Sony | Crypto

Sony Bank is reportedly pursuing a US license and partnering with Bastion as it develops a 2026 dollar stablecoin connected to its growing Web3 unit, BlockBloom. Sony Bank, the online lending subsidiary of Sony Financial Group, is reportedly preparing to launch a stablecoin that will enable payments across the Sony ecosystem in the US. Sony is planning to issue a US dollar-pegged stablecoin in 2026 and expects it to be used for purchases of PlayStation games, subscriptions and anime content, Nikkei reported on Monday. Targeting US customers — who make up roughly 30% of Sony Group’s external sales — the stablecoin is expected to work alongside existing payment options such as credit cards, helping reduce fees paid to card networks, the report said. Read more

Taiwan’s central bank studying Bitcoin’s inclusion in national reserve, Sony launches DeFi super app for its Ethereum layer 2. Asia Express. Taiwans government will complete an inventory by year-end detailing how much Bitcoin it currently holds through confiscations, Premier Cho Jung-tai said Tuesday during a finance committee.  The central bank will also deliver a formal assessment on whether Bitcoin should be considered as part of Taiwans national reserves. The move comes as lawmakers press the government to clarify how seized crypto is handled and whether Taiwan should follow a growing global trend of treating Bitcoin as a strategic reserve. Read more

Coinbase Ventures led a $14.6 million round for Bastion, a startup providing white-label stablecoin issuance with backing from Sony, Samsung, A16z and others. Update (Sept. 24, 5:45 pm UTC): This article has been updated to correct the date of Bastion’s $25 million raise in September 2023. Stablecoin infrastructure startup Bastion has raised $14.6 million in a funding round led by Coinbase Ventures, the company said Wednesday. According to a Wednesday announcement, the round also saw the participation of Japanese tech giant Sony, the investment subsidiary of South Korean phone maker Samsung, the crypto arm of venture capital (VC) firm Andreessen Horowitz and crypto VC firm Hashed. Read more

Ahead of its final chapter, Square Enix's Symbiogenesis is expanding to Sony’s Soneium network with exclusive rewards and gaming collabs.