Group 1 - PayPay, a Japanese payment application operator, plans to conduct an IPO in the US as early as December, with a potential valuation exceeding 3 trillion yen (approximately 20 billion USD) [1] - SoftBank has been meeting with institutional investors since mid-September to discuss PayPay's potential valuation, with a general consensus around a baseline of 2 trillion yen, but some believe it could surpass 3 trillion yen [1] - The current valuation is primarily based on PayPay's expansion performance in Japan, while investor opinions on its overseas expansion prospects vary, which could be a key factor for a higher valuation [1] Group 2 - PayPay is a leader in Japan's QR code payment market and has been instrumental in shifting Japanese consumers from cash to cashless payments, with cashless payment rates exceeding 40% in Japan, compared to over 80% in South Korea and China [2] - The financial segment, which includes PayPay, reported an operating profit of 18.1 billion yen for the April to June quarter, more than doubling year-on-year, indicating structural profit improvement and future growth potential [2] - PayPay is also strengthening its cryptocurrency business, having acquired a 40% stake in Binance's Japanese operations and planning to launch new cryptocurrency services [2]