SBI Holdings and Startale Floats Strium Network

SBI Holdings, a Tokyo-listed financial group, has partnered with blockchain company Startale Group to create Strium Network, a new blockchain network for trading stocks and securities online. According to the announcement, this project marks a significant step towards updating capital markets in Asia by using blockchain technology to overcome traditional market limitations.

Strium Blockchain is Built for Onchain Securities

Strium Network aims to be the main platform for Asia’s online securities markets. The blockchain will help support real assets such as stocks and other financial products. As such, they will be issued, traded, and managed directly online.

Notably, Strium is designed for institutional and professional users, focusing on solving issues in traditional finance. Current markets often have limited trading hours, slow settlements, and restricted access to liquidity. Strium will solve these issues by providing 24/7 trading, faster settlements, and easy connections with decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. 

One of the main benefits of the network is DeFi composability. This feature allows onchain securities to work with smart contracts, lending protocols, and other DeFi tools. The release also mentioned that Strium will help institutions access, trade, and unlock assets in ways that older market systems have limited. 

Both companies also announced that a Strium testnet is expected to launch soon. However, the proof-of-concept was unveiled today, demonstrating significant progress toward practical real-world applications.

A Partnership Built on Strength and Experience

In a similar vein, SBI Holdings and Startale partnered to develop a stablecoin backed by the Japanese yen. As reported by TheCoinRise, this project aims to combine strong financial experience and modern blockchain technology. The stablecoin is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2026.

Interestingly, the planned yen stablecoin will be designed to meet Japan’s regulatory standards. It will also support domestic and international payments, as well as settlement between institutions.

Meanwhile, Shinsei Trust and Banking will manage the creation and redemption of the stablecoin. Likewise, SBI VC Trade, which is licensed to operate crypto asset services, will help distribute and circulate the stablecoin.

SBI and Japan Build on Strong Stablecoin Experience

SBI Holdings has prior experience with stablecoins. The company plans to launch a US Dollar stablecoin with Ripple in the Japanese market in 2026. At the same time, Japan is actively supporting the growth of yen-based stablecoins.

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has approved JPYC as the country’s first local yen stablecoin. Regulators are also backing a joint stablecoin project that involves major banks, including Mizuho Bank, MUFG, and SMBC.