Payment System

Abstract

To provide an arrangement for making a local economy active in view of succeeding contribution in a series of activities caused in the whole local region.SOLUTION: A settlement system according to the present invention is arranged such that contribution to local economy of a shop providing articles and so on is determined based on a transaction amount in a local region or a transaction amount outside the local region and an incentive amount to a consumer purchasing an in-shop article and so on is determined based on the contribution to the local economy. A purchaser prefers to purchase from a shop with high contribution to the local economy in order to receive more incentive amount. A shop can increase contribution to the local economy of its own shop by purchasing an article and materials from so-called local manufacturers and shops in the local region, in which an incentive to try to increase transaction in the region naturally works. The incentive of local production for local consumption naturally prevails in not only the purchasers but also the shops providing articles and so on. As a result, it is possible to contribute to continuous support in activation of the local economy.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to strategic management for promoting regional economic revitalization, and in particular to technology that promotes behavioral change throughout the region, in which demand activities that contribute to the local economy are naturally linked together in the connection from producers to end consumers. [Background technology]

[0002] Today, many of the consumer goods and their raw materials available in the market are imported from other countries, processed and molded as needed, and then distributed to consumers. In other words, the proportion of locally produced goods—products made from locally sourced or locally produced materials purchased and consumed within the region—is extremely small compared to the overall amount of goods consumed. The primary reason for this is the difficulty for domestic manufacturers to compete on price against materials and products imported from countries with lower labor costs. As a result, domestic manufacturers must compete with foreign products on the basis of product quality. However, the consumer base that can afford high-quality, high-priced domestic products is limited, and many consumers prefer large chain stores and global mail-order companies in search of cheaper products. The rise of large chain stores and other businesses has put small businesses across Japan in a difficult financial situation, leading many to seek support from local governments.

[0003] In light of this situation for businesses, local governments have begun issuing regional promotion coupons (paper or electronic coupons) that are valid only in specific areas, with the aim of supporting the revitalization of local economies. Regional promotion coupons carry a premium that allows consumers to purchase more goods and other items than the sales price, with the intention of encouraging consumers to make purchases through stores within the area. An idea has been proposed to revitalize the local economy using these regional promotion coupons (see Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-149262 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Certainly, from the perspective of profit and loss, purchasing a regional promotion coupon will bring about a premium benefit, and there is an expectation that it will stimulate consumption activity within the region. However, most regional promotion coupons are not available for permanent use, and are limited to use within a set period, and in fact, the stores at which they can be used are also limited.

[0006] Therefore, the temporary surge in local consumption activity will gradually fade once the period for which the coupons can be used has passed, and consumers will likely return to their previous purchases at large chain stores, etc. Furthermore, the use of the coupons does not necessarily increase sales at local stores in the first place. This is because if the coupons are simply used to pay for products that would otherwise have been purchased, it will not necessarily result in an increase in store sales. Furthermore, regional promotion coupons are primarily intended as support for local residents, and it is difficult to say that producers or sellers of goods are fully benefiting from them.

[0007] Furthermore, the method disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 is characterized in that store A determines benefits for each consumer using not only an individual score representing the degree of a consumer's contribution to store A, but also an overall score representing the degree of contributions made by other consumers to store A. This method aims to revitalize the entire community by providing benefits from the consumption activities of "others" who use stores in the community. However, this method is limited to a one-off relationship between the consumer and the store, and does not create a chain of community contributions from producers (material providers) to end consumers. Furthermore, the determination of a community contribution is based solely on the fact that the purchased product is sold in a local store. For example, even if a product is produced overseas, if the store is located in the same area, purchasing it at that store is considered a community contribution. This method does not contribute to the true revitalization of the local economy through local production and consumption.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a system for revitalizing the local economy by regarding the entire region as a single economic zone, with contributions being passed on through a series of connections between each action that occurs within it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the payment system of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a transaction amount measurement means that is communicatively connected to terminals of stores or businesses within a target area, receives transaction data when the store or business conducts transactions with other stores or businesses, determines whether the other store or business is within the target area or outside the target area, and measures the transaction amount within the area or the transaction amount outside the area; a regional contribution determination means that determines a contribution attribute class for each store or business, which is an indicator of the degree of contribution to the target area, based on the transaction amount within the area and the transaction amount outside the area; and an incentive control means that determines the amount of incentive for the store or business based on the contribution attribute class determined by the regional contribution determination means.

