マーキュリアホールディングス and 伊藤忠商事 invested in the holding company of スマートテクノロジーズ, which provides tax-free shopping systems. The investment aims to strengthen the refund business platform in response to growth in the inbound tourism market and the revised system scheduled for 2026.
マーキュリアホールディングス and 伊藤忠商事 announced that they had invested in CapitalShip, the holding company of スマートテクノロジーズ＆リソーシーズ. As Japan's inbound tourism market grows, development is under way on refund functions to comply with the system revision scheduled for November 2026.
スマートテクノロジーズ provides SmartDetax, which uses AI to streamline operations at tax-free shops, and JPrefund, which supports refunds for tax-free shoppers. The services have now been adopted by more than 2,500 retail operators.
伊藤忠商事 entered into a business alliance with スマートテクノロジーズ in January 2026 and is pursuing joint development of merchant accounts and operational support. Through the investment, it plans to utilize its customer base, sales network, and expertise in payments and financial services.
The parties are considering the creation of new business opportunities, including data marketing and promotional support using tax-free shopping and tax refund services, with the aim of strengthening スマートテクノロジーズ' business platform.