Startale launched Onchain Finance Kits and Startale Card at WebX 2026 in Tokyo on July 13, 2026, expanding its strategy beyond blockchain infrastructure into regulated financial services and consumer payments. The Onchain Finance Kits provide modular software infrastructure for financial institutions to deploy stablecoin systems, wallet services, digital asset management, privacy technologies, and blockchain settlement capabilities without building core systems independently. Startale Card is a self-custodial Visa card built on the Sony-backed Soneium Layer-2 blockchain, enabling users to spend digital assets at over 150 million merchants worldwide while retaining asset control and earning USDSC stablecoin cashback. The dual launch addresses institutional compliance challenges and consumer usability barriers in onchain finance adoption. Startale CEO Sota Watanabe stated that financial institutions have shifted from questioning whether onchain finance will integrate into the financial system to determining how they can participate, with OFK designed to accelerate deployment and simplify implementation based on the company's experience with projects including Soneium, JPYSC, Strium, and the Startale App.
Startale Onchain Finance Kits Provide Modular Infrastructure for Financial Institutions
Startale Onchain Finance Kits address regulatory compliance, infrastructure development, and digital asset integration challenges that financial institutions face when moving from blockchain experimentation to production deployments. The platform includes modules covering stablecoin infrastructure, wallet services, digital asset management tools, privacy technologies, developer resources, and blockchain settlement capabilities. According to Startale, the platform draws on experience gained through projects including Soneium, JPYSC, Strium, and the Startale App, enabling the company to develop expertise across stablecoins, institutional trading, tokenization, settlement, privacy technologies, and blockchain infrastructure.
Future updates will expand the platform by introducing tokenization infrastructure and custody wallet application programming interfaces (APIs), providing financial institutions with additional resources to launch regulated blockchain-based products. Startale stated that organizations can choose the capabilities they need to meet their business requirements without building core systems independently. Watanabe said OFK was developed from the company's years of experience working with enterprises and financial institutions and was intended to help organizations accelerate deployment, simplify implementation, and access new opportunities within the onchain economy.
Startale Card Enables Self-Custodial Visa Payments on Soneium Blockchain
Startale Card is a self-custodial Visa card built on Soneium, the Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain developed with Sony Group, enabling users to spend eligible digital assets at more than 150 million merchants worldwide where Visa is accepted. Unlike many existing cryptocurrency payment cards that require users to transfer assets into custodial accounts before making purchases, the Startale Card allows eligible assets to remain under users' control while continuing to generate yield until they are used for payments. Users receive cashback rewards denominated in USDSC, the company's U.S. dollar stablecoin.
The launch expands the capabilities of the Startale App, which combines digital asset management, trading, rewards, and Mini Apps within a single platform. Future updates are expected to introduce yield-generating vaults that allow users to earn passive returns while retaining access to assets for everyday spending. Watanabe said the company believed onchain technology should improve everyday financial experiences rather than add complexity, adding that the introduction of Startale Card represented an important step toward transforming the Startale App into a platform where users could manage, grow, and spend their digital wealth through a unified financial experience. The Startale Card waitlist has opened through the Startale App ahead of its broader public rollout.
Startale Integrates Institutional and Consumer Products into Unified Onchain Ecosystem
The new Onchain Finance Kits provide modular infrastructure for regulated blockchain services, while Startale Card enables users to spend self-custodied digital assets directly through the Visa network. Startale stated that OFK is intended to help banks, enterprises, and financial institutions launch blockchain products more efficiently, while the payment card focuses on increasing the practical utility of digital assets in everyday transactions. By combining infrastructure for stablecoins, tokenization, blockchain settlement, payments, and consumer finance, Startale aims to strengthen the connection between traditional financial systems and the expanding onchain economy. The company's strategy serves institutional clients and retail consumers through complementary blockchain solutions within a unified ecosystem.
FAQ
What did Startale announce at WebX 2026 in Tokyo?
Startale announced two products at WebX 2026 in Tokyo on July 13, 2026: Onchain Finance Kits (OFK), a modular software platform for regulated blockchain financial services designed for financial institutions, and Startale Card, a self-custodial Visa card built on the Soneium Layer-2 blockchain that enables users to spend digital assets at over 150 million merchants worldwide while retaining asset control and earning USDSC stablecoin cashback.
How does Startale Card differ from other cryptocurrency payment cards?
Startale Card allows eligible digital assets to remain under users' control while continuing to generate yield until they are used for payments, unlike many existing cryptocurrency payment cards that require users to transfer assets into custodial accounts before making purchases. Users receive cashback rewards denominated in USDSC, and the card is built on the Sony-backed Soneium Layer-2 blockchain with acceptance at more than 150 million merchants worldwide where Visa is accepted.
What modules does Startale Onchain Finance Kits include for financial institutions?
Startale Onchain Finance Kits include modules covering stablecoin infrastructure, wallet services, digital asset management tools, privacy technologies, developer resources, and blockchain settlement capabilities. Future updates will expand the platform by introducing tokenization infrastructure and custody wallet application programming interfaces (APIs), providing financial institutions with additional resources to launch regulated blockchain-based products without building core systems independently.
