SBI said the new joint venture will use the Solana blockchain to connect Japan’s financial markets with global liquidity and develop an institutional on-chain financial marketplace.
SBI Solana Global will focus on several key areas, including:
- Issuing and distributing stablecoins.
- Tokenising real-world assets (RWA).
- Developing cross-border payment infrastructure.
- Building payment systems for AI agents and automated financial applications.
SBI R3 Japan previously focused on Corda, a blockchain platform developed by R3 and primarily designed for closed financial networks.
SBI’s announcement comes as stablecoins and asset tokenisation have become two of the most actively pursued trends among global financial institutions in 2026.
Unlike the earlier phase of blockchain adoption, when the technology was mainly used for cryptocurrency trading, banks and financial groups are increasingly treating stablecoins as a new payment infrastructure. At the same time, RWA tokenisation is being used to bring bonds, real estate, investment funds and securities on-chain, with the goal of reducing issuance, settlement and custody costs.
According to the company’s plans, SBI Solana Global will support the tokenisation of a wide range of assets, including corporate bonds, commercial paper, real estate and investment funds.
The venture will also seek to build a bridge between assets regulated under Japan’s legal framework and the wider global financial ecosystem operating on Solana.
Over the past several months, SBI has continued expanding its digital asset ecosystem through a number of major deals. These include an agreement to acquire cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank for approximately 289 million USD and several large investments in blockchain infrastructure and digital finance companies.
Among the most recent transactions were an independent investment of 125 million USD in Gauntlet and a further 76 million USD allocated to EDX Markets.
At the same time, Solana has been stepping up its strategy to attract enterprise clients. In March, the Solana Foundation launched the Solana Developer Platform (SDP), a set of APIs designed for businesses and financial institutions.
The platform allows companies to issue stablecoins, tokenise real-world assets, build payment systems and support on-chain trading through a single infrastructure layer.
Сonclusion: SBI’s move from Corda to Solana signals a broader shift from closed blockchain networks toward public infrastructure connected to global liquidity. The venture could strengthen Solana’s position in institutional payments, stablecoin issuance and regulated RWA tokenisation in Japan.
