SBI Holdings Buys Bitbank for ¥46.7 Billion to Dominate Japanese Crypto Market

SBI Holdings is set to acquire Bitbank, a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, in a ¥46.7 billion deal that could reshape Japan's domestic crypto market.

The acquisition will be conducted through SBICAH GK, SBI Holdings' wholly owned subsidiary.

The combined group is projected to oversee ¥1.1 trillion in assets across 2.92 million accounts, making it a major player in the Japanese crypto market.

The deal also involves the buyback and retirement of stakes held by major Bitbank shareholders MIXI Inc. and Ceres Inc.

The acquisition strengthens SBI Holdings' digital-asset footprint without requiring it to build market share from scratch, and gives the group more leverage across exchange operations, custody, and customer accounts.

The deal is part of a wider global trend toward crypto exchange consolidation, as smaller or independent platforms may face pressure to merge with larger financial groups that have deeper compliance resources.