SBI Ignites Japanese Market with Dual Crypto Exposure to Bitcoin-XRP ETF

SBI Holdings is set to launch two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on cryptocurrency and digital assets, according to the company’s Q2 2025 financial report released on July 31.

One of the ETFs will feature a direct allocation to XRP and Bitcoin, while the other will combine Bitcoin exposure with gold, marking a significant expansion of SBI’s blockchain and digital asset ambitions.

The proposed funds, titled the Crypto Asset ETF and Digital Gold Crypto ETF, seek to address rising institutional demand for crypto investment products, particularly across Asia and North America.

SBI plans to list both ETFs on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, pending regulatory approval. The move reinforces the group’s long-standing partnership with Ripple and comes amid accelerating interest in XRP-based financial products globally.

The Crypto Asset ETF will consist solely of XRP and Bitcoin. Though SBI has not yet disclosed the exact allocation, the firm emphasized its intent to provide direct exposure to crypto assets.

In contrast, the Digital Gold Crypto ETF will allocate over 51% of its portfolio to physical gold, with the remaining portion invested in the Franklin Bitcoin ETF (EZBC), offering a hybrid strategy for investors seeking diversification across traditional and digital stores of value.

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Beyond its ETF ambitions, SBI remains heavily invested in Ripple, holding a 9% equity stake. The Japanese financial giant reiterated its confidence in Ripple’s growth trajectory, suggesting that any future IPO would unlock substantial value. While Ripple has not announced formal IPO plans, SBI pointed to its latest valuation metrics as a sign of latent upside once the company lists.

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In its latest earnings, SBI reported a 2.8-fold increase in investment balance over the past five years, with assets reaching ¥795.1 billion ($5.37 billion). The group expects many of its portfolio companies, including Ripple, to go public within the next two years, with Ripple positioned as a key driver of future returns.

Meanwhile, SBI continues to expand its integration of Ripple products into its core financial services. This includes the use of XRP for international remittances and early-stage exploration of Ripple’s new U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD.

SBI’s ETF plans also coincide with growing global momentum around XRP investment products. In June, Canadian regulators approved two spot XRP ETFs, and more than ten U.S.-based asset managers are currently pursuing similar filings. SBI’s entry into the space could further bolster XRP’s visibility and utility in global markets.

XRP prices dipped even as Japan’s financial powerhouse SBI Holdings unveiled plans to launch the country’s first XRP-focused exchange-traded fund. Technical indicators suggest that the token may be losing momentum.

According to data analytics firm Glassnode, over 96% of XRP wallets remain in profit, a level that historically coincides with short-term market tops. Adding to this concern is a bearish divergence between XRP’s rising price and falling relative strength index (RSI), signaling weakening upward momentum and making traders more cautious.

Looking at current price action, if XRP manages to break above the $3.07 level and then moves toward $3.48, $3.59, $3.71, and potentially $3.99, it becomes plausible. However, a dip below $2.88 could shift sentiment toward the downside, with targets at $2.67 and $2.45. The 20-week Exponential Moving Average (EMA), currently hovering around $2.52, may act as a key dynamic support level during this correction phase.

While XRP struggles with upward momentum, the broader crypto market is also experiencing headwinds. U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $196 million in net outflows on August 5, marking the fourth consecutive day of investor withdrawals. The outflows come from a sharp decline in Bitcoin’s price, which slid 3.5% over the past week to trade around $114,125.

Fidelity’s FBTC led the outflow tally with $99.11 million in redemptions, closely followed by BlackRock’s IBIT, which saw $77 million withdrawn. These ETF outflows contrast sharply with the trend seen in July, when Bitcoin ETFs recorded only five days of net outflows throughout the entire month.

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