[0010] The system also includes a blockchain information recording means that records information including the transaction data in a blockchain ledger each time the transaction data is received.The incentive control means further calculates the intra-regional ratio of the goods or services provided by the store or business based on the intra-regional transaction amount and the extra-regional transaction amount, and determines an incentive amount for consumers who pay for the goods or services provided by the store or business, equivalent to the intra-regional ratio of the price.The regional contribution determination means determines the contribution attribute class when the intra-regional transaction amount and the extra-regional transaction amount are updated, at predetermined time intervals, or in real time, and the incentive control means dynamically determines the incentive amount.The system further includes a server that determines the consistency of information recorded by the blockchain information recording means.The system is characterized in that a directed graph representing the flow of transactions throughout the target region is output based on the history information recorded by the blockchain information recording means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The payment system of the present invention measures the local contribution of a store that provides goods or services based on whether the transaction partner is a local person (a so-called local trader), and determines the amount of incentive to consumers who purchase goods or services from the store based on the store's local contribution. Rational consumers typically want to obtain as many incentives as possible, and therefore tend to prefer shopping at stores with a high level of local contribution. Furthermore, when a store purchases goods or raw materials from local business partners or employs local residents, the store's local contribution increases, which naturally creates an incentive to increase local transactions and hire local employees. In this way, incentives for local production and consumption are encouraged to flow not only to consumers but also to stores that provide products, etc., resulting in sustainable revitalization of the local economy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1]This is a diagram conceptually illustrating the product distribution process. [Figure 2] This is an example showing an attribute class that indicates the degree of contribution to the target area. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating incentives given to consumers. [Figure 4] 1 is a conceptual diagram of a payment system according to the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart showing the main procedures of the payment system of the present invention. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram showing the flow of trade and incentives across the region. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing a regional value chain as a directed graph. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] An embodiment of a payment system 100 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is characterized by determining how to allocate incentives to those involved in transaction activities by regarding local contribution levels as being inherited through transaction activities within the local area. There are no particular restrictions on the incentives, but in this embodiment, a local currency (blockchain currency) is provided that circulates locally and can be used in transactions to purchase goods, etc.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the process by which a product is purchased by an end consumer. For ease of explanation, an example will be taken in which the product is a bento box, which contains a staple of white rice and multiple side dishes prepared using multiple ingredients (e.g., fish, meat, vegetables, etc.) packed in a bento container and sold. The rice, fish, meat, and vegetables used in the bento include those produced or harvested by producers such as farmers and fishermen in the area of ​​the store selling the bento (hereinafter referred to as the "target area"). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the bento boxes are prepared using ingredients in a bento factory in the target area, and then delivered to a store in the target area, where the bento boxes are sold and purchased by consumers. In reality, agricultural cooperatives, wholesalers, etc. act as intermediaries in the distribution process leading up to the sale of the bento boxes, but for the sake of simplicity, the present invention will be explained by limiting it to producers, bento factories, stores that sell bento boxes, and consumers.

[0015] The purchase of a bento lunch is a direct transaction between a store and a consumer. For this reason, traditional regional revitalization coupons have been designed to benefit both the store and the consumer. However, preparing a bento lunch naturally requires ingredients and employees to work in the bento factory. The present invention, unlike conventional systems, focuses not only on the transaction between the store and the consumer but also on the contribution to the local community of transactions such as product procurement and employee employment, determining incentives for the store or bento factory. Therefore, a store that only sells global products (e.g., bottled beverages manufactured by major manufacturers) that are not produced or harvested within the target region will receive a low contribution score and will not receive incentives for consumers, even if it sells products within the target region. This is because the store is not contributing to local revitalization.

