SBI Holdings Clears Regulatory Hurdle to Acquire Singapore Crypto Exchange Coinhako

Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings has secured regulatory clearance from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to acquire a controlling interest in Coinhako, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange. The deal advances SBI's strategy to broaden its footprint in digital asset services, particularly stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, and onchain financial products. Coinhako has operated under a MAS license, making it a compliant gateway for institutional and retail crypto activity in the region. By integrating Coinhako into its ecosystem, SBI gains direct access to a regulated platform with existing user relationships in one of Asia's most crypto-friendly jurisdictions. This acquisition underscores a growing trend of legacy financial groups absorbing regulated crypto exchanges to accelerate their blockchain offerings without building from scratch. The move also aligns with wider industry momentum toward compliant digital finance hubs, especially in Singapore, where MAS maintains a rigorous but clear licensing framework. For market participants, the transaction highlights how traditional finance entities are using acquisitions to bypass organic development timelines and capture immediate market share in tokenization and stablecoin niches.