This week, the crypto Asia landscape was all about partnerships. Japan’s SBI Group stood out, making big money moves with other established crypto players to enhance blockchain adoption across the Asian landscape.
Here’s what transpired.
Japan’s SBI Teamed Up With Circle, Ripple, And Startale To Drive Blockchain Growth
The Japanese financial behemoth inked new partnerships with Circle, Ripple and the Web3 company Startale, best known for co-developing Sony’s layer-2 blockchain Soneium and Astar Network.
On 22 August 2025, SBI announced three separate partnerships. The projects include stablecoin-related initiatives with Circle and Ripple, and a tokenisation-related project with the Singapore-based Startale.
SBI’s collaboration with Startale entails a trading platform for tokenised assets, enabling seamless 24/7 market access. Meanwhile, its partnership with Ripple and USDC aims to accelerate the adoption of USDC and RLUSD across Japan’s financial ecosystem.
2 Huge Partnerships for Ripple This Week: Japan Momentum Incoming!
Ripple is making bold moves and Japan is the center stage!
1⃣ Ripple + SBI Holdings = RLUSD in Japan
Ripple has signed an MOU with SBI Holdings’ licensed subsidiary, SBI VC Trade, to launch RLUSD (Ripple… pic.twitter.com/AGjtAO7CdD
— Paul White Gold Eagle (@PaulGoldEagle) August 22, 2025
SBI’s partnership with Ripple and Circle is distinct, both in structure and strategic focus. With Circle, SBI has entered into a joint venture to promote USDC adoption in Japan and is focused on Web3 and digital finance applications. Here, SBI will actively co-build alongside Circle.
On the other hand, its partnership with Ripple involves a memorandum of understanding (MoU), not a joint venture, to expand RLUSD adoption in the country.
In this case, SBI VC Trade (SBI’s crypto subsidiary) will handle the RLUSD rollout, targeted by March 2026. This is more focused on stablecoin availability rather than co-development.
Meanwhile, SBI and Startale secured milestone-based funding for their tokenised asset trading platform, similar to other global tokenisation initiatives by Gemini, Kraken and Robinhood.
The launch date and blockchain details are yet to be disclosed.
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The Philippines Outlined A 10,000 BTC Reserve
The Philippine Congress introduced a bill proposing the creation of a strategic bitcoin reserve totalling 10,000 BTC over the next five years, positioning the country among the frontrunners in adopting BTC as a strategic asset.
The bill, called the “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act,” was initially filed in June and made it to the headlines on 21 August 2025 as it mandated the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the country’s central bank, to purchase 2000 BTC annually and hold it in a 20-year sovereign trust, accessible only for retiring national debt.
Camarines Sur Representative Migz Villafuerte stated, “This representation deems it vital that the Philippines stockpile strategic assets such as BTC to serve important national interests such as providing financial stability, among others.”
NEW:
Philippines House introduces a bill to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve.
Directing the central bank to buy 2,000 BTC annually for 5 years (totaling 10,000 BTC) to be held for 20 years to enhance national security and debt stability. pic.twitter.com/RSa8bI8dqP
— Simply Bitcoin (@SimplyBitcoinTV) August 22, 2025
This initiative positions BTC as a long-term hedge and financial stabiliser for the country. It cites its historical performance and growing global relevance.
To ensure transparency, the bill mandates quarterly public disclosures of the reserve’s holdings, transactions and custody protocols.
If the initiative goes through, the Philippines could find itself among a small group of peer countries treating BTC as a sovereign asset. El Salvador and Bhutan come to mind.
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SBI Group Partnered With Chainlink To Integrate Crypto Tech Across Asia
The SBI Group has partnered with Chainlink to create blockchain-based tools for financial institutions in Japan and the broader crypto Asia landscape.
Per the press release dated 24 August 2025, the collaboration will focus on tokenising real-world assets (RWA). This will enable cross-chain transactions and bringing net asset value (NAV) data on-chain for tokenised funds.
The Japanese financial titan intends to use Chainlink’s interoperability and data feed technologies to support stablecoin settlement, foreign exchange and cross-border payments.
When I see SBI Group teaming up with Chainlink, it just confirms what I already knew…
LINK isn’t a crypto, it’s the infrastructure for the new financial system.
I’m strapped in.Asia is awake… are you??$LINK pic.twitter.com/VhLEiMAoDD
— ⬡ LinkTheDots ⬡ (@SnizzStickyLink) August 25, 2025
This marks SBI’s fourth major crypto partnership after partnering with Ripple, USDC and Startale.
Meanwhile, Chainlink’s co-founder Sergey Nazarov said, “I am excited to see our great work move towards a state of production usage at a large scale.”
Echoing the sentiment, SBI CEO Yoshitaka Kitao stated that both entities will also work on “powering compliant cross-border transactions using stablecoins, that accelerate the widespread adoption of digital assets in Japan and the region.”
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Key Takeaways
- SBI Group dominated the crypto Asia news landscape past week with four distinct partnerships. Ripple, Circle, Startale and Chainlink
- SBI Group’s partnership with Ripple and Circle is different. One is an MoU while the other is a joint venture
- The Philippines Congress floated a BTC reserve bill. It mandates its central bank to purchase 10,000 BTC over five years
The post This Week In Crypto Asia: Japan’s SBI Group Dominates With Landmark Partnerships, Philippines Considers 10,000 BTC Reserve appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
