SBI Moves to Acquire Bitbank, Bolstering Its Position in Japan’s Crypto Market

Consolidation in Japan’s crypto-asset trading market is accelerating as regulation moves closer to the framework governing financial instruments and compliance costs rise. SBI Holdings merged Bitpoint Japan into SBI VC Trade on April 1, 2026. Adding Bitbank would combine licenses, customers and assets under custody, strengthening SBI’s scale advantage in Japan’s digital-asset market.

SBI Holdings announced on June 25, 2026, that it would acquire Bitbank for 46.7 billion yen, or about $289 million, through its wholly owned subsidiary SBICAH. It will initially secure 68.76% of the voting rights and raise its stake to 100% after the transaction is completed. The share transfer is scheduled for August, while the capital increase and conversion into a wholly owned subsidiary are expected to be completed in October. The combined business will have about 1.1 trillion yen in assets under custody and roughly 2.92 million accounts.