SBI Group launched the SBI Visa Crypto Card in Japan on May 1, 2026. The product turns everyday card spending into Bitcoin, Ethereum, or XRP rewards. Cardholders earn Aplus points on purchases, and the system converts those points into crypto each month. Notably, the card carries no exchange fee on the conversion. As a result, Japanese consumers gain a passive way to accumulate digital assets through routine spending.
The launch ties three major partners together. SBI VC Trade handles the crypto custody and conversion engine. Additionally, Aplus, a subsidiary of SBI Shinsei Bank, manages the credit card and points infrastructure. Visa Worldwide Japan provides the payment rails. According to crypto.news, the partnership links daily card activity directly to regulated crypto accumulation.’
The SBI Group has launched a new credit card that lets you earn Bitcoin BTC, Ethereum ETH, and Ripple $XRP based on your spending!
— 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸XRP (@BankXRP) May 1, 2026
Turn your daily shopping into a smart way to accumulate crypto assets. Making digital gold more accessible than ever. 💳 https://t.co/5v1BnNjAuU pic.twitter.com/eoKe6uOmrW
How the Card Works
The SBI Visa Crypto Card comes in two tiers. The Standard card offers a base reward rate of 0.5% on spending. Meanwhile, the Gold card pays 1.0% as its baseline rate. Both tiers run a launch campaign with elevated payouts. Specifically, the Standard rate climbs up to 2.5% through August 2026, while the Gold rate reaches up to 10% for new applicants.
The reward flow follows a simple monthly cadence. Cardholders earn Aplus points on every purchase, and the system converts those points into crypto once per month. Importantly, conversions use SBI VC Trade’s sales price from 6:59:59 a.m. on the prior day. The crypto then lands in the cardholder’s SBI VC Trade custodial account rather than an external on-chain wallet. New applicants between May 1 and May 31, 2026, qualify for additional bonus rewards, per BeInCrypto.
One Asset, Locked for Life
Cardholders must choose a single cryptocurrency at signup. After that, the choice stays locked for the life of the card. Users pick from Bitcoin, Ethereum, or XRP, and they cannot switch later. As a result, the card design rewards conviction rather than active trading.
SBI VC Trade President Tomohiko Kondo framed the structure around volatility management. He noted that the card lets users “accumulate a little bit each month” to help build digital assets steadily. In other words, the product treats crypto as a long-horizon savings vehicle, not a speculative tool. Existing SBI VC Trade customers can link their current accounts, while new users must open one to receive rewards. Consequently, the card pulls fresh users into Japan’s regulated crypto exchange landscape.
SBI’s Broader Crypto Strategy
The card slots into a larger SBI playbook. SBI Holdings owns roughly 9% of Ripple, which makes the inclusion of XRP a strategic statement. Additionally, SBI VC Trade completed a merger with Bitpoint Japan in April 2026, consolidating two of Japan’s licensed exchanges. The company is also in discussions to make Bitbank a consolidated subsidiary, subject to due diligence.
Earlier moves set the stage for this launch. In July 2025, Aplus introduced a points-to-crypto redemption feature for existing cardholders, as CoinDesk reported. Then in February 2026, SBI issued a $64.5 million on-chain bond that paid XRP rewards to holders. The Visa card now extends that same logic into daily consumer spending. Therefore, SBI is layering crypto rewards across savings products, bonds, and now payments.
Why Japan Matters for This Product
Japan has long been one of XRP’s most active retail markets. Regulators in the country also maintain a strict licensing regime for crypto exchanges, which limits the field to vetted operators. SBI VC Trade holds one of those licenses, which gives the card a regulated foundation. Furthermore, Japan’s payment culture leans heavily on credit cards and points-based loyalty programs. The SBI Visa Crypto Card maps onto that existing behavior rather than asking users to learn new habits.
The product also addresses a common barrier to crypto entry. Many Japanese consumers hesitate to convert yen directly into volatile assets. However, earning crypto as a byproduct of normal spending removes that mental hurdle. Cointelegraph described the model as a way to “earn XRP without spending yen,” capturing the reframing at work. As a result, SBI is targeting users who would not otherwise open an exchange account.
What It Signals for Crypto Adoption
The launch represents a shift in how legacy financial institutions package crypto for retail users. Instead of pushing trading apps, SBI is embedding crypto into the credit card stack consumers already use. Visa’s involvement also lends institutional weight to the product. Additionally, the no-fee monthly conversion removes a friction point that has limited adoption in card-based reward programs elsewhere.
Other markets are watching similar models develop. Mastercard’s recent crypto partner program signaled appetite from major card networks for on-chain integrations. Now SBI offers a working consumer product in a major economy. Moreover, the card’s structure favors long-term accumulation, which aligns with how regulators prefer retail users to engage with crypto. If the launch performs well, expect competitor banks in Japan and beyond to build similar offerings.
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