"Chainlink and SBI Enable Secure, Compliant Cross-Chain Transfers for Tokenized Assets"

Chainlink Forms Strategic Partnership with SBI Digital Markets to Expand Multi-Blockchain Tokenized Asset Operations

SBI Digital Markets, the digital asset arm of Japan's SBI Group, has solidified a strategic partnership with Chainlink to enhance cross-chain interoperability for tokenized assets. By adopting Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), SBI aims to create a secure, compliant infrastructure for transferring tokenized securities, cash, and real-world assets across public and private blockchains. This collaboration marks a pivotal step in bridging traditional finance with decentralized systems, addressing institutional demands for data privacy and regulatory adherence.

The integration of CCIP enables SBI Digital Markets (SBIDM) to execute private transactions, shielding sensitive details such as trade amounts and counterparty information from third parties.

This feature aligns with SBIDM's broader strategy to evolve into a full-scale digital asset hub, supporting the issuance, settlement, and trading of tokenized assets while maintaining compliance across jurisdictions. SBIDM is also evaluating Chainlink's Automated Compliance Engine (ACE), a tool designed to enforce dynamic policy-based rules, streamlining cross-border transactions and automating compliance checks.

The partnership builds on prior collaborations between SBI Group and Chainlink, including SBI Group partners with Chainlink Labs and their involvement in Project Guardian with UBS Asset Management. That initiative demonstrated how blockchain automation could reduce operational inefficiencies in fund management by replacing manual processes with verifiable, on-chain workflows. With CCIP, SBIDM now expands these capabilities to a global scale, targeting growth in Asia and Europe.

The launch of the Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE) in November 2025 provides an orchestration layer connecting Chainlink's services—including Oracles, CCIP, and ACE—enabling seamless integration with institutional systems. Additionally, the upcoming Chainlink Confidential Compute (CC) in 2026 will introduce privacy-centric smart contract execution, addressing enterprise needs in sectors like tokenized funds and Delivery versus Payment (DvP) settlements.

The partnership's timing coincides with a strategic inflection point for Chainlink's native token, LINK. Despite a 36.7% decline over the past month, LINK has shown signs of stabilization, trading at $14.96 at press time. On-chain data reveals an 11% withdrawal of circulating supply in 2025, according to a Yahoo Finance report, signaling growing institutional confidence and long-term holding trends. Analysts suggest that expanding infrastructure partnerships and declining exchange liquidity could catalyze a price recovery if market demand strengthens.

For SBI Group, the collaboration underscores Japan's regulatory openness to digital assets, including plans for yen-backed stablecoins and tokenized securities. If executed successfully, the integration could redefine institutional blockchain adoption in Asia, enabling automated compliance, cross-border settlements, and tokenized capital markets. However, challenges remain in scaling prototypes into production-grade systems within regulated environments.