Chainlink Expands Into Japan Through SBI Group Deal Targeting Tokenised Funds, Real-World Assets And International Settlements

Japan’s financial powerhouse SBI Group is stepping further into blockchain, striking a wide-reaching deal with Chainlink to drive tokenisation and digital asset adoption both at home and across Asia.

With more than $200 billion in assets under management, SBI’s move signals an ambition to build real infrastructure for financial institutions exploring blockchain.

SBI And Chainlink Target The Next Phase Of Digital Assets

At the heart of the partnership is Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), a system designed to move assets securely across different blockchains.

The collaboration will focus on practical applications such as tokenised funds, real-world assets like bonds, and regulated stablecoins.

SBI plans to introduce these services initially in Japan, where banks and asset managers are already showing interest in tokenisation, before extending into wider markets.

Making Tokenised Funds More Efficient

One of the first steps involves using Chainlink’s SmartData service to bring net asset value (NAV) data on-chain.

This means tokenised funds can be priced and traded more efficiently, potentially unlocking secondary market liquidity that traditional systems have struggled to achieve.

Stablecoin issuers will also benefit from Chainlink’s Proof of Reserve, a system that verifies reserves in real time to prevent overstatement of backing.

Cross-Border Payments In Focus

Beyond funds and stablecoins, the two companies are looking at blockchain-powered payments.

CCIP is expected to play a role in payment-versus-payment settlements for foreign exchange and international transfers.

This approach removes the need for an intermediary bridge currency, a change that could reshape how global banks handle cross-border flows.

Years Of Collaboration Now Moving To Scale

Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov said the announcement is the result of long-term work with SBI.

He explained,

“We’ve been building advanced fund tokenization and stablecoin use cases with SBI for a while now, and I’m excited to see them move toward production at scale.”

SBI Holdings chief executive Yoshitaka Kitao added that the collaboration will enable “compliant cross-border transactions using stablecoins,” supporting both domestic and regional adoption.

Japan’s Regulatory Landscape Creates Momentum

The timing coincides with a more supportive regulatory environment in Japan.

The Financial Services Agency is preparing to approve the country’s first yen-backed stablecoin as early as next month, with fintech firm JPYC at the front of the rollout.

This follows other recent moves by SBI, including partnerships with Circle to expand USDC in Japan, Ripple to develop the RLUSD stablecoin, and Web3 company Startale to build a trading platform for tokenised assets.

Growing Market For Tokenisation

Tokenised real-world assets have already reached $26.5 billion in on-chain value, according to RWA.xyz.

While still small compared with global capital markets, the trend is gaining attention even from central banks.

U.S. Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller recently confirmed that the Fed is studying tokenisation and smart contracts—evidence that the technology is moving into mainstream financial debate.

With this new partnership, SBI and Chainlink aim to turn years of experimentation into large-scale products, potentially reshaping how assets, payments, and stablecoins operate across Japan and beyond.