SBI Holdings, one of Japan’s largest financial groups, has partnered with blockchain firm Startale to launch an onchain platform for tokenized stocks and real-world assets. The venture will introduce 24/7 trading, cross-border settlements, fractional ownership, and DeFi integration. It will also provide institutional-grade custody and real-time regulatory compliance, with two new joint ventures focusing on technology and business expansion. Startale founder Sota Watanabe said the platform’s mission is to bring “programmable, continuous trading” to tokenized equities in markets like the U.S. and Japan.

SBI is also strengthening its long-standing alliance with Ripple. Through its exchange subsidiary SBI VC Trade, the group signed an agreement to launch Ripple USD (RLUSD) in Japan by Q1 2026. RLUSD will be a regulation-first stablecoin fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits and Treasuries, with monthly attestations to ensure transparency. The move comes as Japan’s stablecoin market grows under new regulatory guidelines, with SBI positioning RLUSD as a bridge between traditional finance and blockchain innovation.

In the meantime, Eric Trump is set to visit Tokyo on September 1 for Metaplanet’s shareholder meeting, where new capital-raising methods will be decided. Eric, who joined Metaplanet’s advisory board in March, will also speak at Bitcoin Asia in Hong Kong ahead of his trip. The Trump family has recently expanded into multiple crypto ventures including exchanges, mining, and ETFs while Donald Trump has promised to be the “crypto president.”