Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings has received regulatory approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to acquire a majority stake in Coinhako, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange. The deal marks another significant move by SBI to expand its footprint in digital assets across Asia.
With the MAS approval in hand, SBI is now positioned to fold Coinhako into its growing digital asset network, which already spans crypto exchange services, custody, stablecoin infrastructure, and tokenized asset initiatives. Coinhako is a licensed Major Payment Institution under Singapore’s Payment Services Act, giving SBI immediate access to a regulated crypto platform in one of Asia’s most important financial hubs.
On-chain data reveals that the acquisition also brings with it a substantial Shiba Inu (SHIB) holding. SBI now controls over 1.11 trillion SHIB tokens through the Coinhako acquisition, a position that underscores the scale of the exchange’s retail customer base and the token’s popularity in Asian markets.
SBI has been aggressively expanding its digital asset operations in 2026. The company has partnered with Ondo Finance to tokenize Japanese and US stocks, secured a deal with the Solana Foundation for real-world asset tokenization in Japan, and invested in multiple crypto infrastructure firms. The Coinhako acquisition provides SBI with a regulated on-ramp for retail and institutional crypto services in Singapore.
Coinhako was founded in 2014 and has grown to become one of Singapore’s longest-operating crypto exchanges. The platform supports a range of digital assets including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and various altcoins. SBI plans to integrate Coinhako’s services with its broader digital asset ecosystem, which also includes the SBI VC Trade exchange in Japan.
This article was adapted from Cointelegraph. Read the original here.
