SBI Makes $50M Power Play: Japanese Finance Heavyweight Doubles Down on Circle and USDC

Wall Street's not the only place throwing weight behind stablecoins anymore. SBI Holdings just dropped a $50 million vote of confidence in Circle—and by extension, the embattled USDC.

Why it matters: When a regulated Japanese financial giant starts writing checks this size, it's either extreme conviction... or a desperate hedge against yen volatility. (We'll let you decide.)

The fine print: This isn't SBI's first crypto rodeo. The firm's been quietly building a web3 empire while traditional banks still debate whether blockchain is 'a fad.' Now they're going all-in on the dollar-pegged token that somehow survives every 'stablecoin death spiral' headline.

Bottom line: In the high-stakes game of regulatory arbitrage, sometimes the smartest move is betting on the house. Even when that house runs on algorithmic monetary policy.

Circle IPO Marks The Biggest Fintech Listing Since Coinbase’s 2021 Debut

The listing was the largest for a fintech firm since Coinbase went public in 2021 and is widely viewed as a signal that the IPO market, long subdued by macro volatility, may be regaining momentum.

NYSE President Lynn Martin called Circle’s debut a bellwether, both for crypto-related firms and for the broader IPO pipeline.

Notice Regarding the Investment in Circle Internet Group, Inc. https://t.co/CQRlogvFo0

Against this backdrop of investor enthusiasm, SBI secured one of the largest institutional allocations in the offering. The Tokyo-based group framed the purchase as part of its long-running strategy to lead in digital finance.

Institutional Interest Builds As BlackRock And SBI Back Circle’s IPO

SBI Holdings, led by Yoshitaka Kitao, has a long track record of crypto-focused partnerships. In 2016, it invested in Ripple Labs and remains the firm’s largest external shareholder.

Over the years, the group has also backed blockchain firms such as R3 and Securitize, and formed joint ventures to bring blockchain-based remittance and securities solutions to Japan.

Circle represents a new channel for SBI to advance digital dollar infrastructure across Asia. In Nov. 2023, the two firms signed a business alliance. The goal was to promote USDC circulation and develop new use cases in Japan.

By March 2025, SBI VC Trade became the first exchange in Japan to offer USDC to the public. Now, the two sides are setting up a joint venture, Circle SBI Japan KK. This venture aims to fast-track integration with Japan’s financial system.

Circle, for its part, has been positioning USDC as a stable and regulated medium for international payments. With SBI’s latest investment and its ongoing partnership, Circle gains deeper access to the Japanese market at a time when stablecoins are gaining mainstream traction.

The MOVE comes just weeks after BlackRock disclosed plans to purchase around 10% of Circle’s IPO shares, showing growing institutional appetite for exposure to dollar-backed digital currencies.