[0016] Next, we will explain how the contribution score is calculated. In this embodiment, the payment system 100 classifies and processes the degree of contribution to the target area by attribute class. Figure 2 shows an example of attribute classes. Attribute class D is for stores outside the target area, while attribute classes A to C are for stores within the target area and are determined based on the degree of contribution to the area. For example, the attribute class is determined based on the percentage of the store's total monthly transaction amount that is made with trading partners within the target area. In the example shown in Figure 2, if the transaction amount with trading partners within the target area accounts for 70% or more of the total monthly transaction amount, the store is classified as "Attribute A," which is a high contribution class. Similarly, if the transaction amount with trading partners within the target area is between 30% and 70%, but less than 30%, the store is classified as "Attribute B," which is a medium contribution class, and if it is less than 30%, the store is classified as "Attribute C," which is a low contribution class. Of course, even trading with trading partners within the target area may include products and harvests from outside the target area, so the transaction amount with trading partners within the target area refers to the amount of products and other items traded within the target area. The calculation basis is not limited to monthly sales, but may be any fixed period such as weekly, semi-annual, or annual sales. In addition to transaction amounts, attribute classes may also be determined based on the number of items or their weight. Furthermore, the number of attribute classes is not limited to three, and any number of classifications can be set.

[0017] Furthermore, it is considered unlikely that all of the parties with which each store transacts will be in the same contribution attribute class. Therefore, the transaction amounts for each contribution class are multiplied by a predetermined coefficient and the sum is calculated, as shown in the following formula. Store X's contribution score = Attribute class C (low contribution) coefficient (K C ) × Transaction amount with attribute class C (R C ) + Attribute Class B (Medium Contribution) Coefficient (K B ) × Transaction amount with attribute class B (R B ) + Attribute Class A (High Contribution) Coefficient (K A ) × Transaction amount with attribute class A (R A ) (K C ,K B ,K A (For example, set to 0.3, 0.5, and 1, respectively) As a result, the larger the transaction amount between store X and store Y, such as when store X purchases ingredients from store Y of attribute class A, the larger the contribution score of store X will be.

[0018] Meanwhile, store Y, which was a supplier of store X, calculates its own contribution score using the same calculation method as store X. In this way, when each store is procuring ingredients (including accessories such as lunch boxes and chopsticks), if it does business with a supplier belonging to attribute class A, which has a high contribution level, its contribution score will increase. The local government that oversees the target area then grants incentives to each store according to the contribution score. For example, if store X is determined to be in attribute class A this month, the incentive amount will be 30% of the transaction amount or sales amount for this month, and if it is determined to be in attribute class B, the incentive amount will be 20%. Alternatively, instead of the contribution score, the transaction amount itself may be focused on, and a predetermined amount of incentive may be granted if the transaction amount with a store belonging to attribute class A exceeds a predetermined amount, or the incentive amount may be granted based on a combination of the contribution score and attribute class. In this embodiment, the incentive given to the store by the local government is blockchain currency, but other examples include cash payments and reductions or refunds of resident taxes (corporate resident tax and corporate business tax in the case of corporations). Regardless of the type of incentive, each store can use the incentive given to pay for the next transaction.

[0019] Furthermore, incentives are not limited to those provided by local governments, but also include those provided when settling transactions between trading companies. For example, when store Y transacts with store Z, the transaction price is not used as the settlement amount directly, but rather the incentive is provided by multiplying the transaction price by a rate corresponding to the rank of store Y or store Z, and as a result, the actual settlement amount is reduced by the amount of the incentive. In addition, if payment is made in blockchain currency, the incentive amount may be increased.

