SBI Group and Chainlink have announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of tokenized securities and blockchain-based financial infrastructure in Japan and the broader Asia-Pacific region. The collaboration will leverage Chainlink’s oracle and interoperability protocols alongside SBI’s financial infrastructure to enable use cases such as tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), stablecoin settlement via delivery-versus-payment (DvP), and cross-border transactions. The initiative is intended to streamline custody, settlement, and liquidity processes for institutional investors, aligning with Japan’s evolving regulatory framework [1].
SBI, which manages over $200 billion in assets, has positioned itself as a key player in Japan’s digital asset sector through this and other recent partnerships. This agreement with Chainlink follows similar collaborations with Ripple, Circle, and Startale, all of which are part of SBI’s broader strategy to expand its role in blockchain-based finance. As part of the partnership, Chainlink’s data verification technology will be deployed to provide transparent net asset value (NAV) data for on-chain tokenized funds. The partnership also explores on-chain representations of traditional assets, such as bonds and RWAs, potentially enabling 24/7 trading [2].
Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov highlighted the importance of the partnership, stating that prior collaborations with SBI had already advanced stablecoin DvP and fund tokenization to a production-ready stage. SBI CEO Yoshitaka Kitao emphasized the initiative’s alignment with Japan’s regulatory environment, where the Financial Services Agency (FSA) is preparing to approve the country’s first yen-denominated stablecoin [3]. This regulatory progress is expected to facilitate broader institutional adoption of digital assets in Japan.
The partnership is also expected to enhance confidence in digital assets by providing verifiable data feeds for price, settlement, and compliance. SBI plans to promote the adoption of stablecoins such as USDC and RLUSD, with the latter expected to be listed by SBI VC Trade before March 2026 [4]. The company is also developing an on-chain trading platform with Startale to support tokenized assets, aiming to offer accessible and competitive trading services for institutional and retail investors [5].
The initiative aligns with growing institutional interest in tokenized securities in Japan. A recent survey found that 76% of the country’s banks are exploring tokenization technologies, indicating a potential shift toward blockchain-based financial systems [6]. SBI and Chainlink’s collaboration could serve as a catalyst for scaling these efforts, particularly as the regulatory environment continues to evolve and more institutional players explore the benefits of tokenization.
The timing of the partnership is notable, as Japan moves closer to formal recognition of stablecoins and tokenized assets. SBI’s strategic moves suggest a coordinated effort to position Japan as a global center for institutional blockchain innovation, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. As pilot programs and regulatory approvals progress, the initiative could significantly impact liquidity, settlement efficiency, and institutional investment practices in the years ahead [7].
Sources:
[1] title: SBI and Chainlink Partner to Expand Blockchain in Asia … (url: https://www.ainvest.com/news/sbi-chainlink-partner-expand-blockchain-asia-pacific-finance-2508/)
[2] title: SBI Partners With Chainlink to Develop Crypto Tools for APAC … (url: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sbi-partners-chainlink-develop-crypto-075215376.html)
[3] title: SBI, Chainlink to Bring Blockchain to Asia’s Finance Market (url: https://cointelegraph.com/news/sbi-group-partners-chainlink-crypto-asia-finance-market)
[4] title: SBI and Chainlink: tokenization of real assets in Japan (url: https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2025/08/25/sbi-manages-over-200-billion-usd-in-assets-and-chainlink-accelerate-the-tokenization-of-real-assets-in-japan/)
[5] title: SBI Group and Chainlink Join Forces to Drive Institutional … (url: https://crypto-economy.com/sbi-group-and-chainlink-join-forces-to-drive-institutional-tokenization/)
[6] title: 76% of Japan’s banks eye tokenized securities as SBI bets … (url: https://cryptoslate.com/76-of-japans-banks-eye-tokenized-securities-as-sbi-bets-on-chainlink/)
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