SBI Holdings completes majority acquisition of Singapore crypto exchange Coinhako

Deal closes after MAS approval

The transaction was completed on July 16 through SBI Ventures Asset Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of SBI Holdings. The deal combined two elements: a capital injection into Holdbuild Pte. Ltd., Coinhako’s holding company, and the purchase of shares from existing investors. Following the completion of the transaction, Coinhako has become a consolidated subsidiary of SBI Holdings.

SBI had first disclosed its plan to acquire Coinhako in February, presenting the move as part of a broader effort to expand its digital asset operations across Asia. The approval process in Singapore took about five months.

Coinhako’s position in Singapore

Founded in 2014, Coinhako is one of Singapore’s longer-running crypto asset platforms. The group operates through two regulated entities. Hako Technology Pte. Ltd. holds a Major Payment Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, while Alpha Hako Ltd. is registered as a crypto asset service provider with the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission.

The structure gives SBI control of a business with an established presence in Singapore’s regulated crypto market. It also provides the Japanese group with a foothold in a market it has identified as strategically important to its wider digital asset ambitions.

Part of a wider regional strategy

SBI described the acquisition as an important step in its global digital asset strategy and has positioned Singapore as a key base for that effort. In a statement, the company said it aims to combine Coinhako’s customer base, operating experience and regional network with SBI’s financial services, technology capabilities and global reach.

According to SBI, that combination is intended to support the expansion of what it called its global corridor for digital assets, starting from Japan and Southeast Asia. The acquisition therefore fits into a longer-running effort by the group to build crypto-related businesses beyond a single domestic market.

Expanding SBI’s crypto footprint

SBI Holdings has been among the more active traditional financial institutions in the digital asset sector. Through SBI Digital Asset Holdings, it has built exchange, custody and asset management businesses in Japan. The Coinhako transaction extends that strategy into Southeast Asia and adds a second regulated market to SBI’s crypto presence alongside its home market.

The next phase will depend on how SBI integrates Coinhako’s operations with its existing digital asset infrastructure. It also remains to be seen whether the company will use its Singapore base to seek further regional licenses or pursue additional acquisitions.

The completed takeover marks a concrete expansion of SBI’s crypto business outside Japan, while underscoring Singapore’s continued role as a regional hub for regulated digital asset activity.