[0020] If each store continues to select stores in the high category of contribution as suppliers, stores that contribute the most to the local community will naturally be given priority, and as this is done successively among stores, a chain of contributions to the local community will be formed. As long as stores expect to receive incentives, there will be no particular obstacles to stores with high levels of contribution continuing to be selected, and it is unlikely that the chain of local contributions will end up being a one-off. Therefore, rather than being limited to one-off local contributions by consumers and stores as in the past, it will be possible to realize a continuation of local contributions that connects back to the source, such as farmers and fishermen, in the target area.

[0021] The explanation so far has used the example of a supplier of ingredients, etc., but this is not limited to this. As mentioned above, employing employees who live in the target area contributes to regional revitalization by increasing tax revenue from the employees and stimulating consumption within the target area. Therefore, when employing employees within the target area, a surcharge based on the number of employees may be added to the contribution score, thereby providing a large incentive.

[0022] Following the calculation method for the store's contribution score, we will now explain the calculation method for granting incentives to consumers. Using a bento lunch as an example, Figure 3 shows the calculation of the incentive granted when a consumer purchases one bento lunch at store X. In addition to blockchain currency as in this embodiment, incentives for consumers can also be points that can be used equivalent to cash on the next purchase, or immediate cash back (refund).

[0023] A simple incentive calculation is a coefficient (K A ,K B ,K c ) is multiplied by the price of the bento. For example, if the price of one bento is 500 yen and store X's attribute class is B (therefore, coefficient K B =0.5), the incentive amount is 250 yen. However, Store X purchases a variety of ingredients to make its bentos, and the elements of the bentos include components from outside the target area. Therefore, an example is shown below in which the incentive amount is determined by reflecting in detail for each bento whether the supplier is from within the target area or outside the target area. (Note that, to simplify the explanation, details about accessories such as lunch boxes and chopsticks, and the employment of employees are omitted.) In this case, let R be the transaction amount for purchases from within the target area, and R' be the transaction amount for purchases from outside the target area. These are converted into transaction amounts per bento and let r and r' respectively. Within the target area, attribute classes A, B, and C corresponding to multiple contribution levels are set, and the transaction amount for each attribute class is R A ,R B ,R C The transaction amounts converted into per lunch box are r A ,r B ,r C Therefore, r=r A +r B +r C is.

[0024] Now, the community contribution score per bento box made by store X is: Score=r / (r+r')=(r A +r B +r C ) / ((r A +r B +r C )+r') Formula (2) It is calculated as follows. Therefore, the local contribution score (0≦Score≦1) represents the local ratio per lunch box.

[0025] Let's say that the score for a bento box (selling price: 500 yen) from Store X is 0.7 according to the above formula. The community contribution for one bento box is 350 yen (= 500 yen x 0.7). Therefore, an incentive based on a predetermined percentage is awarded for 350 yen of the 500 yen bento box. Here, the predetermined percentage refers to the attribute class of each store. For example, if Store X is attribute class C, the incentive amount is 350 yen x 10% = 35 yen. However, if Store X is attribute class A, the incentive amount increases to 350 yen x 30% = 105 yen. Note that 10% and 30% for attribute classes are merely examples. The incentive for consumers could be, for example, blockchain currency, points that can be used equivalent to cash on the next purchase, or an immediate cashback (refund).

[0026] In other words, if two different stores sell the same bento boxes with the same contents made with ingredients from the same supplier for the same price, the amount of incentive varies depending on the attribute class of each store. A consumer who behaves rationally will likely purchase a bento box sold at a store with a high contribution attribute class A in order to receive more incentives. To increase sales (i.e., increase consumer purchases), a store must raise its own attribute class (contribution level), which requires it to purchase local (i.e., locally sourced) produce from traders in the target area. As mentioned above, a store can raise its attribute class by trading bento boxes produced or caught in the target area and provided by a bento factory in the target area, thereby earning incentives for the store itself, thus benefiting not only consumers but also the store. Tracing the transaction upstream leads to producers such as farmers and fishermen, who see their sales increase.

