Update March 26, 6:02 am UTC: This piece was updated to include comments from Startale Group CEO Sota Watanabe.
Startale Group announced that SBI Group has invested $50 million to complete the company’s Series A round as the Japanese blockchain firm expands its tokenized securities infrastructure, stablecoins and consumer on‑chain offerings. According to the company, the new capital will be used to scale its Strium blockchain for tokenized securities, grow its Japanese yen and U.S. dollar stablecoins, and accelerate a consumer-facing app to onboard users to on‑chain services.
Startale said the $50 million from SBI strengthens institutional backing for its push into on‑chain financial infrastructure in Japan. The companies have already collaborated on initiatives involving tokenized securities, stablecoins and digital asset settlement. Startale Group CEO Sota Watanabe said the deeper partnership with SBI will help speed adoption of tokenized stocks — focusing on Japanese equities and a JPY stablecoin — during the year.
This latest investment follows a $13 million first close led by Sony Innovation Fund in January, bringing the Series A total to $63 million. Startale plans to use the funds to execute a vertically integrated strategy: building a full stack that includes blockchain infrastructure, financial products and consumer applications.
Key priorities for the funding include scaling Strium as a network for tokenized securities and real‑world asset trading, expanding uptake of JPYSC and USDSC stablecoins, and advancing the SuperApp that aims to combine payments, asset management and on‑chain services in one platform.
On Feb. 5, Startale and SBI launched Strium, a layer‑1 blockchain intended to support settlement infrastructure for institutional trading of foreign exchange, tokenized equities and real‑world assets. Watanabe told Cointelegraph that progress on both the Strium tokenization platform and the JPYSC yen stablecoin — developed with SBI — helped prompt the deeper investment. He noted Startale’s advantage comes in part from distribution through partners such as SBI, which can provide user access and pathways for regulatory approval.
The funding follows a string of collaborations between Startale and SBI. In August, SBI announced partnerships with Startale, Circle and Ripple to pursue stablecoin ventures and a tokenized asset trading platform in Japan. In December, SBI and Startale signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a fully regulated JPY stablecoin for tokenized asset markets and cross‑border settlement; issuance and redemption under the MoU are planned to be handled by Shinsei Trust & Banking, a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Shinsei Bank.
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