Japanese financial giant SBI Group and leading blockchain oracle provider Chainlink have announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating institutional adoption of digital assets. The collaboration will initially focus on the Japanese market, leveraging its sophisticated financial ecosystem and growing demand for tokenized assets.
A recent survey by SBI Digital Asset Holdings across more than 50 financial institutions revealed that 76% plan to invest in tokenized securities, citing lower costs and faster settlement times as key advantages. However, the lack of institutional-grade infrastructure remains the biggest barrier to wider adoption.
Through this partnership, SBI and Chainlink will focus on:
-
Enabling cross-chain tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) such as real estate and bonds using Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP).
-
Bringing onchain Net Asset Value (NAV) data for tokenized funds via Chainlink SmartData, improving liquidity and operational efficiency.
-
Facilitating Payment-versus-Payment (PvP) for FX and cross-border transactions with CCIP.
-
Using Proof of Reserve for transparent onchain verification of stablecoin reserves.
Sergey Nazarov, Co-Founder of Chainlink, highlighted the partnership’s significance:
“SBI is one of the most forward-looking and technically advanced groups in the blockchain industry. Their decision to rely on Chainlink standards for high-value institutional transactions shows the importance of security, compliance, and cross-border interoperability.”
Yoshitaka Kitao, CEO of SBI Holdings, added:
“Chainlink complements our financial footprint with their proven interoperability and reliability onchain. Together we are developing secure, compliance-focused solutions that will accelerate digital asset adoption across Japan and Asia.”
The collaboration builds on previous joint initiatives, including a project under the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Project Guardian, where Chainlink, UBS Asset Management, and SBI Digital Markets tested automated fund administration using smart contracts.
With this partnership, SBI and Chainlink aim to establish a robust, end-to-end digital asset ecosystem, setting new benchmarks for institutional blockchain adoption in Asia and beyond.