[0027] In the example above, store X sells one type of bento, but it may also sell multiple bento with different contents. If the contents of the bento differ, the type and amount of ingredients used will also differ, so the score value will be different and the degree of contribution to the local area for the bento may change. Therefore, when calculating the exact incentive for each type of bento, the supplier and purchase price R' of the ingredients used for each bento A ,R' B ,R' C The incentive calculation may be performed after calculating the score of the community contribution per lunch box based on the above.

[0028] It is also desirable that the local contribution score of each product or the incentive for consumers be visualized in real time at the time of purchase. For example, the incentive amount could be displayed on the lunch box container or on an adjacent price list, or the incentive amount could be displayed via wireless communication when the consumer holds their smartphone over the lunch box, or the incentive amount could be displayed on the cash register display screen when the consumer takes the lunch box to the cash register for payment. This allows consumers to immediately see the local contribution score or the incentive for consumers, which encourages them to adopt the behavior of purchasing products that contribute more to the local community.

[0029] In this embodiment, an example has been given in which incentives are not provided for global products that are not produced or harvested in the target region. In another embodiment, incentives may be provided for all products of store X with attribute class A, which has a high contribution level. Therefore, even global products in store X are provided with incentives, so it is expected that global products will be purchased along with bento boxes. On the other hand, even if the same global product is available in another store with attribute class C, which has a low contribution level, the incentive amount may be lower than that of store X, or no incentive may be provided at all. This motivates consumers to purchase even global products from stores with a high contribution level, and also causes behavioral changes for stores, such as increasing their purchases from within the target region, as they need to increase their regional contribution score in order to encourage consumers to purchase more products.

[0030] Next, we will explain the payment system 100 for implementing the above-mentioned ideas of the present invention. The payment system 100 uses blockchain technology to record and manage data generated in transactions. Since blockchain is already a well-known technology, we will not go into detail here, but we will outline its advantages below.

[0031] Distributed ledger technology, exemplified by blockchain, is characterized by its ability to determine the legitimacy of transactions and actions without relying on verification by a specific server, and instead relies on a decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) network for communication between multiple devices. Rather than a specific server managing the ledger of transactions, multiple devices manage updates to their own databases from the past to the present as a single, continuous ledger. Furthermore, because each device manages the same ledger data, new transactions are added to each ledger only if they are deemed to have no inconsistencies in any of the ledgers, ensuring the authenticity of the data in the database.

[0032] Due to these characteristics, blockchain technology is: (1) difficult to tamper with or undo past update history; (2) resilient to failures and highly available, meaning that the system as a whole can continue to provide service even if some of the multiple devices that manage ledger data go down; and (3) difficult to tamper with because communications within the blockchain are encrypted and verified by certificates.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a conceptual diagram of the payment system 100 of the present invention, and FIG. 5 shows the processing flow. The payment system 100 includes at least a blockchain information recording means 10, a local transaction amount measurement means 20, a local contribution assessment means 30, an incentive control means 40, a communication control means 50, and a server 1. The incentive control means 40 also includes a calculation means 41 and a granting means 42. Blockchain-based information management is typically performed on a P2P network using multiple terminals, so a server is not required. However, when information is managed using multiple terminals, the computational costs for mining calculations are enormous. Therefore, in this embodiment, the server 1 records data based on the blockchain, manages transaction data, and evaluates the legitimacy of each payment. The server 1 determines whether a block is consistent with the previous block and whether it is appropriate to record it in the blockchain ledger.

[0034] Each block in a blockchain contains transaction data, a nonce value, and a hash value that meets certain conditions. Subsequent blocks are constructed using the hash value of the previous block. Therefore, even if a malicious individual tampers with the data of a certain block recorded on server 1, if the previous hash value and nonce value remain unchanged, the hash value that joins the blocks will be different, and the blocks will not be able to be connected and will be disconnected. Therefore, fraud can be detected by server 1 performing a consistency check of the entire chain. Furthermore, because the flow of fraudulently obtained blockchain currency can be traced, when it is connected to the blockchain through subsequent transactions within the target area, server 1 can identify the fraudulent transaction. Therefore, the payment system 100 of this embodiment selects information management by server 1, which does not employ a P2P network configuration. In another embodiment, the server 1 is not used, and a P2P network block chain configuration using multiple terminals may be used.

