Startale Group closed a $63 million Series A from SBI Group and Sony to scale Strium, a blockchain for tokenized securities, and Japan’s first trust bank-backed yen stablecoin.
Posted March 25, 2026 at 3:14 pm EST.
Startale Group closed a $63 million Series A on Wednesday, combining a $50 million second close from SBI Group with a $13 million first close from Sony Innovation Fund announced in January. The Singapore-based company, which operates primarily in Japan, builds blockchain infrastructure for both financial institutions and retail users.
The bulk of the capital will go toward scaling Strium, a Layer 1 blockchain designed specifically for tokenized securities and real-world asset trading, built in partnership with SBI. Strium aims to offer near-instant settlement and continuous trading while adhering to the regulatory requirements governing securities markets across Asia. The round also funds expansion of JPYSC, a yen-denominated stablecoin issued by Shinsei Trust & Banking and distributed through SBI VC Trade, alongside a dollar-denominated counterpart called USDSC.
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The backing from both SBI and Sony reflects how two distinct Japanese corporate strategies are converging around onchain infrastructure. SBI, one of Japan’s largest financial groups, sees Startale as a vehicle for bringing tokenized equities and stablecoin settlement to regulated markets. Sony’s interest runs through Soneium, an Ethereum Layer 2 it developed with Startale, positioning the entertainment giant in the broader Web3 ecosystem. CEO Sota Watanabe said the company will prioritize tokenized Japanese equities and yen stablecoin adoption this year.
The timing aligns with a supportive regulatory environment. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said earlier this year she fully supports integrating crypto trading into the country’s stock exchanges. While the U.S. is approaching tokenized securities through existing exchange infrastructure, with NYSE and Nasdaq each building their own platforms, Japan is taking a more greenfield approach, constructing purpose-built blockchain rails with institutional backing from the start.
AloJapan.com