Update March 26, 6:02 am UTC: This article has been updated to add comments from Startale Group CEO Sota Watanabe.
Startale Group said on Wednesday that SBI Group invested $50 million to complete the company’s Series A as the Japanese blockchain firm builds tokenized securities infrastructure, stablecoins and consumer onchain products.
In a press release shared with Cointelegraph, Startale said the $50 million from SBI will be used to scale offerings including its Strium blockchain for tokenized securities, its Japanese yen and U.S. dollar stablecoins, and a consumer-facing application designed to onboard users to onchain services.
The investment strengthens institutional backing for Startale’s push into onchain financial infrastructure in Japan, where the two companies have already announced initiatives around tokenized securities, stablecoins and digital asset settlement.
“Through the deep collaboration with SBI, we will accelerate the adoption of tokenized stocks, centered on Japanese equities and JPY stablecoin, this year,” said Startale Group CEO Sota Watanabe.
New funding to scale existing projects
The $50 million raise follows a $13 million first close led by Sony Innovation Fund in January, bringing the total Series A to $63 million. Startale said the new capital will advance a vertically integrated strategy, building a full stack that covers blockchain infrastructure, financial products and consumer applications.
Startale plans to scale its Strium network for tokenized securities and real-world asset trading, expand adoption of its JPYSC and USDSC stablecoins, and develop its SuperApp to combine payments, asset management and onchain services in a single platform.
On Feb. 5, Startale Group and SBI Holdings launched Strium, a layer-1 blockchain intended to support settlement infrastructure for institutional trading of foreign exchange, tokenized equities and RWAs. Watanabe told Cointelegraph that progress on the Strium tokenization platform and the JPYSC yen stablecoin—both developed with SBI—helped prompt the deeper investment. He said Startale’s advantage includes distribution through partners like SBI that provide access to users and regulatory pathways.
Startale Group deepens ties with SBI
The capital raise follows a series of collaborations between SBI and Startale. On Aug. 22, 2025, SBI formed partnerships with Startale, Circle and Ripple to launch stablecoin ventures and a tokenized asset trading platform in Japan. On Dec. 16, SBI and Startale signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a fully regulated JPY stablecoin, aimed at tokenized asset markets and global settlement; issuance and redemption under the MoU will be handled by Shinsei Trust & Banking, a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Shinsei Bank.
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