SBI Holdings said on 22 August it will establish a joint venture with Singapore-based Startale Group to build a blockchain-based platform that lets investors trade tokenised versions of equities and other real-world assets around the clock. The partners plan to offer continuous trading of Japanese and U.S. stocks, near-instant cross-border settlement and sharply lower fees, positioning the service for institutional clients worldwide. Funding will be injected in stages as technical and regulatory milestones are met. Chairman and Chief Executive Yoshitaka Kitao said the initiative could lead to the full digitalisation of Japan’s capital markets and help the country keep pace with similar moves in the United States, where Robinhood and Kraken have begun offering stock tokens. Startale founder Sota Watanabe added that on-chain trading is the “next inevitable step” after online brokerage. Consultancies such as Boston Consulting Group estimate the market for tokenised assets could swell to nearly US$19 trillion by 2033, underscoring the scale of the opportunity the two companies are seeking to tap.