating Veritrans/DG Financial Technology payment processing and a partner of choice for many Japanese merchants. A directly comparable Japanese payment processor competitor with broader scale than GMO Card System.
• Square (Block, Inc.): Global provider of integrated POS hardware, payment processing, and software for SMBs. Closely comparable to GMO Card System's CAT terminals plus payment processing model, and a direct competitor in Japan via Square's Japanese merchant acquiring.
• Worldline (Ingenico): European-headquartered payment terminal and merchant services provider following the Ingenico acquisition. Direct competitor in the payment terminal manufacturing space that supplies acquirers similar to GMO Card System.
• SBPS (SoftBank Payment Service): Japanese payment service provider offering online and face-to-face payment processing for merchants. A Japan-domestic direct comparable to GMO Card System in PSP services for SMBs.
• Verifone: Global manufacturer of payment terminals (including the equivalent of stera/VEGA3000-class devices) supplying acquirers and PSPs worldwide. A direct comparable on the hardware side of GMO Card System's terminal business.
• PAX Technology: Global Android-based payment terminal manufacturer competing with Verifone, Worldline, and equivalents of the VEGA3000 Touch. A directly comparable terminal OEM competitor.
• Castles Technology: Asia-based payment terminal manufacturer supplying international card schemes. Comparable on the hardware/POS terminal side, especially relevant for the unattended and multi-payment device segments GMO Card System targets (Clever KIOSK, clinic payment).
• GMO Payment Gateway: Listed Japanese payment gateway and processor (TSE: 3769) and a sister GMO Group entity. Directly competes with GMO Card System in Japanese merchant payment processing and shares overlapping acquirer relationships (e.g., GMO Epsilon), making it the most directly comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• Stripe: Global payment infrastructure platform with a Japan presence, serving both online and in-person merchants. Comparable as a payments platform competitor to GMO Card System's broader PSP ambitions, especially via Stripe Terminal hardware.
• PayPay (SoftBank / Z Holdings): Japan's largest QR code mobile payment network with deep merchant penetration. Competes with GMO Card System on payment acceptance (PayPay is one of its integrations) and increasingly on merchant acquiring; a broad incumbent shaping Japanese payment economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GMO Card System