About SBI VC Trade
SBI VC Trade is a cryptocurrency exchange under SBI Group, established in May 2017. In June 2022, it completed the integration of the former SBI VC Trade and TaoTao services, laying the foundation for a unified trading platform. In March 2025, the company became Japan's first exchange to complete registration as an electronic payment instrument trader and offer USDC trading to retail customers, allowing Japanese individual investors to directly buy and sell the dollar-pegged stablecoin with yen—a landmark step. In March 2026, it launched Japan's first USDC lending service among licensed exchanges, with an initial annual rate of 10% and around 5% in normal times, positioned as an alternative to dollar foreign-currency deposits; this service turns stablecoin holdings into yield-bearing assets, while disclosing bankruptcy risk and restrictions on early termination. These milestones show SBI VC Trade evolving from a pure trading venue into a compliant stablecoin financial intermediary, advancing the integration of crypto assets with traditional finance in Japan.
Major developments in the past six months (2026-03-04 to 2026-09-04):
- On June 24, 2026, SBI VC Trade, together with SBI Shinsei Bank and others, launched JPYSC, a trust-type yen-pegged stablecoin, and began offering it within SBI VC Trade accounts.
- On July 1, 2026, SBI VC Trade merged with SBINFT, integrating NFT-related businesses to strengthen on-chain financial services.
- On August 31, 2026, SBI VC Trade partnered with WIZE to support Solana (SOL) trading, custody, and staking services for large clients.
- On March 11, 2026, SBI VC Trade added support for Toncoin (TON) and Sui (SUI).
Future focus and roadmap: SBI VC Trade aims to promote the public circulation of stablecoins like JPYSC, expand on-chain financial services (including RWA tokenization and cross-border payments), and strengthen corporate-oriented offerings such as OTC trading and custody solutions. The company also plans to leverage the merger with SBINFT to develop integrated digital asset platforms.
SBI VC Trade's core executives include Chairman Akira Tomokazu (朝倉智也) and President & CEO Tomohiko Kondo (近藤智彦). Kondo joined SBI Holdings in 2007, worked in FX at SBI Liquidity Market, became an executive officer at SBI VC Trade in 2019, and has been President since June 2023. He led the integration with TaoTao and the launch of Japan's first licensed stablecoin trading service in March 2025. Chairman Asakura's detailed background is not publicly available.