CEO Startale Group Sota Watanabe tengah mengembangkan tumpukan teknologi onchain terintegrasi secara vertikal guna mengatasi fragmentasi dalam ekosistem Web3 global pada Selasa, 5 Mei 2026. Langkah ini bertujuan menghilangkan hambatan adopsi massal seperti pengelolaan dompet yang rumit dan biaya gas yang terpisah.
Integrasi tersebut mencakup pengembangan rantai blok, koin stabil (stablecoin), dompet digital, hingga aplikasi dalam satu sistem tunggal. Strategi ini diambil untuk menyederhanakan pengalaman pengguna yang selama ini dianggap masih terlalu sulit bagi masyarakat umum.
Watanabe menjelaskan kondisi awal ekosistem di Jepang saat ia mendirikan Astar pada tahun 2019 yang masih terbayang insiden peretasan besar. Menurutnya, saat itu terdapat celah besar karena belum ada rantai blok asal Jepang yang dirancang khusus untuk kepatuhan regulasi lokal.
"In 2019, crypto in Japan was still living in the shadow of Mt. Gox and the Coincheck hack. The Financial Services Agency had sharply tightened custody and listing rules. Most people still viewed crypto as highly risky and speculative. Developers could deploy on Ethereum, yet there was absolutely no Japan-originated chain designed around local use cases and compliance. That presented a massive gap. Japan possesses real structural advantages, including intellectual property, gaming, anime, and iconic brands. However, the rails to bring that culture onchain securely for Japanese institutions simply did not exist. The consensus at the time suggested that Japanese regulation made a public blockchain project unworkable. I took that as a clear signal to start building. Astar became Japan's first major public blockchain. Today, it anchors a multichain Astar Collective spanning Polkadot and Soneium. That successful outcome convinced me the original thesis was absolutely correct." kata Sota Watanabe, CEO Startale Group.
Pengalaman membangun di dalam ekosistem Polkadot memberikan pelajaran penting mengenai persaingan infrastruktur di masa depan. Watanabe menilai bahwa kemampuan interoperabilitas atau keterhubungan antarjaringan merupakan kunci utama agar sebuah jaringan tidak terisolasi.
"I often think of Polkadot as a blockchain university. Working alongside Gavin Wood and the Parity team taught me that the real battle is about interoperability. An isolated chain inevitably starves. Users, liquidity, and developers flow exactly where connections are densest. That lesson explains why Astar operates today as a Collective spanning Polkadot via Astar Network and Ethereum via Soneium, with ASTR moving seamlessly between them via Chainlink CCIP. It also served as the seed for Startale. Interoperability requires owning the stack end-to-end. Tesla built cars alongside batteries, software, and the Supercharger network because those tight integrations define the true product. Startale applies the same playbook to Web3. We align the chain, stablecoins, wallet, and app into a single vertically integrated system. The chains that survive the next five years will be those that make themselves highly useful and connected to other networks." ujar Watanabe.
Keterlibatan langsung dengan pemerintah Jepang dalam strategi Web3 nasional turut membentuk fokus Startale pada pembangunan infrastruktur yang patuh hukum. Hal ini menjadikan regulasi koin stabil di Jepang sebagai salah satu yang paling jelas di dunia.
"My focus is entirely on seamless integration and practical application. Japanese brands need to trust that systems work flawlessly and that residents are adequately educated and protected. That requirement led directly to our focus on building compliant infrastructure. Japan’s stablecoin regulations are among the clearest and most favourable globally because I and others had the privilege of contributing to the regulatory conversation alongside policymakers. That clarity directly influenced our decision to build enterprise-ready financial infrastructure for the long term." terang Watanabe.
Startale memutuskan untuk menguasai seluruh lapisan teknologi guna meminimalkan gesekan dalam perjalanan pengguna kripto. Model ini terinspirasi dari strategi Apple yang mengintegrasikan perangkat keras dan perangkat lunak secara eksklusif untuk mencapai kesuksesan massal.
"It was a slow realisation, born of the severe friction in the crypto user journey. The hassle of managing private keys, bridging tokens across multiple blockchains, and paying gas fees in various assets creates a broken experience for mainstream users. I have always drawn inspiration from Apple. They built the iPhone hardware alongside the software, the App Store, and the broader ecosystem required for massive success. We own the full stack in a similar way. Soneium and Strium provide the network, the Startale app provides the user interface, and the JPYSC and USDSC stablecoins handle transactions. Owning the stack allows us to remove friction entirely. We abstract away complexity, simplify onboarding, and optimise the flow of value without relying on fragmented external dependencies." ungkap Watanabe.
Mata uang Yen dipilih sebagai fokus awal melalui peluncuran JPYSC, koin stabil pertama yang didukung oleh bank wali amanat (trust bank). Hal ini dilakukan untuk memenuhi permintaan korporasi Jepang yang membutuhkan stabilitas untuk operasional perbendaharaan dan rantai pasok.
"Japan is our home market, and naturally, we see the strongest enterprise demand there today. Japanese corporations and international firms operating in Japan want to move settlements, treasury operations, and supply chain flows onchain, using a currency they fully trust. They require stability and regulatory clarity from day one, making the yen the ideal starting point. JPYSC is designed for domestic enterprises and global financial institutions engaged with Japan’s economy. We are already seeing strong interest from major banks exploring use cases such as FX optimisation, yen liquidity management, carry strategies, and time-zone-based currency efficiency across global markets. In parallel, USDSC serves as the global settlement layer for dollar-denominated activity and international trade. Together, they form a regulated yen-dollar stablecoin pair that operates across multiple jurisdictions and market cycles. The key idea involves the creation of programmable liquidity that moves seamlessly across time zones, markets, and institutional needs." jelas Watanabe.
Tren integrasi vertikal ini juga mulai terlihat pada perusahaan besar lain seperti Coinbase, Circle, dan Stripe. Watanabe memprediksi bahwa konsolidasi sistem akan menjadi keniscayaan dalam skala infrastruktur global sebagaimana siklus teknologi sebelumnya.
"Yes, I believe this convergence is inevitable. If you look at previous technology cycles, such as internet infrastructure and telecommunications, they all start highly fragmented. Over time, they consolidate into vertically integrated systems because global-scale infrastructure requires tight coordination. We are seeing the same pattern repeat in crypto. Payments, custody, compliance, distribution, and application layers must" pungkas Watanabe.
