Japanese TradFi giant Credit Saison launches $50M blockchain fund to bridge US startups with Asia
Credit Saison, Japan’s third-largest bank card firm, mentioned Monday it’s creating a brand new enterprise fund to again early-stage blockchain corporations working within the real-world asset sector, in accordance to native media stories.
The automobile, often called Onigiri Capital, has raised $35 million so removed from Credit Saison and different backers and, in accordance to an organization spokesperson, has room to increase to $50 million.
Saison Capital, the group’s funding arm, has been supporting crypto ventures since 2023.
Connecting Asian markets
Onigiri Capital will consider corporations constructing financial infrastructure such as stablecoins, tokenization platforms, fee rails, and decentralized finance merchandise. The fund’s technique emphasizes connecting startups within the US with Asia’s rising digital asset markets.
Qin En Looi, managing companion of Onigiri and a companion at Saison Capital, mentioned the initiative is designed to assist founders from the U.S. set up themselves in Asia by leveraging Credit Saison’s banking relationships, regulatory data, and distribution networks throughout Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Fellow managing companion Hans de Back added that the fund goals to assist initiatives meet world monetary requirements whereas tapping into Asia’s established infrastructure.
Credit Saison, primarily based in Tokyo and affiliated with Mizuho Financial Group, additionally operates in banking, actual property, and leisure as well as to its bank card enterprise.
Tougher local weather for crypto enterprise offers
The launch comes at a time when funding within the digital asset sector stays subdued. After peaking at $86 billion throughout 329 funds in 2022, crypto enterprise capital has cooled dramatically.
Industry information present that simply $3.7 billion has been raised throughout 28 funds this 12 months. Deployment has additionally slowed. Funds invested $8.13 billion between January and August 2024, however only $8.05 billion over the identical interval in 2025.
Higher rates of interest, the collapse of high-profile corporations comparable to FTX and Terra’s LUNA/UST, and the rise of digital asset treasury corporations that compete for capital as elements weighing in the marketplace.
However, latest allocations have proven a tilt towards startups targeted on monetary providers and decentralized finance, suggesting that regardless of broader warning, buyers stay excited about blockchain merchandise with clear institutional purposes.
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