Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings (Strategic Business Innovator), one of Ripple’s closest and longest-standing banking partners in Asia, has taken a significant step to broaden its institutional blockchain ambitions. The company has restructured a wholly owned subsidiary to focus exclusively on the Canton Network, moving beyond its traditional reliance on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and RippleNet.
The Restructuring: SBI Digital Practice Emerges
On July 28, 2026, SBI Holdings announced that SBI Security Solutions Co., Ltd. has been renamed SBI Digital Practice Co., Ltd., effective June 22, 2026. The Tokyo-based subsidiary (headquartered in Roppongi, Minato-ku) is now positioned as SBI’s dedicated on-chain finance business centered on the Canton Network.
According to the official statement, SBI Digital Practice will provide end-to-end support to financial institutions. Its core activities include:
- Building compliant blockchain frameworks
- Developing financial infrastructure and applications on Canton
- Enabling platforms for cross-border and cross-currency transactions
- Offering system construction, operations, and business development services
SBI holds 100% ownership of the entity.
Why Canton Network Matters
The Canton Network is a public blockchain purpose-built for institutional finance. SBI highlighted that it already connects more than 600 participating institutions, including major names such as Goldman Sachs, BNP Paribas, Broadridge, Franklin Templeton, and Euroclear. Assets managed on the network exceed $6 trillion.
A key catalyst is the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) — the central clearinghouse for U.S. securities markets — which has adopted Canton for the digital securitization of U.S. Treasury bonds. This gives SBI’s new unit a direct bridge into one of the world’s largest and most regulated capital markets.
SBI itself already serves as a Super Validator on the Canton Network, a core role involving transaction approval and network governance.
Does This Signal a Move Away from Ripple?
Not at all. Industry observers and SBI’s own framing make clear that this is an expansion, not an exit.
SBI and Ripple established SBI Ripple Asia in 2016 to drive RippleNet-based cross-border payments across the Asia-Pacific region. That joint venture remains active. In recent months, SBI Ripple Asia has:
- Registered as a third-party prepaid instrument issuer in Japan
- Launched a token issuance platform on the XRP Ledger (April 2026)
- Continued promoting XRPL for payments and tokenization
SBI’s broader strategy now spans multiple chains and technologies — including XRPL, Canton, Solana-related initiatives, stablecoins, and tokenized securities. The Canton move simply adds institutional-grade privacy, settlement, and RWA (Real World Asset) capabilities that complement, rather than replace, its Ripple partnership.
Broader Context: The Multi-Chain Institutional Era
This restructuring reflects a larger industry trend. Leading financial groups are increasingly adopting a multi-chain approach rather than betting on a single ledger. While XRPL and RippleNet excel in payments and liquidity, Canton is optimized for privacy-preserving institutional settlement, securities tokenization, and high-value asset transfers.
By creating a specialized Canton-focused unit, SBI is positioning itself to capture a larger share of the growing institutional on-chain finance market — estimated in the trillions — while maintaining its strategic alliance with Ripple.
Looking Ahead
SBI Digital Practice is expected to accelerate Japanese and Asian institutions’ adoption of Canton-based solutions for compliant on-chain finance. With DTCC’s U.S. Treasury tokenization on the horizon and over $6 trillion already represented on the network, the timing appears strategic.
For the crypto market, the announcement reinforces that major traditional finance players are not choosing sides between blockchain ecosystems. Instead, they are building multi-network infrastructure to meet diverse regulatory and operational needs.
Bottom line: SBI remains one of Ripple’s strongest allies. At the same time, it is deliberately expanding its on-chain footprint through the Canton Network — a clear signal that institutional blockchain strategy in 2026 is multi-chain by design.
Also read: What the RBI’s Financial Stability Report 2026 Says About Crypto and Stablecoins
