SBI Digital Asset Holdings, the crypto asset arm of Japanese securities and banking giant SBI Holdings, announced its partnership with sports blockchain provider Chiliz on Thursday, in a bid to expand the sports fan token ecosystem in Japan. 

The pair said in a statement shared with The Block that they plan to set up a joint venture in the country to provide local fans access to tokens from popular football clubs such as Manchester City and AC Milan.

“The partnership between SBI DAH and Chiliz will bring together the best-in-class capabilities of both traditional finance and Web3, leveraging fintech innovations to transform the sports and entertainment experiences for communities,” said Fernando Luis Vázquez Cao, CEO of SBI Digital Asset.

The joint venture seeks to provide …