Startale
The Astar founder's bet that Japan Inc. does onchain banking: a Visa card where Soneium assets keep compounding until the second they're spent, cashback in its own USDSC dollar — and JPYSC, Japan's first trust-bank yen stablecoin, in the same stack.
Sony/SBI-backed: self-custodial Visa spends Soneium L2 assets at 150M+ merchants; unveiled at WebX Tokyo 2026.
- Who holds it
- You do. Funds sit on-chain in a wallet the company cannot freeze.
- The ledger
- The blockchain — no company keeps the authoritative record.
- If it fails
- Nothing on the company side to fail; but lose your keys and the money is gone for good.
Derived from Startale’s regulation type and custody — a class of protection, not a guarantee. Limits and eligibility vary by scheme, balance and jurisdiction; confirm before you rely on it. What happens if a neobank shuts down →
The facts
| Category | web3-native |
| HQ | Singapore, SG |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Custody | Self-custodial |
| Regulation type | Self-custodial software |
| License detail | Self-custodial; co-develops Soneium with Sony Block Solutions Labs (Sony Group JV) |
| Card | Visa · Virtual + physical (waitlist) |
| Cashback | Cashback in USDSC |
| Yield | Assets keep earning until spent (vaults) |
| Stablecoins | Yes |
| KYC | Card only |
| Active regions | Asia |
| Countries | Global |
| Founders | Sota Watanabe |
| Funding | $63M Series A (Mar 2026): $50M SBI Group + $13M Sony Innovation Fund; $7M seed (Sony, Samsung Next, UOB VM) |
Verified links: official site ↗ · terms ↗ · @StartaleHQ ↗
Common questions about Startale
What is Startale?
Startale is a self-custodial, on-chain-first neobank, headquartered in Singapore, SG and founded in 2023. You hold the keys: Startale never takes custody of your funds. It is software rather than a licensed institution (Self-custodial; co-develops Soneium with Sony Block Solutions Labs (Sony Group JV)).
Does Startale have a card, and where can you use it?
It issues a Visa virtual and physical (waitlist) card, and identity checks apply to the card but not to the wallet. It is available in Asia.
Does Startale require KYC?
Partly. You can use Startale itself without verifying your identity, but ordering its card requires KYC.
What does Startale cost?
From the verified fields: cashback Cashback in USDSC; yield Assets keep earning until spent (vaults). Cashback and yield are "up to" figures that change constantly and often depend on a paid plan — confirm current terms with Startale before relying on them.
Early investors
Peers
Phantom · Zengo · MiniPay · MetaMask · Solflare · Rainbow
Startale appears in
Neobanks that never hold your money (53) · Neobanks where only the card requires ID (33) · Neobanks available in Asia (133) · Neobanks that issue a Visa card (183) · Neobanks in Singapore (12)
Figures compiled from public sources, for comparison only — not financial advice. "Up to" rates change constantly; always confirm with the issuer. Spotted an error? Suggest a fix.