Chainlink (LINK) has announced a strategic collaboration with Japan's SBI Group, one of the largest financial conglomerates with over $200 billion in assets, to accelerate the adoption of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and regulated stablecoins in Japan and the APAC region. The partnership focuses on leveraging Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to enable cross-chain tokenization of assets like bonds, real estate, and funds, enhancing interoperability, security, and compliance for institutional transactions.
Key initiatives include using Chainlink's Proof of Reserve for stablecoin transparency and exploring payment-versus-payment (PvP) settlements for foreign exchange and cross-border transactions. This move addresses infrastructure gaps highlighted by an SBI survey, where 76% of financial institutions expressed intent to invest in tokenized securities due to cost savings and efficiency gains. The collaboration builds on previous successful projects, such as the 2023 automated fund administration test under Singapore's Project Guardian involving SBI Digital Markets, Chainlink, and UBS Asset Management.
Yoshitaka Kitao, President & CEO of SBI Holdings, stated, "Chainlink is a natural partner for SBI, complementing our financial footprint with their market-leading interoperability and reliability on-chain." Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov emphasized that SBI's adoption validates Chainlink's role as a standard for secure institutional transactions. Immediate impacts include a surge in Chainlink's daily active addresses and bullish market sentiment for LINK, with potential long-term growth in Asia's digital asset ecosystem.