SBI Holdings and CRB Group Plan Japan Tokenization Venture

SBI Holdings and CRB Group, parent of Cross River Bank, plan a Japanese venture for tokenized assets and payments, linking U.S. fintech infrastructure with the Japanese market.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding for a strategic business alliance. The proposed venture would explore three areas: tokenized products backed by real-world assets such as loan receivables; cross-border payment services using both sides’ banking and payment infrastructure; and payment infrastructure for transactions initiated by AI agents.

SBI also plans to make a strategic investment in CRB Group. The investment amount and proposed stake were not disclosed. The companies plan to connect JPYSC, a yen stablecoin developed by SBI and Startale Group, to Cross River’s platform for settlement in institutional, cross-border and tokenized-asset transactions.

SBI plans to distribute Cross River’s fintech offerings in Japan and Asia-Pacific. The companies will also explore whether SBI could become a strategic limited partner in Cross River’s new private-credit and structured-products asset-management vehicle. Establishing the joint venture requires final agreements and regulatory approvals in both countries.