The Japanese financial conglomerate, SBI Holdings, announced this May 1, 2026 that it has begun formal negotiations to acquire a majority stake in Bitbank, one of the most important bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrency exchanges in the Asian nation.
This expansion occurs through the presentation of a letter of intent by Yoshitaka Kitao, president and CEO of SBI, focused on the acquisition of shares and the establishment of a commercial and capital alliance. Kitao confirmed the roadmap by noting: “In this transaction, we aim to make Bitbank a consolidated subsidiary of our company, and we plan to acquire its shares after conducting due diligence.”
As Kitao detailed, The final execution of the purchase is subject to analysis and to the completion of mandatory internal procedures.
Regarding the financial and logistical details of the operation, the president of the entity stressed that “the calendar, method and other specific conditions of the acquisition of shares will be discussed separately”, making it clear that The details of the capital transfer will be defined in private negotiations later.
This announcement is aligned with SBI’s international expansion strategy, which in February announced its plans to acquire a majority stake in the Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinhako.
The Bitbank integration responds to a change in Japan’s regulatory landscapewhere the government plans to include to digital assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchanges Law. In this regard, the firm indicated that by integrating Bitbank into its group and maximizing internal synergies, it will be able to “consolidate a dominant position in the cryptoasset sector in Japan”, anticipating the new rules of the game.
As part of this closing of technological ranks, the group is already preparing the operational ground with the upcoming launch of JPYSC, its own stablecoin, as reported by CriptoNoticias. The official launch of JPYSC is projected for the second quarter of 2026, subject to obtaining relevant regulatory approvals.
With the purchase of Bitbank and the issuance of its own cryptocurrency, SBI Holdings closes the circle to control the entire value chain of crypto assets in the Japanese archipelago.