Japanese financial powerhouse SBI Holdings is making serious waves in the cryptocurrency space. Following the official green light from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), SBI has successfully acquired a majority stake in Holdbuild, the parent company of the popular Singaporean crypto platform Coinhako. This strategic move, which was initially teased back in February, highlights SBI’s aggressive push into onchain finance, tokenized assets, and the expanding stablecoin market.
What the Coinhako Acquisition Means for SBI
The deal was finalized through a capital injection, allowing SBI to purchase shares from existing shareholders and officially making Coinhako a consolidated subsidiary. This is a massive regulatory win for SBI, as Coinhako already holds a highly sought-after Major Payment Institution license under MAS through its subsidiary, Hako Technology Pte. Ltd. By bringing Coinhako under its umbrella, SBI gains immediate access to a loyal customer base and a deeply established regional network in Southeast Asia.
While the exact financial terms of the deal remain under wraps, the strategic value is undeniable. SBI plans to seamlessly integrate Coinhako’s existing infrastructure with its own rapidly expanding digital asset portfolio. A key focus of this integration will be driving adoption for SBI’s JPYSC stablecoin initiative. By merging Coinhako’s platform with its traditional financial services, SBI is creating a powerful bridge between everyday users and the evolving crypto ecosystem.
Fueling a Broader Digital Asset Strategy Across Asia
This latest acquisition is just one piece of a much larger puzzle for SBI Holdings. The company has explicitly labeled Singapore as a critical hub for its digital asset strategy, intending to strengthen its local business foundation by hosting its first overseas branch managers’ meeting there this summer. However, their ambitions stretch far beyond Southeast Asia. Just earlier this month, SBI led a massive $76 million Series C funding round for the institutional crypto exchange EDX Markets and announced plans to acquire Bitbank for $289 million, signaling a clear intent to build one of Japan’s largest crypto exchanges.
Beyond simply buying up exchanges, SBI is heavily investing in the foundational technology of decentralized finance. Just this week, the firm partnered with Ondo Finance to introduce tokenized Japanese stocks, utilizing the JPYSC stablecoin for collateral and settlement. Furthermore, SBI recently partnered with Startale Group to launch Strium, a layer-1 blockchain designed specifically for tokenized securities and real-world assets. With infrastructure capable of supporting 24/7 trading and institutional-grade financial applications, SBI is rapidly positioning itself as a dominant global leader in the next generation of digital finance.
