Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings is moving to deepen its presence in the crypto sector, announcing plans to take a controlling position in Singapore-based exchange Coinhako.
In a Friday announcement, the Tokyo-listed firm said its wholly owned subsidiary, SBI Ventures Asset, has signed a letter of intent with Coinhako’s parent company, Holdbuild, to inject capital into the business and purchase shares from existing investors. If completed, the transaction would give SBI Holdings a majority stake and make Coinhako a consolidated subsidiary, subject to regulatory approval.
“Bringing Coinhako into the SBI Group as a consolidated subsidiary is not merely an investment in a single platform,” chairman and CEO Yoshitaka Kitao said, describing the acquisition as part of a broader effort to build international infrastructure for digital assets, including tokenized securities and stablecoins.
Financial terms and ownership details were not disclosed, and both the structure of the investment and share purchases remain under discussion, per the announcement. The nonbinding deal would give SBI a licensed base in Singapore, one of Asia’s key regulated crypto hubs.
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Coinhako operates licensed crypto trading platform in Singapore
Founded in Singapore, Coinhako operates a regional digital asset trading platform and related services through Hako Technology, a Major Payment Institution (MPI) licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The group also runs Alpha Hako, a registered virtual asset service provider overseen by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission.
In 2021, SBI Holdings invested in Coinhako through the SBI-Sygnum-Azimut Digital Asset Opportunity Fund, a joint vehicle with Switzerland’s Sygnum Bank.
Coinhako co-founder and CEO Yusho Liu said the new partnership would allow the exchange to scale institutional-grade systems and meet “surging demand for tokenized assets and stablecoins, ensuring Singapore remains at the heart of the world’s next-generation financial system.”
Cointelegraph reached out to SBI Holdings for comment, but had not received a response by publication.
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SBI Holdings expands blockchain footprint
SBI Holdings has been active in blockchain ventures for several years, investing in tokenization projects, payment networks and crypto-related businesses.
In December 2025, the firm partnered with Web3 infrastructure firm Startale Group to develop a fully regulated Japanese yen-denominated stablecoin aimed at tokenized asset markets and cross-border settlement. The token would be issued and redeemed by Shinsei Trust & Banking, a unit of SBI Shinsei Bank, while licensed crypto exchange SBI VC Trade would handle its circulation.
In August, SBI Group partnered with blockchain oracle network Chainlink to build digital asset tools for financial institutions in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific.
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