SBI Financial Services holds 51% of the stake in the fund, while gC Labs, owned by Gumi, will hold the remaining 49%. In addition, Daiwa Securities Group and Yamada Securities Group are among the investors. The fund only puts money into Bitcoin and other major altcoins that trade on recognized exchanges. Gumi has been active in digital assets since at least 2018. As of April 30, 2026, its total crypto holdings were worth around 14 billion yen, or about $86 million. The company wants to become the largest XRP treasury company in Japan.

Gumi teams up with SBI to launch crypto fund

SBI already owns about 34% of Gumi through a capital and business partnership formed in 2022. Gumi also created a unit called “Neo Crypto” to bring all its digital asset work under one roof. The division is being built to gain operating experience and get ready for the possible approval of crypto ETFs in Japan. Japan’s parliament approved new laws that reclassify digital currencies as financial instruments rather than just payment tools. The legislation amends the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and the Payment Services Act.

The changes are set to take effect in 2027, as reported by Cryptopolitan previously. The new rules open the door for future spot Bitcoin ETFs, though no such products have been approved. The Financial Services Agency said it will now work on building a proper framework for crypto ETFs. The law also brings stiffer penalties. Anyone running an unregistered crypto operation can now face up to 10 years in prison, compared to three years before. The maximum fine has gone up from 3 million yen, about $18,500, to 10 million yen.

Stricter insider-trading rules are included, and both crypto issuers and exchanges will have to share more information with investors and the public. Lawmakers also backed a plan to cut the crypto tax rate from as high as 55% down to 20%, though that change will not take effect until 2028. Under the new system, 15% of the tax goes to the national government, and 5% goes to local governments. SBI VC Trade, the crypto exchange arm of Tokyo-based SBI Holdings, said its registered accounts recently passed 2 million.

The figure represents about double the 1 million accounts it had in 2025. The company says more businesses are moving money into Bitcoin and XRP to reduce their exposure to a weak yen. Some of those companies also give out Bitcoin or XRP as part of shareholder benefit programs. The account total covers both its VCTRADE and BITPOINT platforms, which came together after SBI VC Trade merged with BitPoint Japan in April 2026. The two brands are expected to fully combine around the end of December, which the company said should lower costs and bring service levels in line across both.

Stablecoins have been another factor behind the growth. SBI VC Trade listed USDC in March 2025, calling it Japan’s first dollar-backed stablecoin listing. In June 2026, it added Ripple’s RLUSD alongside JPYSC, a yen-pegged token it described as the country’s first trust-based yen stablecoin. It also began offering loans against stablecoin holdings. Japan’s crypto market is still smaller than those in the United States and South Korea, partly because of its strict rules. But rising account numbers and growing corporate interest in digital asset strategies suggest the market is gaining real momentum.

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Enhanced efficiency for Japanese enterprises

The joint venture includes Ripple, HashKey DX, and SBI Group, a major financial group in Japan. They plan to integrate XRPL’s capabilities into HashKey Group’s existing blockchain supply chain financial products, which have already seen substantial trading volumes and adoption. As of March 2019, trading volumes surpassed $7 billion with involvement from over 400 companies, including 23 banks and 4,300 suppliers. This collaboration is set to simplify and enhance the operational efficiency of supply chain financing across these enterprises.

Future prospects and technological integration

Looking ahead, Ripple and its partners are exploring additional blockchain applications to further resolve supply chain challenges. SBI Group, a pioneering banking corporation in Japan, is poised to implement these XRPL-based solutions, which could set a precedent for future blockchain integration in Japanese industry sectors. Furthermore, Ripple’s continued efforts to innovate its payment technology have led to partnerships beyond Japan. Earlier this year, Ripple joined forces with the Axelar Foundation to enhance the interoperability of the XRP Ledger, aiming to facilitate the tokenization of real-world assets. Additionally, Ripple’s technology has been adopted by Credefi, a European Union-based decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, integrating Xummanu into its operations last year.

These developments not only reinforce Ripple’s commitment to expanding its technological footprint but also highlight the growing global acceptance and integration of blockchain solutions in mainstream financial and supply chain operations.

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