SBI Holdings, the Japanese financial services conglomerate operating across banking, securities, and insurance, has entered into discussions with Bitbank Co., Ltd. regarding a capital and business alliance that could result in the crypto exchange becoming a consolidated subsidiary, CoinPost reported this morning.
The company intends to acquire shares after completing due diligence, though timing and structure remain undecided.
Bitbank Co., Ltd. operates Bitbank, a Tokyo-based crypto exchange specializing in Bitcoin and other digital assets traded against the Japanese yen. The exchange ranks third in Japan by trading volume and market share, making it a key player in the domestic crypto market.
Earlier this month, Bitbank launched Japan’s first crypto-backed credit card in partnership with EPOS Card Co., Ltd., enabling Visa payments directly from exchange balances.
The company has also raised capital from investors including Mixi, the Japanese social networking and gaming company, and is preparing for a potential Tokyo Stock Exchange listing while expanding into GameFi and institutional services.
Japan’s regulatory shift
Japan is in the middle of rewriting the rules for crypto. Lawmakers are moving to fold digital assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, essentially treating them more like traditional securities. That means stricter compliance, higher capital requirements, and a regulatory barrier that smaller exchanges will struggle to clear.
SBI has been aggressively expanding into digital assets. The financial conglomerate acquired DMM Bitcoin customer accounts in 2025 and integrated BITPoint Japan into its domestic exchange operations.
With regulatory discussions underway to bring crypto assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, SBI’s move is viewed as laying the groundwork ahead of tighter oversight. The addition of Bitbank would create Japan’s largest crypto asset platform group, combining several major exchanges.
The company also plans to acquire a majority stake in Singapore-based crypto exchange Coinhako, along with additional capital investment via SBI Ventures Asset. The deal is intended to expand SBI’s influence in Asia’s digital asset markets and strengthen its position as a global crypto infrastructure provider.