[0035] When a transaction occurs (step S501 in FIG. 5), the terminal of each store transmits the transaction data to the payment system 100 via the communication line 60. The transaction data may be, for example, data indicating that store B purchased 3 kg of mackerel from store A on a certain date for △△△ yen. It is preferable that the transmission of the transaction data is encrypted.

[0036] When the communication control means 50 of the payment system 100 receives transaction data from each store (step S502 in FIG. 5), the intra-regional transaction amount measurement means 20 then searches the store DB 70 to determine whether store A included in the transaction data is a store operator within the target region (step S503 in FIG. 5). If store A is a store or the like within the target region, the transaction amount included in the current transaction data is added to the transaction amount for store B up to that point within the target region to update the transaction amount (step S504 in FIG. 5). If store A is a store or the like outside the target region, the transaction amount for store B outside the target region is added to the transaction amount included in the current transaction data to update the transaction amount (step S505 in FIG. 5).

[0037] Next, the local contribution determination means 30 calculates the local contribution score (Score) by substituting the updated transaction amount into the above-mentioned formula (1), and determines the attribute class (see FIG. 2) of store B (step S506 in FIG. 5). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the Score value is set to 0.7 (i.e., attribute class A). The blockchain information recording means 10 also blocks the attribute class or score value as transaction data together with the above transaction data and records it in the blockchain ledger (step S507 in FIG. 5). Note that, as shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the attribute class of the supplier store is also recorded. The latest attribute class of the store is recorded in the store DB 70.

[0038] When store B sells a bento box, the terminal of store B communicates with the payment system 100 in advance and transmits a request instruction for an incentive amount. The payment system 100 determines whether the request instruction has been received (step S508 in FIG. 5). If the request instruction has been received, the calculation unit 41 of the incentive control means 40 acquires the latest attribute class or score value of store B from the store DB 70, calculates the amount of incentive to the consumer for purchasing the bento box based on the above-mentioned formula (2), and the granting unit 42 returns the calculated amount to the terminal of store B (step S509 in FIG. 5). Note that the transmission and reception of the incentive amount request between store B and the payment system 100 may be performed periodically at predetermined time intervals, or may be performed in real time each time the terminal of store B performs a payment.

[0039] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, when a transaction between stores occurs, it is recorded in the blockchain ledger. However, in other embodiments, the contents of a purchase transaction, including the amount of incentive generated in a transaction between a consumer and a store, may be recorded as transaction data in the blockchain ledger, not limited to transactions between stores. In addition, in the case where the consumer registers as a user in the payment system 100, the consumer ID may be recorded.

[0040] Therefore, the payment system 100 of this embodiment can dynamically determine the amount of incentive based on the store's latest attribute class or score, allowing consumers to purchase products and other items while always being aware of the store's latest contribution to the local community. Because consumers tend to prefer stores that offer larger incentive amounts for purchasing products and other items, it is predicted that this will result in a behavioral change in stores that seek to increase their store's contribution to the local community in order to attract as many consumers as possible. This will increase the volume of transactions within the target area for both stores and consumers throughout the region, contributing to sustainable support for the revitalization of the target region's economy.

[0041] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the flow of blockchain currency throughout an entire region. When a consumer makes a payment using blockchain currency at store A, the transaction data is sent to payment system 100, and the blockchain information recording means 10, which receives the transaction data from communication control means 50, records it in node N1 of the blockchain. When store A pays store B using blockchain currency, the transaction data is sent to payment system 100, and the blockchain information recording means 10 records it in node N2 of the blockchain. This chain of events is connected in sequence to create a regional value chain. By verifying the blockchain-based regional value chain, local governments can understand the actual contributions to the region and use it as a guideline for providing advice on regional revitalization.

