SBI taps Solana for world’s first tokenized Japan equity fund

SBI Global Asset Management has launched the world's first tokenized Japanese equity fund on the Solana blockchain through a partnership with DigiFT, bringing a high-dividend equity strategy on-chain for institutional and accredited investors.

Summary

• SBI and DigiFT have launched the world's first tokenized Japanese equity fund on Solana.
• The JX token offers accredited and institutional investors on-chain access to a high-dividend Japan equity strategy.
• SBI is expanding its blockchain business alongside Ripple partnerships and its upcoming 3% JPYSC stablecoin lending product.

According to an announcement shared by SBI Global Asset Management on July 15, the company has introduced the SBI Japan High Dividend Equity Strategy Token (JX token) in collaboration with DigiFT, a regulated real-world asset exchange.

The token gives accredited and institutional investors blockchain-based access to a Japanese high-dividend equity strategy managed by SBI Asset Management Co. The launch is also DigiFT's first on-chain tokenization of a Japanese equity fund.

Built on the Solana blockchain through DigiFT's tokenization infrastructure, the JX token expands SBI's digital asset offerings beyond stablecoins and payments.

According to DigiFT, the product combines traditional Japanese equities with blockchain-based ownership while allowing investors to access institutional-grade assets on-chain.

Commenting on the launch, DigiFT founder Henry Zhang said the company has focused on bringing institutional assets onto blockchain infrastructure that investors and asset managers can trust.

"Our mission at DigiFT has always been to bring real, institutional-grade assets on-chain through infrastructure that investors and asset managers can actually trust. JX extends that mission to Japan for the first time."

The platform also supports settlements in USDC, while DigiFT said integration with a Japanese yen stablecoin is planned for a later stage. According to the company, token holders will also be able to use the asset in decentralized finance applications, including lending and asset management protocols such as Morpho.

The rollout comes as interest in tokenized real-world assets continues to grow across financial markets, with asset managers increasingly exploring blockchain-based distribution for traditional investment products.

Although SBI Holdings has worked closely with Ripple since 2016 through initiatives including SBI Ripple Asia and more recent collaborations around the RLUSD stablecoin, the new equity fund has been launched on Solana because DigiFT's tokenization platform is built on that network.

The move adds another blockchain to SBI's digital asset strategy rather than replacing its existing relationship with Ripple. SBI and Ripple continue to work together on expanding XRP and XRP Ledger adoption across Japan.

Most recently, the companies partnered with Doppler to encourage institutional use of XRP in the country. Earlier, SBI also selected Ripple to support RLUSD stablecoin distribution in Japan as part of its multi-stablecoin strategy.

SBI has simultaneously been expanding its yen-backed stablecoin business. As previously reported by crypto.news, the financial group is preparing to introduce a lending product offering a fixed 3% annual yield on its JPYSC stablecoin through SBI VC Trade. The service, which could launch as early as this month, is expected to require users to lock their JPYSC holdings for three months.

The planned lending product follows the release of JPYSC, Japan's first trust bank-backed yen stablecoin issued by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank. SBI previously said the stablecoin was designed to reduce transaction costs, support large-value transfers, and serve both retail and institutional users, complementing the company's growing portfolio of blockchain-based financial products.