Viva Republica, operator of Toss, has signed a strategic business agreement with the Korea Franchise Industry Association and will pursue payment innovation in the franchise sector centred on Facepay, it said on Tuesday.

The agreement was signed on April 13 at the aT Center in Yangjae, Seoul. Attendees included Toss Vice President Kim Gyu-ha (김규하), Toss Pay Division Vice President Oh Gyu-in (오규인), association honorary chairman Lee Byung-uk (이병억) and association chairman Na Myung-seok (나명석), among other officials.

Under the agreement, the two sides plan to expand Facepay, a face-recognition-based payment service, to franchise outlets. The association will support adoption among member companies, while Toss will provide payment infrastructure and technology.

The agreement is notable because it is a partnership at the association level rather than with individual outlets. Toss plans to use it to spread digital transformation in payments across the broader franchise industry.

The two sides will jointly provide adoption guidance and promotion for member companies. They also plan to work together on initial technical support and building operating systems. They will later roll out briefing sessions and training programmes for franchise headquarters executives in stages.

Kim said Facepay goes beyond being a simple payment method and is a tool that improves operational efficiency for franchise outlets. He added Toss will continue to expand improvements in the payment experience for small business owners.

Na said an environment has been created for the association's member companies to more easily adopt new payment technologies. He said the association will actively support improvements in operating efficiency for franchise outlets.