Japan | Crypto

Japan reportedly stepped into the currency market with roughly $35 billion of yen buying, sending the dollar down nearly 3% to 155.5. Bank of Japan (BOJ) money-market data imply that size is accurate. Once the Ministry of Finance's monthly release confirms it, this would rank as Japan's first official yen-support action in almost two years […] The post Japan has moved to save the yen again, and Bitcoin traders may pay the price appeared first on CryptoSlate.

SBI Holdings is in discussions to make Bitbank a subsidiary, adding to its push to acquire crypto exchanges amid improving regulatory clarity in Japan. Tokyo-based SBI Holdings has opened talks to acquire shares in cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank and make it a consolidated subsidiary, extending its push to consolidate regulated crypto trading platforms in Japan as the country moves toward securities-style rules for digital assets. The financial conglomerate said Friday it is considering a share acquisition as part of a potential capital and business alliance with Bitbank. The deal remains subject to due diligence, negotiations and internal approvals, SBI said. The talks come a month after SBI VC Trade absorbed Bitpoint Japan on April 1, with SBI VC Trade becoming the surviving company. A Bitbank acquisition would give SBI a larger position in Japan’s crypto exchange market at a time when policymakers are preparing to bring crypto assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Read more

Four Japanese government agencies have warned against the AML risks posed by crypto in real estate transactions, instructing industry bodies to enforce stricter compliance. Japan's financial, law enforcement and real estate regulators have issued a joint guidance request warning that crypto assets pose money laundering risk in property transactions. The request, published on Tuesday, was issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Financial Services Agency, the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Finance. It was addressed to major real estate and crypto industry bodies, including the Japan Cryptocurrency Business Association and several national real estate federations. “Crypto assets, which have the nature of being transferred instantly across national borders, are considered to pose a high risk of being used as a payment method in real estate transactions for the purpose of money laundering,” the request states. Read more

The Japanese Securities Clearing Corporation will test using Japanese government bonds as digital collateral on the Canton network with Mizuho, Nomura and Digital Asset. Japan Securities Clearing Corporation (JSCC), part of Japan Exchange Group (JPX), said Monday it will launch a proof of concept with Mizuho Financial Group, Nomura Holdings and Digital Asset to test the use of Japanese government bonds as digital collateral on the Canton Network. The project will examine whether Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) can be transferred and managed onchain while maintaining the legal status of the bonds under the Book-Entry Transfer Act and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. The trial will also test whether integrating existing systems with Canton’s blockchain infrastructure can support more sophisticated, real-time collateral transactions on a 24/7 basis, including in cross-border use cases. Read more

Japan has long been one of Ripple's most fertile markets. SBI's investment in Ripple dates to 2016, SBI Remit launched Japan's first XRP-enabled international remittance flow in 2021, and SBI VC Trade counts XRP among its most popular assets. When Ripple and SBI announced in August 2025 that SBI VC Trade intended to distribute RLUSD […] The post Ripple’s dollar stablecoin hits a wall in Japan, one of XRP’s friendliest markets, as megabanks earn most of the trust appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Japan tightens oversight with insider-trading bans and new disclosure rules as crypto markets attract more institutional participation. The Japanese government amended the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act on Friday to classify crypto assets as financial instruments. The amendment also bans insider trading and other activities that involve buying and selling based on undisclosed information, Nikkei reported. The amended act will also now require cryptocurrency “issuers” to be more transparent and disclose information once a year. Read more

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.