Japan’s SBI Group is expanding its stablecoin ambitions with the launch of a lending service for its newly introduced JPYSC token, adding another piece to the country’s rapidly evolving onchain financial ecosystem.

Applications for the product will open on July 16 through SBI VC Trade, the group’s crypto trading platform. The 12-week fixed-term lending service will initially offer users a 3% annual yield on deposited JPYSC, making it one of the first yield-bearing products tied to Japan’s trust bank-backed stablecoin market.

The rollout comes less than a month after SBI introduced JPYSC as Japan’s first trust bank-backed yen stablecoin, underscoring how quickly the financial giant is moving beyond issuance and toward building practical onchain financial services.

SBI accelerates its onchain finance strategy

The lending service forms part of SBI's broader strategy to establish a full-stack digital asset ecosystem spanning stablecoins, tokenization, exchanges and institutional trading infrastructure.

The company has significantly expanded its crypto footprint in recent months. Last week, SBI became the sole investor in crypto risk management firm Gauntlet's $125 million Series C funding round and also exclusively backed institutional trading platform EDX Markets' $76 million Series C financing.

In June, it acquired the Japanese crypto exchange Bitbank for nearly $289 million. SBI explained that following the group's recent acquisitions, investments and partnerships are all part of its long-term onchain strategy.

"Our goal is to provide a comprehensive range of functions — from exchanges to asset tokenization to market platforms."

The latest lending product further strengthens that vision by adding a native yield component to the JPYSC ecosystem shortly after the stablecoin's launch.

Japan's stablecoin race gathers pace

SBI's latest move comes as stablecoins gain momentum across Japan's financial sector, with both traditional institutions and crypto firms racing to establish real-world use cases.

Lawson, Japan's third-largest convenience store chain, is preparing a pilot program to test payments using the JPYC stablecoin at one of its stores, while the country's three largest banks — MUFG, SMBC and Mizuho — have announced plans to begin live commercial transactions using a jointly issued stablecoin during fiscal 2026.

Together, the developments signal that Japan's stablecoin market is evolving beyond token issuance toward a broader financial ecosystem encompassing payments, lending and institutional settlement, with SBI positioning itself at the center of that transition.