Fukushima Bank Adopts Traceability Service 'SHIMENAWA'

SBI Traceability Co., Ltd. announced that its traceability service, 'SHIMENAWA,' has been adopted by Fukushima Bank for the 'GIRO Rice' novelty items provided in their time deposit campaign, 'Girolamo Saves the Reiwa Rice Crisis! Time Deposit.' Fukushima Bank offers 'GIRO Rice' (Koshihikari grown in Aizumisato, Fukushima) as a campaign incentive, featuring stickers with embedded NFC tags that provide information through SHIMENAWA. By accessing the NFC tags with a smartphone, users can view digital content detailing the background, activities, and characteristics of the GIRO Rice project. The GIRO Rice project, led by model and actor Panzetta Girolamo, aims to revitalize agriculture and regional economies across Japan under the slogan 'Make farmers energetic and cool.' In recent years, the primary industry has faced significant challenges, including a shortage of agricultural workers and a long-term decline in rice consumption. Consequently, supporting the sustainability of regional economies and agriculture has become a critical issue, increasing the importance of initiatives by financial institutions to foster regional development. By clearly communicating the significance and background of the project through digital technology, the link between the financial product and the physical rice is strengthened, allowing users to concretely understand how their deposits support the region and agriculture. SHIMENAWA is a traceability service that uses IC tags (RFID/NFC) and blockchain technology to assign unique IDs to physical assets and centrally manage related information.