Key Insights
- SBI Group is enhancing JPYSC’s payment offerings with a fixed-yield lending offering.
- Japan’s regulated stablecoin market remains a step closer to consumer use, with a retail stablecoin pilot from Lawson.
- Complementary infrastructure is being constructed by large financial institutions and private companies rather than in isolated projects.
SBI Group would launch a lending program that rewards stablecoin holders with a fixed annual return on deposits of the group’s stablecoin called JPYSC. The transaction will help establish the regulated stablecoin market in Japan, while financial institutions and retailers gain deeper exposure to digital currencies in the real world.
Based on a report by Nikkei, the lending product may be available later this month via SBI VC Trade. Applications are expected to open on July 16, while customers will lock their JPYSC holdings for 12 weeks in exchange for the fixed annual return. The rollout follows the recent launch of JPYSC, Japan’s first trust bank-backed yen stablecoin.
Lending Product Expands SBI Digital Asset Strategy
SBI Holdings introduced JPYSC in partnership with Startale Group earlier this year under Japan’s Type III electronic payment instrument framework. SBI Shinsei Trust Bank issues the stablecoin, while every token remains fully backed one-to-one by the Japanese yen.
The company designed JPYSC to reduce transaction costs, support high-value transfers, and improve settlement efficiency for retail users and businesses. Moreover, SBI VC Trade serves as the primary platform distributing the stablecoin.
The planned lending service represents the next phase of SBI’s digital asset expansion. The company has continued building infrastructure beyond token issuance through acquisitions and strategic investments.
Recent transactions underline that strategy.
Development Details
Lending product: 3% annual yield with a 12-week lock period
Stablecoin: JPYSC backed 1 to 1 by the Japanese yen
Distribution: SBI VC Trade
Recent acquisition: Bitbank acquired for about $289 million
Recent investments: Sole investor in Gauntlet Series C and EDX Markets funding
SBI recently became the sole investor in Gauntlet’s $125 million Series C round. It also invested another $76 million into institutional crypto marketplace EDX Markets. In addition, the group completed the acquisition of Japanese crypto exchange Bitbank for nearly $289 million.
Company representatives said those investments support a broader strategy that combines digital asset trading, tokenization, settlement infrastructure, and blockchain-based financial services.
Japan Stablecoins Gain Ground Beyond Financial Markets
Japan’s regulated stablecoin market continues expanding beyond institutional finance. Lawson, the country’s third-largest convenience store chain, plans to begin testing JPYC payments at a Tokyo location in August.
Lawson and telecommunications company KDDI, and blockchain firm HashPort have joined forces in the pilot. The participating companies’ employees will be able to sign up transactions with wallet barcodes at the cashier. The verified point-of-sale transaction data will be used to update stablecoin balances on HashPort.
Lawson wants to test checkout speed, reliable payments and system integration before expanding its roll-out throughout its extensive store footprint, with almost 14,700 stores nationwide.
JPYC is Japan’s first legal yen-backed stablecoin, launched in October 2025. Industry statistics have revealed that it has retained the growth trend alongside the spreading digital payment adoption.
In parallel, the three major banking groups in Japan Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Mizuho Financial Group are also set to start conducting commercial deals on a stablecoin they jointly released in fiscal 2026.
What The New Developments Mean for The Market
The recent developments suggest that the stablecoin sector in Japan is entering a new stage in which they are not just preparing for regulations but are also actively promoting financial services.
There were several developments that highlight that transition.
- SBI Group will be bringing in yield generation in tandem with stablecoin ownership.
- Retailers are getting ready to integrate real-world checkout.
- Large financial institutions keep developing commercial settlement facilities.
When combined with other efforts, they expand the range of stablecoin applications from savings and payments, to treasury management and tokenized asset settlement. They also further cement Japan’s position as one of the most regulated yet innovation-friendly digital asset markets.
The stablecoin market seems to be more about financial institutions designing services to link traditional banking with the blockchain than it is about stablecoins themselves.
Conclusion
The SBI Group has announced a new addition to its stablecoin JPYSC, which will generate returns for users, further fueling Japan’s emerging financial sector based on blockchain technology. In addition, the planed lending product illustrates how financial institutions are progressing from issuance of stablecoins to providing services that are similar to traditional financial products in regulated digital asset markets.
Meanwhile, Lawson’s retail payment experiment and the three major banking groups in Japan’s planned commercial use of stablecoins highlight the cross-sector growth in adoption. Japan is staying at the forefront of jurisdictions when it comes to practical, compliant stablecoin adoption, with more regulated entities rolling out payment, settlement and yield products.
