Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group plans to take a 5% stake in SBI Startale Marketing, a joint venture between SBI Holdings and Startale Group, as part of a capital and business alliance focused on stablecoins. The partners aim to promote JPYSC, a yen-denominated stablecoin issued by the SBI Group, through Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.'s approximately 24 million individual customers for payments and asset management. They will also examine future uses in real-world asset transactions, including tokenized shares, and instant settlement. Separately, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. is developing a stablecoin for trade settlement with Mitsubishi UFJ Bank and Mizuho Bank, expanding its focus across both retail and corporate applications.