Japan

Japan's parliament approved legislation reclassifying bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as financial assets, marking a major regulatory shift that aligns digital assets more closely with traditional financial markets.

Metaplanet is taking its Bitcoin strategy beyond treasury accumulation, launching a study to explore tokenized, Bitcoin-backed credit products that could reshape Japan's debt market.

SBI Holdings will acquire Japanese crypto exchange Bitbank for 46.7 billion yen ($288.6 million), creating Japan’s largest regulated crypto exchange group.

Metaplanet is acquiring Siiibo Securities for 2.1 billion yen ($13.1 million), giving Japan's largest corporate Bitcoin holder a securities license and distribution platform to launch Bitcoin-linked investment products.

A closer look at why JPX's proposed crypto-asset exclusion sits awkwardly inside a rules-based benchmark like TOPIX.

Japan plans to reclassify cryptocurrencies as financial products under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, shifting them from a payment-based framework to one aligned with traditional securities regulation.

Tokyo-based bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet reported a fiscal 2025 net loss of 95 billion yen ($619 million), largely due to a 102.2 billion yen ($666 million) drop in the value of its bitcoin holdings.

Metaplanet raised up to 21 billion yen ($137 million) through share issuance as it doubles down on its strategy of accumulating bitcoin.

Metaplanet bought $451 million worth of bitcoin in the fourth quarter, lifting its holdings to 35,102 BTC as it doubles down on a high-risk, long-term treasury strategy.

Japan’s FSA plans to require crypto exchanges to hold liability reserves to compensate customers for losses from hacks, failures, or bankruptcies.