[0042] Figure 7 shows such a regional value chain as a directed graph. The directed graph can be either the flow of transactions from producers to consumers as shown in Figure 3, or the flow of blockchain currency usage as shown in Figure 6. For example, by comparing the regional value chain of a certain area (M) with the regional value chain of another area (N), it can be determined whether the chains are connected in a wide variety of ways, and by changing the thickness of the arrows according to the transaction volume, it becomes possible to easily recognize quantitative transactions.

[0043] Let's assume that the current state of the regional value chain is as shown in Figure 7(a). Of the regional industry stores A through D in the figure, D is linked to C and trades with them, but as the thickness of the arrows in the directed graph indicates, there is more trading between D and C, which are not regional industry stores. Increasing the volume of trading between D and C compared to D and D will contribute to the region. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7(b), the incentive coefficients of C and A are intentionally increased (the nodes of C and A are shown to increase), so that D will receive a larger incentive for trading with C than with E. In other words, this can be used as an interface to manipulate (adjust) the incentive amount in order to strategically redirect commercial flows that have been flowing outside the target region into the target region. Figure 7(b) shows the results after manipulating the incentive amount. As the thicker arrows between DCs in Figure 7(b) indicate, the volume of transactions between DCs, i.e., intra-regional transactions, has increased. In order to periodically verify the regional value chain, local governments can easily visualize it using a directed graph like the one shown in Figure 7, and by dynamically changing the amount of incentives determined, they can guide stores and other businesses in the target area to achieve local production and consumption evenly.

[0044] As explained above, the present invention determines the degree of contribution to a target area from the content of a transaction, and dynamically determines the amount of incentives to be given to stores and consumers at the time of payment according to the magnitude of the latest degree of contribution. By visually checking the amount of incentive in any way, consumers will tend to prefer shopping at stores that offer larger incentive amounts, thereby promoting contribution to the local area. Since stores need to increase their degree of contribution to the local area in order to increase the number of consumers visiting, transactions with stores (vendors) in the target area will naturally increase, thereby realizing sustainable local revitalization. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 server 10 Blockchain information recording means 20. Measurement of intra-regional transaction volume 30. Means for determining the degree of contribution to the local community 40 Incentive Control Measures 41 Calculation section 42 Granting Department 50 Communication Control Means 60 communication lines 70 store database 100 Payment Systems

Claims

1. A payment system that is communicably connected to terminals of stores or businesses within a target area, a transaction amount measurement means for receiving transaction data when the store or business has conducted a transaction with another store or business, determining whether the other store or business is located within the target area or outside the target area, and measuring the intra-area transaction amount or the extra-area transaction amount, wherein even if the other store or business is determined to be located within the target area, the intra-area transaction amount is the transaction amount for goods or services only within the target area, excluding goods or services outside the target area; a regional contribution determination means for determining a contribution attribute class, which is an index of the degree of contribution to the target region, for each store or business operator based on the intra-regional transaction amount and the extra-regional transaction amount; an incentive control means for determining an amount of incentive for the store or business operator based on the contribution attribute class determined by the local contribution determination means; A payment system with.

2. The payment system according to claim 1, further comprising a blockchain information recording means for recording information including the transaction data in a blockchain ledger each time the transaction data is received.

3. The incentive control means further Calculating the in-region ratio of the goods or services provided by the store or business based on the in-region transaction amount and the out-of-region transaction amount; 3. The payment system according to claim 1, wherein an incentive amount for a consumer who pays for a product or service provided by the store or business is determined to be an amount equivalent to the in-region ratio of the payment amount.

4. A payment system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the regional contribution determination means determines the contribution attribute class when the intra-regional transaction amount and the extra-regional transaction amount are updated, or at predetermined time intervals, or in real time, and the incentive control means dynamically determines the incentive amount.

5. The payment system according to claim 2, further comprising a server that determines the consistency of information recorded by the blockchain information recording means.

6. The payment system described in claim 2, wherein the blockchain information recording means outputs a directed graph representing the flow of transactions throughout the entire target region based on a regional value chain created by sequentially recording the transaction data in blockchain nodes.

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