Key Takeaways
- SBI invested through two Singapore vehicles managed by the group.
- Dtcpay’s completed Series A financing now totals $25 million.
- The funding supports merchant growth and new payment products.
SBI Extends Dtcpay’s Series A to $25 Million
Regulated stablecoin payment access is set to expand across Asia after Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings Inc. (Tokyo: 8473) invested in Singapore-based Dtcpay. The investment, announced Sept. 18, expands the company’s capital for merchant growth, infrastructure, and new payment features while strengthening SBI’s digital asset corridor between Japan and Southeast Asia.
Two Singapore investment vehicles managed by the Japanese financial group provided SBI’s capital for the completed financing round. They were SBI Ventures Asset Pte. Ltd., an SBI subsidiary based in Singapore, and the SBI-NTU-Kyobo Digital Innovation Fund, an early-stage technology fund focused on Southeast and South Asia. Dtcpay had announced an initial $10 million Series A tranche, led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, a venture capital firm, in March.
The fresh capital will support Dtcpay’s merchant network, business portal, consumer app features, and entry into additional regulated markets. Dtcpay Group Chairman Band Zhao stated:
“We are strengthening our infrastructure, deepening partnerships with global financial institutions, and expanding into new regulated markets to make stablecoin payments as seamless and trusted as traditional payment rails.”
Dtcpay Connects Stablecoins With Everyday Payments
Businesses using Dtcpay can accept, store, and transact in stablecoins and fiat through a real-time swap engine that exchanges and settles the two forms of value. Stablecoins are crypto assets designed to track a reference asset, usually a national currency, allowing payment providers to reduce exposure to the price swings common among unpegged cryptocurrencies.
Merchant reach is central to the expansion: Dtcpay integrated with Walletconnect, a decentralized network that links digital wallets with applications, enabling stablecoin acceptance across more than 700 wallets. The company also introduced a stablecoin-to-fiat card connected to Visa, a global payments network, giving users access to more than 150 million merchant locations. Visa’s stablecoin settlement exceeded a $20 billion annualized run rate alongside more than 160 stablecoin-linked card programs.
The company has also supported stablecoin payments at Singapore retailers and hotels, including Metro, the country’s first department store to accept them, and luxury hotel Capella Singapore. Its partnership with blockchain network BNB Chain extends that push, while the new funding is intended to broaden the merchant network and improve enterprise and consumer payment tools during the remaining months of 2026.
Singapore Licenses Anchor SBI’s Regional Strategy
Dtcpay is a brand of Digital Treasures Center Pte. Ltd., the Singapore legal entity that holds its payment license. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s central bank and financial regulator, lists Digital Treasures Center as a Major Payment Institution authorized for account issuance, domestic and cross-border transfers, merchant acquisition, e-money issuance, and digital payment token services. Dtcpay also holds an Electronic Money Institution license in Luxembourg.
Singapore has become a central hub in SBI’s regional strategy, linking Japanese capital with Southeast Asian digital asset infrastructure and regulated platforms. The group completed its controlling investment in Coinhako, a Singapore-based regulated crypto exchange, in July, adding the platform to operations that already span banking, securities, insurance, asset management, private equity, and crypto services.
SBI’s broader stablecoin work is also moving from investment into transaction testing across Asian markets. SBI Digital Practice, an SBI subsidiary focused on institutional blockchain projects, and Kyobo Life, a South Korean insurer, recently completed a direct yen-won stablecoin pilot without routing the transfer through the U.S. dollar. SBI said the Dtcpay investment will support a stronger digital asset corridor between Japan and Southeast Asia.
