Gate News, March 18 — SBI Holdings’ digital asset subsidiary SBI VC Trade announced that it will officially launch USDC lending services in Japan this Thursday (March 20). Retail users can lend stablecoins to the platform through fixed-term agreements to earn interest, with a maximum application limit of 5,000 USDC per period. Structurally, this product is a loan from users to SBI VC Trade rather than a deposit, and users must directly bear counterparty risk. SBI VC Trade stated that the platform may re-lend the borrowed USDC. Additionally, users cannot withdraw or transfer funds during the fixed lending period. Unlike bank deposits, this product is not protected by asset segregation, and in the event of platform bankruptcy, users face the risk of not being able to fully recover their assets.