SBI Holdings and Circle Launch Joint Venture to Promote USDC Adoption in Japan
SBI Holdings has formed a strategic joint venture with Circle Internet Financial, the issuer of USDC, to accelerate the stablecoin's integration into Japan's digital finance ecosystem. The partnership leverages SBI's domestic financial infrastructure and Circle's blockchain expertise to unlock new payment, Web3, and institutional use cases for the dollar-pegged cryptocurrency.
The collaboration formalizes years of groundwork, including a 2023 memorandum of understanding and SBI VC Trade's recent registration as Japan's first licensed Electronic Payment Instruments Service Provider for stablecoins. Market participants view this as a watershed moment for regulated crypto adoption in Asia's second-largest economy.