Japan | Crypto

The crypto exchange has previously been in the crosshairs of Japanese regulators for offering products and services without the proper registration. Japan’s watchdog overseeing many activities for cryptocurrency exchanges, has issued warning letters to companies including KuCoin for conducting certain operations without registering, according to a Thursday update from the Financial Services Agency (FSA). According to the agency’s latest list of entities “conducting financial instruments business without registration,” the FSA said platforms KuCoin, NeonFX, theoption, and GTCFX received a March notice for “soliciting over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives trading via the internet.” Of the four platforms, the FSA listed KuCoin, which is headquartered in the Seychelles, as offering services to Japanese residents, while the others have an international user base. The FSA issued a similar warning to KuCoin and other exchanges, including Bybit, in November 2024 for offering products and services to Japanese residents w...

Bond markets, not oil alone, may decide Bitcoin’s fate this week The market is still treating oil as the center of the current macro shock. Market conditions after this weekend point somewhere else. Oil is the spark, bond markets are the channel, and Bitcoin is trading inside that channel as the week begins. That is […] The post Bitcoin focus flips from oil to bonds as US and Japan 10-year yields spike into a critical week appeared first on CryptoSlate.

SBI VC Trade said users could lend assets directly to its platform, but added that the company may re-lend funds as part of its operations. SBI Holdings’ digital asset arm, SBI VC Trade, said it will launch a USDC lending service in Japan on Thursday, allowing retail users to lend stablecoins to the platform under fixed-term agreements in exchange for returns. On Wednesday, the company said users will be able to lend Circle’s USDC (USDC) stablecoin to the platform and receive interest payments, with a maximum application of 5,000 USDC per offering. The product is structured as a loan to SBI VC Trade rather than a deposit, meaning users take direct counterparty risk. SBI said it may also re-lend the borrowed USDC as part of its operations. The launch marks a further step in Japan’s stablecoin rollout, bringing a consumer-accessible USDC yield product to market through a licensed domestic platform. Read more

Bank of Japan to Test Blockchain Reserve Settlement The post Bank of Japan to Test Blockchain-Based Reserve Settlement System appeared first on Cryptonews.

Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi said she had no knowledge of the token, as Kyodo reported the FSA was considering whether unregistered operators were involved. A cryptocurrency using the name of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi briefly surged to a market value of about $27.7 million before sliding sharply after Takaichi publicly denied any connection to the token. In a statement posted on X, Takaichi said she had no knowledge of the “Sanae Token,” adding that neither she nor her office had granted any approval related to it. She said the clarification was issued to prevent public misunderstanding.  “Due to the name, it seems there are various misunderstandings, but regarding this token, I have absolutely no knowledge of it, nor has my office been informed about what this token entails,” she wrote.  Read more

Japan’s prime minister says she has no knowledge of or involvement in a Solana-based meme token that briefly reached a $27.7 million market cap before tumbling.

BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said the experiments will examine links between blockchain systems and Japan’s existing settlement infrastructure. The Bank of Japan will conduct technical experiments using blockchain technology to settle deposits held at the central bank by financial institutions, according to BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda.  In a speech posted Tuesday titled “The New Financial Ecosystem and the Role of Central Banks,” Ueda said a sandbox project is underway to test settlement using central bank money “in the form of current account deposits on a system that uses blockchains.” The experiments will explore “methods of connection with the existing system” and examine use cases, including “domestic interbank settlement and securities settlement.” Read more

Japan’s regulators and conglomerates are working to bring one of the world’s key funding currencies into DeFi, but retail activity remains muted. Japan is preparing its financial system for a world of stablecoins and tokenized assets, with banks, regulators and financial conglomerates working to bring the yen economy onchain. The country is the world’s fourth-largest economy, and its yen is one of the most important currencies in global finance. According to the International Monetary Fund, the yen accounted for 5.82% of global foreign exchange reserves, ranking third worldwide. A major reason for the yen’s systemic importance is the carry trade. Due to low interest rates, investors borrow cheap yen, convert it into other currencies and invest in higher-yield assets, making the yen one of the most trusted funding currencies for global markets. Read more

