SBI Holdings and Startale Group have announced JPYSC, described as Japan’s first regulated yen-based stablecoin, with a planned launch in Q2 2026. The token is being built for institutional users and international transactions, with the project aiming to maintain a 1:1 peg to the yen while supporting secure, high-value transfers.
Trust bank structure puts issuance and redemption at the center
Under the partnership, SBI Holdings is contributing its banking and financial network, while its subsidiary Shinsei Trust & Banking will issue and redeem JPYSC. That structure is intended to keep reserve asset management transparent and auditable. At the distribution level, SBI VC Trade will oversee circulation of the stablecoin and make digital yen transactions accessible to both corporate and retail users.
Startale Group is responsible for the technical buildout, including smart contract design, API integrations, and security architecture. The company is drawing on experience from Astar Network and the Sony-backed Soneium blockchain project as it develops the infrastructure behind JPYSC.
New Japanese rules open room for larger blockchain payments
The report says recent regulatory changes by Japan’s Financial Services Agency have made the legal path clearer for blockchain-based payments. JPYSC is classified as an “Electronic Payment Instrument”, a category that makes it suitable for institutional-grade and high-value transactions. In practice, that gives it a different standing from stablecoins issued by standard money transfer operators, which face more traditional transaction limits.
Startale Group and SBI Holdings said JPYSC will be the first yen stablecoin issued by a trust bank, using Shinsei Trust & Banking for issuance and Startale’s technology stack as the backbone. The project is also positioned as a yen-denominated option for global commerce, where U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins have remained dominant.
Strium Network adds an enterprise blockchain layer
SBI Holdings Chairman Yoshitaka Kitao said Japan’s shift toward a tokenized economy is inevitable. As part of the collaboration, the partners recently launched a new Layer 1 blockchain called Strium Network, designed to host tokenized securities and real-world assets on a single platform.
The alliance itself was announced last year and has been framed around enterprise-focused blockchain applications in Japan. Early testing of Strium Network, according to the report, has already shown its ability to support trading, settlement, and digital asset integration, giving the JPYSC project a ready technical base for deployment.