Startale Group and Japan’s financial conglomerate SBI Holdings have launched Strium, a layer-1 blockchain designed to support exchange-layer and settlement infrastructure for institutional trading of foreign exchange, tokenized equities and real-world assets (RWAs).
The platform is designed as an exchange-layer network, according to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph.
“Tokenization is an inevitable trend, and equities tokenization is clearly the next big market,” said Sota Watanabe, CEO of Startale Group. He added that Strium aims to bridge the gap between traditional offchain finance and the onchain ecosystem by enabling compliant dividend and royalty payments.
The launch represents the first major milestone since the two companies announced their strategic partnership in August 2025 and arrives alongside proof-of-concept demonstrations intended to validate the system’s technical foundations.
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Strium to launch with synthetic stocks before real assets
Trading will first start with synthetic versions of US and Japanese stocks and commodities, which represent derivative-style instruments rather than direct ownership of underlying shares.
The platform plans to expand to tokenized representations of real shares and asset-backed tokens, which users can access after completing identity checks and meeting local rules. A separate open layer will allow other users to participate without those requirements.
The proof-of-concept phase focuses on testing settlement efficiency, resilience under heavy transaction loads and interoperability with both legacy financial systems and other blockchain networks. A public testnet is planned as the next step toward commercial deployment.
“SBI Holdings brings regulated financial infrastructure and multiple licensed entities into the joint venture,” Watanabe said, noting that group entities have already participated in regulated digital-asset initiatives, including a planned yen stablecoin structure involving Shinsei Trust & Banking and SBI VC Trade.
He added that discussions with regulators, including in Japan, will come later as the project expands into individual markets.
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NYSE plans 24/7 trading platform for tokenized stocks, ETFs
Last month, the New York Stock Exchange and its parent company, Intercontinental Exchange, revealed that they are building a new platform for tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds with 24/7 access and instant settlement using blockchain technology and stablecoins.
The system will combine NYSE’s existing trading engine with blockchain-based post-trade infrastructure, pending regulatory approval.
The move came as Sygnum said in a recent report that traditional financial institutions are moving toward blockchain-based infrastructure, with tokenization expected to go mainstream in 2026.
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