Today, Mitsui & Co Digital Asset Management (Mitsui) announced a partnership with Sony Bank to introduce its retail-focused digital security offering to Japanese customers. Last month, Mitsui launched its Alterna offering, which allows people to invest directly in real estate-backed blockchain-based securities.

Sony Bank is part of the Sony group and is one of the largest consumer-oriented online banks in Japan. He provides banking and investment services and acts primarily as a host for Alterna.

The digital security offering is novel in that it cuts out the middlemen like a direct offering from asset manager Mitsui. Users interact through a mobile phone, and the minimum investment amount is quite small, 100,000 yen ($716).

In addition, Sony Bank offers a “Fast Deposit” service that supports Alterna’s investment payments 24 hours a day. One surprise is that Alterna does not yet support credit card payments.

Before launching its direct-to-consumer service, Mitsui initially issued multiple digital securities, but distribution was more conventional through Japanese securities firms like SBI Securities.

Like many other Japanese digital securities issuances, Alterna’s latest offering uses MUFG’s Progmat blockchain platform based on R3’s Corda enterprise blockchain.

Mitsui & Co Digital Asset Management is majority owned by Mitsui & Co, but blockchain startup LayerX has a 36% stake. SMBC Nikko Securities, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and JA Mitsui Leasing have 11% between them.