SBI Group and Chainlink Seal Blockchain, Digital Assets Deal
SBI Group (SBI), one of Japan’s largest financial conglomerates with over USD $200 billion in assets, and Chainlink, the industry-standard oracle platform, today announced a strategic partnership aimed at advancing blockchain and digital asset adoption across global markets, starting in Japan and the APAC region.
Japan’s sophisticated financial system and rapidly evolving digital asset ecosystem provide an ideal environment to pilot and scale institutional-grade use cases. The collaboration brings together SBI’s deep financial expertise with Chainlink’s secure, reliable infrastructure for data and interoperability—already trusted by leading financial institutions and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications worldwide.
A recent survey by SBI Digital Asset Holdings, SBI’s digital asset arm, revealed that 76% of over 50 surveyed financial institutions intend to invest in tokenized securities, citing benefits such as lower costs and shorter settlement times. However, respondents identified the lack of institutional-grade infrastructure as the main barrier to broader adoption. This partnership directly addresses that gap.
The collaboration will initially focus on several key use cases:
- Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs): Using Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to enable secure, compliant cross-chain transactions in assets such as real estate and bonds.
- Onchain NAV reporting for tokenized funds: Leveraging Chainlink SmartData to deliver transparent net asset value data, unlocking liquidity and enhancing operational efficiency.
- Cross-border FX and stablecoin transactions: Facilitating payment versus payment (PvP) settlements via Chainlink CCIP and using Proof of Reserve for transparent onchain verification of reserves backing stablecoins.
Quotes:
“It has been great working with the SBI team, one of the most forward-looking groups in the blockchain industry. We’ve already been building advanced fund tokenization and stablecoin use cases together, and I’m excited to see these efforts move into production at scale. SBI’s decision to rely on Chainlink underscores the importance of security, compliance, and cross-border connectivity for institutional transactions.”
— Sergey Nazarov, Co-Founder, Chainlink
“Chainlink is a natural partner for SBI, complementing our financial expertise with their market-leading interoperability and reliability onchain. Together, we are developing secure, compliance-focused solutions that enable cross-border transactions, tokenization, and stablecoin adoption—helping accelerate the mainstream adoption of digital assets in Japan and across the region.”
— Yoshitaka Kitao, Representative Director, Chairman, President & CEO of SBI Holdings
This partnership builds on previous collaboration between the two organizations. In 2023, Chainlink, UBS Asset Management, and SBI Digital Markets (an SBI subsidiary in Singapore) successfully piloted automated fund administration and transfer agency using smart contracts as part of the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Project Guardian initiative.