[Complete Guide] How to Make the Most of New NISA at SBI Securities — 295 Tsumitate Funds, 1,501 Growth Funds to Choose From

Hey everyone, Hirokichi here.

Last time I covered the pros and cons of SBI Securities. This time I want to go one step further and walk through exactly how to make the most of Japan’s new NISA program at SBI Securities. I’ll cover the basic mechanics of the program, plus some SBI-specific tips, so this should be useful whether you’re just getting started or looking to optimize your existing setup.

A quick refresher on new NISA

Let’s start with the basics. New NISA has two investment quotas: the “Tsumitate” (installment) quota and the “Growth” investment quota. The annual limit is 1.2 million yen for the Tsumitate quota and 2.4 million yen for the Growth quota, for a combined total of 3.6 million yen per year (source: SBI Securities investment media).

As the chart shows, using both quotas together lets you invest up to 3.6 million yen a year tax-free. On top of the annual limit, there’s also a lifetime tax-free holding cap of 18 million yen, of which up to 12 million yen can come from the Growth quota. If you only use the Tsumitate quota, you can use the full 18 million yen through that route alone.

The program itself is the same at every brokerage, but how efficiently you can fill that quota — and what products you can choose from — varies by broker. Let’s look at what makes SBI Securities stand out.

4 ways to make the most of new NISA at SBI Securities

1. Fill your Tsumitate quota efficiently with card-based installment investing

SBI Securities supports installment investing funded by an SMBC (Sumitomo Mitsui) credit card, with a monthly cap of 100,000 yen. Annualized, that comes to 1.2 million yen — which lines up exactly with the annual limit on the Tsumitate quota. In other words, you can fill your entire Tsumitate quota just through card-based installment investing.

The reward rate depends on the card tier: the standard card (NL) earns 0.5%, the Gold (NL) card earns up to 1.0% if conditions are met, and the Platinum Preferred card earns up to 3.0% depending on annual spending (source: SMBC card official site; I broke this down with a chart in my previous post on SBI Securities pros and cons). You earn points just by investing, so there’s really no reason not to use it.

2. Choose from an outstanding product lineup

SBI Securities offers 295 funds eligible for the Tsumitate quota and 1,501 funds eligible for the Growth quota (excluding ETFs and REITs) (source: SBI Securities investment media, as of January 2026).

Across the whole industry, there are reportedly 2,224 funds eligible for the Growth quota, and SBI Securities’ 1,501 puts it among the top brokers by that measure. Having more choices makes it easier to find funds that actually match your investment approach.

3. Use the Growth quota for individual U.S. stocks too

The Growth quota isn’t limited to mutual funds — you can also use it for individual U.S. stocks. SBI Securities offers 4,263 U.S. stocks (source: Yahoo! Finance Japan brokerage catalog), and you can pick eligible stocks from that lineup to invest in tax-free. If you want to go beyond mutual funds and try picking individual stocks, that breadth of choice becomes a real strength.

4. Plan your exit strategy with the scheduled redemption service

New NISA isn’t just about accumulating — how you eventually draw down your assets matters too. Since December 6, 2025, SBI Securities has expanded its scheduled mutual fund redemption service to support three methods: fixed amount, fixed rate, and fixed period (source: SBI Securities press release). This scheduled redemption setting is also available inside NISA accounts, which makes it easier to plan not just the accumulation phase, but the drawdown phase as well.

Things to watch out for when using new NISA at SBI Securities

I’ve covered a lot of upside here, but there are a few things to keep in mind. To boost your card-installment point rate, you’d need to consider a card with an annual fee (like the Gold or Platinum Preferred), so it’s worth calculating whether the fee is actually worth the higher reward rate for your situation. Also, if you pick individual stocks with the Growth quota, you’re exposed to more price volatility than with fund-based installment investing, so keeping diversification in mind matters. For a fuller rundown of the program’s finer details and SBI Securities’ drawbacks as a brokerage, check out my earlier post on SBI Securities pros and cons.

Who should use new NISA at SBI Securities?

I’d say new NISA at SBI Securities makes the most sense for people who want to steadily earn points through card-based installment investing, people who want a wide range of choices in mutual funds and U.S. stocks, and people who want to plan ahead for how they’ll eventually draw down their assets. Simply using the program isn’t enough — leaning into what each brokerage does well is what changes how efficient the same tax-free quota ends up being. I hope this helps you find an approach that fits you.

日本語版はこちら → SBI証券で新NISAを使いこなす方法

* This article is for informational purposes only and does not recommend any specific investment. Please make investment decisions at your own responsibility.

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