Catenaa, Friday, December 21, 2025- Japan’s SBI Holdings said it will launch a yen-denominated stablecoin in partnership with blockchain firm Startale Group, marking the latest move by a major Japanese financial group into regulated digital assets.
The Tokyo-listed conglomerate said the yet-unnamed stablecoin is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2026 and will be designed for global settlement and institutional use.
The project will combine SBI’s role as a major financial institution in Japan with Startale’s blockchain development experience, including its involvement in the Sony-backed Soneium network.
Under the planned structure, Shinsei Trust & Banking, a subsidiary of SBI Shinsei Bank, will oversee issuance and redemption of the stablecoin.
SBI VC Trade, a licensed crypto asset exchange service provider, will support circulation of the token.
The companies said the stablecoin will operate within Japan’s regulatory framework and is intended to integrate closely with traditional financial systems.
The project is also expected to complement Startale’s recently launched dollar-pegged stablecoin, USDSC, which is used for payments and liquidity across Soneium.
SBI and Startale plan to use the yen stablecoin as part of a broader onchain financial ecosystem, including a proposed 24/7 tokenized stock exchange.
The firms said the token is being built to support settlement, digital asset distribution, and emerging use cases tied to automated and tokenized financial services.
SBI has been expanding its stablecoin strategy in recent months. In August, the company announced a partnership with Ripple to introduce Ripple USD to the Japanese market in 2026.
SBI Holdings plans to launch a regulated yen-pegged stablecoin with Startale in 2026, adding momentum to Japan’s growing push into stablecoins and tokenized finance.
