Startale Signs Investment Agreement with SBI Group Worth Approximately 8 Billion Yen to Accelerate Development of 'JPYSC' and More

On the 26th, Startale Group announced that it has raised approximately 8 billion yen from SBI Group as part of the second close of its Series A round. Combined with the investment from the Sony Innovation Fund announced in January this year, the total for this round has reached approximately 10 billion yen.

With this investment, Startale aims to accelerate the development of the financial-oriented blockchain 'Strium' and the Japanese yen stablecoin 'JPYSC' in collaboration with SBI Group. Furthermore, the company plans to expand use cases and strengthen business development by leveraging SBI Group's customer base and business network.

Currently, SBI and Startale are accelerating the on-chain transformation of finance. In the U.S., the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) has approved Nasdaq's proposal regarding the trading of tokenized stocks.

In light of this situation,

Startale Group CEO Sota Watanabe states, "The global shift to on-chain is now an established course. Among these, the integration of traditional finance and on-chain finance is progressing at an incredible speed, particularly centered around the U.S." He further emphasizes that the on-chain transformation of finance is "not a 'future event' but a 'current reality,'" expressing a sense of urgency regarding Japan's on-chain financial transformation.

SBI President Yoshitaka Kitao seems to share a similar sense of urgency as Watanabe. According to insiders, both Watanabe, as a startup executive based in New York, and Kitao, as a top manager in the financial sector, perceive this urgency with high clarity. This shared sense of urgency propelled the swift move towards this partnership.

Watanabe remarked on the significance of establishing a capital relationship with SBI, stating, "By combining SBI Group's financial business foundation with our blockchain technology and global network, we aim to build an infrastructure from Japan that can compete globally at this historic turning point."

Additionally, the "Iolite Vol.19" to be released on March 30, 2026, will feature an exclusive interview with Watanabe, discussing Startale's strategy for 2026. The interview will also be available online on the same day.

Image: Iolite

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