Tokenized stock is taking center stage in Japan’s digital finance revolution, as SBI Holdings enters the market through a strategic alliance with blockchain developer Startale. This milestone move aims to reshape how traditional equities and real-world assets (RWAs) are traded on the blockchain.

Joint Venture Targets On-Chain Equity Trading

SBI Holdings, one of Japan’s largest financial institutions managing over 11 trillion yen ($74 billion) in assets and catering to 65 million customers globally, has officially launched a partnership with Singapore-based Startale. The goal is to create a cutting-edge on-chain platform for trading tokenized versions of traditional assets, including U.S. and Japanese stocks.

This initiative places SBI alongside other global leaders such as Robinhood, Kraken, and Gemini, who are already offering blockchain-based alternatives to traditional securities.

Unlocking 24/7 Trading With Instant Settlement

According to the press release, the anticipated platform will enable around-the-clock trading of tokenized stocks with near-instant settlements. The system is designed to cater to institutional as well as individual investors by offering features such as fractional ownership, high-level custodial services, and real-time compliance monitoring.

“This platform will be highly interoperable, always open, accessible to anyone, and designed to meet the needs of users worldwide in the global market,” said Yoshitaka Kitao, president and CEO of SBI Holdings.

Executives from SBI Holdings and Startale formalize their landmark joint venture for on-chain stock trading.

Strategic Technology from Startale and Sony

Startale isn’t new to blockchain innovation. It previously teamed up with tech giant Sony to launch Soneium, an Ethereum layer-2 scaling network. This experience gives the joint venture a technical edge in building scalable, secure infrastructure for digital security trading.

By leveraging blockchain interoperability and decentralized technology, the platform promises easier global access and better efficiency in stock transactions. The move underlines a strong commitment to transforming legacy financial markets into open, blockchain-powered ecosystems.

Global Trend Toward Asset Tokenization

SBI’s expansion into tokenized finance represents a broader movement toward integrating real-world assets into blockchain ecosystems. “We predict that this movement will eventually lead to the digitalization of capital markets themselves, including exchanges,” Kitao emphasized.

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This aligns with other recent developments in the space. For example, DBS has also launched tokenized structured notes, further validating the trajectory toward digital asset markets.