Metaplanet to buy Siiibo for $13M, launch Bitcoin yields in Japan

Metaplanet has agreed to acquire Siiibo Securities for ¥2.1 billion ($13 million), with the transaction expected to close in July 2026. The acquired firm will be renamed Metaplanet Securities and used to develop and distribute Bitcoin-linked yield products to Japanese retail investors as part of the company’s Project Nova initiative.

Siiibo holds a Type 1 Financial Instruments Business license, which allows underwriting and distribution of securities to retail clients. The firm helped create Japan’s online corporate bond market and has supported more than 100 bond offerings for over 40 companies. Metaplanet plans to use the licensed broker as its primary retail distribution channel after the rebrand.

Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich called the deal ‘the first concrete step in Project Nova, our long-term strategy to build a Bitcoin-centric financial ecosystem in Japan.’ He indicated the company will use its Bitcoin holdings to design yield-bearing instruments aimed at domestic savers.

The company holds 40,177 BTC, roughly $2.6 billion at current prices according to public tallies of corporate treasuries. Metaplanet has accumulated Bitcoin in part as a hedge against yen weakness and is expanding into regulated product development to commercialize that position within Japan’s markets.

Management highlighted roughly $7.4 trillion in household cash and deposits in Japan as a pool of domestic savings that could seek returns as monetary conditions change. Gerovich noted ‘that capital has already begun searching for yield’ and said the securities license will allow Metaplanet to package Bitcoin exposure into regulated yield products for retail investors. In May, the company posted $725 million Q1 loss.

The board also approved the creation of Metaplanet Ventures and Metaplanet Asset Management and authorized plans to deploy about $25 million (¥4 billion) over the next two to three years into companies building Bitcoin financial infrastructure. The new venture arm will target early- and growth-stage firms and provide grants to open-source Bitcoin developers and educators.

The acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Once the deal closes and Siiibo is rebranded, Metaplanet Securities will serve as the group’s regulated channel to offer structured products and other yield strategies tied to Bitcoin to Japanese retail clients.