TL;DR:
- Total Transaction Value: SBI Holdings disbursed 46.7 billion yen (approximately $294.9 million) to acquire 100% of Bitbank’s shares.
- Market Position: The combined entity oversees nearly 1.1 trillion yen in digital assets under custody across 2.92 million customer accounts.
- Transaction Close: The deal formally closed on October 1, 2026, following share buybacks from previous shareholders, including MIXI and Ceres.
This Thursday, Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings completed the Bitbank acquisition, turning it into a wholly owned subsidiary. The transaction positions the institutional group at the forefront of the domestic digital asset custody market by volume under management.
#ビットバンク は、SBIホールディングス株式会社による完全子会社化が完了しました。
あわせて、新たな経営体制についてお知らせします。
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今後ともビットバンクをよろしくお願いいたします。
詳細はこちら…
— ビットバンク Bitbank, inc. (@bitbank_inc) October 1, 2026
The buyout, valued at 46.7 billion yen, involved a sequence of share transfers that formally began mid-year. Official records indicate that the process included the subscription of new Bitbank shares by subsidiary SBICAH, followed by the repurchase of equity held by local tech firms MIXI and Ceres.
Following the closing, Bitbank is maintaining its standard retail services without scheduled technical disruptions for its users. The platform’s management confirmed it will continue supporting its customer base while integrating the parent group’s liquidity infrastructure.
Corporate Restructuring and Impact on the Japanese Market
Corporate governance across both firms was restructured immediately to coordinate unified management. Tomohiko Kondo, president of SBI VC Trade, joined Bitbank’s board of directors, while Bitbank CEO Noriyuki Hirosue will assume duties as an outside director at SBI VC Trade.
Three outside directors representing departing shareholders stepped down from Bitbank’s board following the settlement of their shares. The revised board composition aims to align operational strategy between both brands without immediately merging their individual trading platforms.
A report from Architect Partners notes that the buyout underscores the mounting pressures confronting independent domestic operators. Industry data indicates that rising regulatory compliance costs under Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act are driving corporate consolidation. Consulting firm analyses suggest other independent Japanese platforms may explore strategic tie-ups in subsequent quarters to meet heightened institutional capital requirements enforced by the Financial Services Agency (FSA).
This takeover follows the integration of Bitpoint Japan into SBI VC Trade, completed in April 2026. By bringing Bitbank into its fold, SBI Group expands its retail trading footprint, complementing the institutional brokerage operations it already runs across Asian markets.
Bitbank’s next internal supervisory meeting will convene before the end of the fourth quarter of 2026 to evaluate consolidated custody balances and file the necessary compliance reports with financial authorities in Tokyo.
