Japanese Financial Giant Invests $50M in Circle Following NYSE Debut

Japan's SBI Holdings and its banking arm, SBI Shinsei Bank, have invested a combined $50 million in Circle, the issuer of USDC

Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings and its banking arm, SBI Shinsei Bank, have invested a combined $50 million in Circle, the issuer of USDC, the world’s largest regulated dollar-backed stablecoin.

Each entity contributed $25 million, securing one of the largest allocations in Circle’s oversubscribed IPO.

The investment follows Circle’s highly anticipated listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on June 5.

Circle’s public debut marked a major fintech milestone.

Its shares opened at $69, compared to the IPO price of $31, and closed at $83 — the biggest IPO for a fintech company since Coinbase’s 2021 listing.

SBI's move comes as no surprise given its broader strategy to integrate stablecoins into traditional finance.

In March 2025, SBI VC Trade became the first Japanese exchange to list USDC for public trading.

Later that month, SBI Holdings and Circle agreed to launch a joint venture, Circle SBI Japan KK, aimed at accelerating USDC adoption across the Japanese market.

The two firms signed a comprehensive alliance agreement in November 2023, laying the groundwork for shared product development, cross-border payment solutions, and stablecoin-driven innovation.

A Long History in Digital Finance

SBI Holdings has long positioned itself at the forefront of blockchain finance. It invested in Ripple Labs in 2016 and remains its largest external shareholder.

The two companies also co-founded SBI Ripple Asia to expand XRP-powered payments across Asia. Additionally, SBI holds stakes in R3, creator of the Corda blockchain, and Securitize, a platform for tokenized securities.

This new partnership with Circle extends that legacy. The SBI Group views stablecoins as key infrastructure for global remittances and financial services.

With Japan also inching toward stablecoin regulatory clarity, the alliance between SBI and Circle is expected to scale quickly.

SBI Holdings and SBI Shinsei Bank plan to expand their collaboration with Circle, supporting both local and international USDC use cases.