Metaplanet launches $25M venture arm to fund Bitcoin startups in Japan

Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has launched a new venture initiative aimed at supporting the development of Bitcoin infrastructure and startups in Japan, as the country moves toward recognizing Bitcoin as a regulated financial asset in the coming years.

The company announced that it has established Metaplanet Ventures K.K., a new venture arm that will fund, incubate and support companies building financial infrastructure around Bitcoin and other digital assets.

The move reflects growing momentum within Japan’s crypto industry as regulators consider reclassifying Bitcoin under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.

Metaplanet said the expansion is part of a broader strategy built around the expectation that Bitcoin will be reclassified as a regulated financial asset by January 2028.

Metaplanet Ventures to fund Bitcoin infrastructure startups

Metaplanet Ventures will focus on supporting startups building regulated Bitcoin financial infrastructure in Japan.

According to the company, the venture arm will operate through three main programs: investment, incubation and grants.

The investment program will back companies ranging from seed-stage startups to growth-stage firms developing Bitcoin-related infrastructure.

This includes projects building on the Lightning Network, as well as companies working on payments and lending platforms.

Metaplanet said startups involved in stablecoins, options and derivatives trading, custody services and tokenization may also receive funding, indicating that the venture program may extend beyond Bitcoin-specific projects.

The incubator program will target early-stage Bitcoin and crypto infrastructure startups based in Japan, while the grants program will support open-source developers, educators, researchers and community organizers involved in Bitcoin development.

The company plans to invest about 4 billion Japanese yen, or roughly $25.2 million, into these initiatives over the next two to three years.

The funding will come from cash flows generated by Metaplanet’s Bitcoin income business.

Regulatory changes expected to reshape Japan’s crypto market

Metaplanet’s strategy reflects expectations that Japan’s regulatory framework for digital assets will evolve in the coming years.

The firm said it is expanding its Bitcoin-related initiatives based on the expectation that the asset will be reclassified as a regulated financial instrument under Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.

Such a move would change how Bitcoin investments are taxed in Japan.

The proposed framework would introduce a flat 20% capital gains tax for Bitcoin investments, replacing the current miscellaneous income tax rate that can reach up to 55%.

Metaplanet’s venture initiative aims to help position Japan’s domestic Bitcoin ecosystem to compete internationally as these regulatory changes take shape.

As part of the program, Metaplanet Ventures has already announced a ¥400 million ($2.52 million) investment in JPYC, Japan’s first licensed yen stablecoin.

JPYC, launched in October 2025, is backed by bank deposits and government bonds to maintain a one-to-one peg with the Japanese yen.

The stablecoin currently operates across several blockchain networks including Avalanche, Ethereum and Polygon.

Bitcoin accumulation remains the company’s core strategy

Despite expanding into venture investing and financial services, Metaplanet said its primary focus remains the long-term accumulation of Bitcoin.

The company is currently the fourth-largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, with 35,102 BTC worth approximately $2.44 billion on its balance sheet, according to BitcoinTreasuries.NET data.

Metaplanet previously announced plans to accumulate 210,000 Bitcoin — equivalent to about 1% of the cryptocurrency’s maximum supply — by the end of 2027.

In addition to the venture arm, the company also launched Metaplanet Asset Management, a Miami-based subsidiary focused on digital credit and Bitcoin capital markets.

The unit plans to develop investment products designed to connect Asian and Western capital markets through strategies focused on yield, equity, credit and volatility in the digital asset sector.

Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich and board director Shinpei Okuno will serve as representatives of Metaplanet Ventures as the firm expands its role in the country’s Bitcoin ecosystem.