Bank of America Securities expects the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to raise its policy rate from 0.75% to 1.0% at its April 27-28 meeting. Markets already price roughly 80% odds of that outcome, according to swap data cited in recent BoJ meeting minutes. The 25-basis-point move itself sounds modest, but the debate it has sparked […] The post Odds Bank of Japan raises rates hits 80% with Bitcoin on the sideline – one hidden signal decides everything appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Japan spent decades as the world’s best destination for the world's easiest funding trade. You could borrow yen at very low rates, buy almost anything with a higher yield, hedge just enough to feel responsible, and assume the Bank of Japan would keep volatility contained. Late January 2026 is what it looks like when that […] The post Japan bond market chaos threatens unprecedented Bitcoin liquidations as the era of free money ends appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Japan’s financial regulator is weighing rule changes that could allow crypto assets to qualify for ETFs, signaling a possible shift in retail access. Japan’s financial regulator is weighing potential rule changes that could pave the way for cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with local media reporting that 2028 is being discussed as an early target. According to a report by Nikkei, citing people familiar with the matter, Japan’s Financial Services Agency plans to amend its regulatory framework to allow crypto to be included as eligible ETF assets alongside stronger investor-protection mechanisms.  Major financial groups, including Nomura Holdings and SBI Holdings, are among the first companies expected to develop crypto-linked ETF products, Nikkei reported. Read more

At first glance, this looks like a story that lives on the back pages of a newspaper, Japanese government bonds with maturities that run so long they sound like a joke, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. If you own Bitcoin, you still end up in the blast radius. Because when Japan’s long-dated bonds start […] The post Bitcoin is in the blast radius after Japan’s bond market hit a terrifying 30-year breaking point appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Japan's Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama stood at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Jan. 5 and declared 2026 a “digital year,” framing traditional exchanges as the primary gateway for investors to access cryptoassets and ETF-like products. As Elliptic noted, she pointed to US spot Bitcoin ETFs as a model, explicitly stating what Japan's Financial Services Agency […] The post XRP currently dominates Japan’s cash inflows, and a new 20% tax rate is about to lock that advantage in appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Tokyo bond traders have a new number burned into their screens this week, 3.5%. For most of the past two decades, Japan’s long end was the place the world went to forget about interest rates. If you were a pension fund trying to match liabilities, a bank trying to park liquidity, or a global macro […] The post Bitcoin faces a “liquidity drain” danger zone as Japan’s 30-year yield breaks a historic record appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Japan’s finance minister signaled that crypto’s future lies inside regulated exchanges as Japan advances tax, disclosure and market reforms. Japan appears to be moving to bring cryptocurrencies deeper into its traditional market rulebook, signaling that regulators want digital assets handled through established exchanges and securities-style oversight rather than a parallel system. The direction was underscored on Monday by Finance Minister and Financial Services Minister Satsuki Katayama, who publicly backed traditional securities exchanges and market infrastructure as the primary gateway for blockchain-based assets.  Speaking at the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s New Year opening ceremony, Katayama framed 2026 as Japan’s first year of full-scale digitalization. Her remarks echoed a broader regulatory shift that has been steadily aligning crypto with traditional capital markets.  Read more

Japan’s ruling coalition has released its 2026 tax reform blueprint, outlining a potential shift in how cryptocurrencies are treated under the country’s tax system, according to a CoinPost report. The post Japan’s 2026 Tax Reform Blueprint Maps Out New Framework for Crypto Assets: Report  appeared first on Cryptonews.

The Bank of Japan tightened policy on Dec. 18, lifting its benchmark rate to 0.75%, the highest since 1995. Governor Kazuo Ueda framed the move as a formal break with the “ultra-accommodative” regime that has helped fuel global risk-taking for decades. Following the news, Bitcoin was little changed near $87,800, but the calm surface belies […] The post Japan’s rate hike ends the ‘free money’ era and puts Bitcoin on notice appeared first on CryptoSlate.

BTC rose to $88,000 after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates. The increase, seen as a potential risk-off trigger, failed to spark a flight into the yen.

Bitcoin headed higher despite the Bank of Japan's interest-rate hike while reactions saw bullish risk-asset signals and no further policy tightening. Bitcoin (BTC) aimed for $88,000 on Friday after Japan’s central bank raised interest rates to 30-year highs. Key points: Bitcoin joins US stocks futures heading higher in a curiously bullish reaction to Japan’s interest-rate hike. Read more

Japan's anticipated rate hike to 0.75% threatens to reverse global liquidity flows that have supported Bitcoin, with analysts warning that carry trade unwinding could pressure prices as the BOJ simultaneously plans to sell ¥83 trillion in accumulated ETFs starting January 2026. The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Japan’s Next Rate Hike Could Flip the Global Risk Trade – Is Bitcoin the Big Winner? appeared first on Cryptonews.