Japanese digital marketplace DLsite has rolled out its own payment method after Visa and Mastercard suspended card processing on the platform. The new system runs through Minna Bank, a Japanese digital bank, and is being pushed with discounts and reward points to encourage users to switch.
The payment option gives DLsite a way around the card network suspensions that hit the platform’s adult content sections particularly hard. By partnering with a domestic bank, DLsite can process payments without relying on Visa or Mastercard’s infrastructure.
There’s a catch. Minna Bank requires account holders to sign up from within Japan and doesn’t guarantee its app will work overseas. That makes the new payment method effectively Japan-only for now, leaving international buyers out in the cold.
DLsite is one of Japan’s biggest marketplaces for doujinshi, indie games, manga, and ASMR audio content. The platform splits its offerings between all-ages and adult (R18) storefronts, with different payment rules applying to each depending on what processors will accept.
The Visa and Mastercard suspensions aren’t unique to DLsite. Adult content platforms have faced repeated payment disruptions as card networks enforce stricter content policies through their partner banks. Pornhub lost card processing in 2020, and OnlyFans nearly banned sexually explicit content in 2021 before reversing course.
Even some safe-for-work manga purchases reportedly got blocked by the card networks, showing how these restrictions can spill over beyond explicitly adult material.
Japanese users still have domestic payment options like bank transfers and convenience store payments where supported. The new Minna Bank solution adds another route that DLsite controls directly, reducing the platform’s exposure to sudden policy changes from global card companies.
The move should stabilize revenue for creators selling on DLsite. Payment disruptions hurt sales, and having a processor-independent option means fewer worries about getting cut off mid-month because of content policy shifts.
No relief for international buyers
International users are stuck waiting to see if DLsite can secure another cross-border payment method or if Visa and Mastercard will reverse their suspensions. For now, the new payment system only helps Japanese customers who can meet Minna Bank’s residency requirements.
Some users have suggested JCB, Japan’s domestic card network, could step in to fill the gap. But JCB has limited acceptance outside Japan and faces the same content policy pressures as Visa and Mastercard in international markets.
