SBI Takes Full Control of Japanese Crypto Exchange Bitbank

The acquisition of Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank by SBI Holdings has been completed. As of October 1, 2026, SBI Holdings owns all shares of Bitbank, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary.

The deal was finalized after months of negotiations between the two companies, with SBI Holdings submitting a letter of intent in May and signing a Basic Agreement and Share Transfer Agreement in June. The acquisition included buying shares from Bitbank's President & CEO Noriyuki Hirosue and individual stockholders.

SBI Holdings gained indirect control over Bitbank after issuing new shares to its subsidiary, SBICAH GK. The funds raised were used by Bitbank to repurchase shares from MIXI and Ceres. This transaction was completed on October 1, marking the end of the SBI Bitbank Acquisition process.

The acquisition will not affect the availability of Bitbank's exchange service, with customers able to continue using the platform as before. The integration into the SBI Group is expected to provide Bitbank with access to various financial services and business assets, allowing it to leverage these resources in developing its digital assets trading operations.