Trustbank Reports on 'Choice 3' (3% Fee Rate) Adoption and Future Initiatives Following MIC Guidelines

Trustbank Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa, Tokyo; President & CEO: Jun Oi), the operator of the comprehensive hometown tax donation site 'Furusato Choice,' has announced the usage status of its 'Choice 3' program as of late April 2026 and outlined its future strategy in response to requests from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).

**Status of 'Choice 3' Usage (As of late April 2026)**

• Registered Municipalities: 736 (approx. 43% of all contracted local governments) • Municipalities with Actual Usage: 220 (those where donations were generated via municipality-led initiatives) • Performance: The lowest effective commission rate achieved was 5.61%, with an average of 7.11% among the top five municipalities.

**What is 'Choice 3'?** 'Choice 3' is a framework where the commission rate is reduced to 3% (from the standard 10%) for donations generated through a municipality's own public relations and marketing efforts—such as official websites, emails, and local events—that lead donors to use the Furusato Choice platform for final processing.

**Background of 'Choice 3' Implementation** As the 'Furusato Nozei' system has grown, it has faced challenges leading to recent reforms, such as the prohibition of points and stricter limits on expense ratios. Trustbank views this as a critical moment to return to the original intent of the system, ensuring its sustainability for regional revitalization. Based on this awareness, Trustbank began providing 'Choice 3' to all 1,700+ contracted municipalities in April 2026. The goal is to support local governments in building and deepening direct relationships with donors, ensuring that a larger portion of donations serves as financial resources for local development. Recognizing that managing secure payment and administrative systems independently is inefficient for most local governments, Trustbank continues to provide its robust infrastructure as a backend partner.

**Future Outlook: Accelerating Initiatives in Line with MIC Requests** Following recent requests from the MIC, Trustbank will accelerate its support for 'Choice 3' by holding briefings for local governments to increase awareness and adoption. Additionally, the company will strengthen Government Crowdfunding (GCF) and policy-led donation initiatives. Trustbank remains committed to the principle that hometown tax is a 'system for supporting regions,' striving to maximize the impact of donations on local revitalization.