SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities are planning to offer crypto investment trusts, a move that would give traditional brokerage clients in Japan a new regulated path to digital asset exposure without directly holding tokens.
What SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities are planning
The two firms, among Japan’s largest online brokerages, have signaled intentions to launch investment trust products tied to cryptocurrency. The development represents a plan rather than a confirmed live offering, meaning timelines and product specifics remain subject to change.
Crypto investment trusts are fund structures that hold digital assets on behalf of investors, similar to how gold or equity trusts operate. Clients would gain price exposure through their existing securities accounts rather than setting up separate crypto exchange wallets.
SBI Group’s broader push into digital assets is documented in its investor presentation materials, which outline the company’s strategy for integrating crypto products across its financial services ecosystem. A separate SBI Global Asset Management disclosure provides additional context on the firm’s asset management direction.
Why crypto investment trusts could matter for investor access
For millions of existing SBI and Rakuten brokerage account holders, a trust product eliminates the technical barrier of managing private keys or navigating crypto-native exchanges. The format packages digital asset exposure into a vehicle these investors already understand.
Unlike direct crypto purchases, investment trusts involve a fund manager holding the underlying assets. Investors receive units in the trust rather than tokens themselves, meaning they avoid custody responsibilities while still tracking crypto price movements.
This indirect approach may appeal to conservative investors who have stayed away from crypto due to perceived complexity or security concerns. The tradeoff is that trust investors typically cannot use the underlying tokens for staking, DeFi participation, or direct transfers, limiting the product to pure price exposure.
What this signals for Japan’s brokerage and crypto market
The involvement of both SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities in the same product category is notable. These are not niche crypto-native firms but mainstream financial platforms serving tens of millions of retail investors in Japan.
Their parallel moves suggest that crypto investment trusts may become a competitive battleground for Japan’s brokerage industry, similar to how SBI, Rakuten and Nomura have reportedly been preparing overlapping crypto fund products. The race to offer structured crypto exposure through familiar channels could accelerate product launches.
The trend is not limited to Japan. Globally, traditional financial institutions are expanding crypto offerings through regulated wrappers, with major European banks increasing their crypto allocations through structured vehicles in recent quarters.
Japan’s brokerage-led crypto trusts also arrive as the broader crypto ecosystem matures on the infrastructure side, with developments like Firedancer entering production on Solana underscoring how rapidly the underlying technology is advancing.
Whether these plans translate into launched products will depend on regulatory approval and final product design, details neither firm has publicly confirmed.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.