Metaplanet Expands Bitcoin Strategy with New Venture Firm

Metaplanet has launched Metaplanet Ventures K.K. to support development of the Bitcoin ecosystem in Japan as the country moves to recognize Bitcoin as a regulated financial asset within the next two years. The company expects Bitcoin to be reclassified as a regulated financial asset by January 2028.

Metaplanet Ventures will be split into investment, incubation and grants programs. The investment arm will back seed- to growth-stage startups building Bitcoin infrastructure on the Lightning Network and other payments and lending-focused platforms, and may also support firms working on stablecoins, options and derivatives trading, custody and tokenization.

The incubator will target early-stage Bitcoin and crypto infrastructure startups in Japan, while the grants program will fund open-source developers, educators, researchers and community organizers. Metaplanet expects to deploy 4 billion Japanese yen ($25.2 million) into these programs over the first two to three years, funded by cash flows from its Bitcoin income business.

Japan

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