Metaplanet, a company known for accumulating Bitcoin, has launched a new venture firm called Metaplanet Ventures to help develop the Bitcoin ecosystem in Japan. The move comes as the country considers recognizing Bitcoin as a regulated financial asset within the next two years.
The company announced on Thursday that Metaplanet Ventures K.K. will focus on funding, incubating and scaling startups building regulated Bitcoin financial infrastructure. Its efforts will particularly target projects that strengthen Japan’s domestic Bitcoin ecosystem and improve the country’s competitiveness on the global stage.
Metaplanet said the initiative is part of its broader Bitcoin strategy, which is based on expectations that Bitcoin could be officially reclassified as a regulated financial asset by January 2028.
Metaplanet Ventures will operate through three key programs: investment, incubation and grants.
The investment program will support startups ranging from seed to growth stage that are building Bitcoin-related infrastructure, particularly on the Lightning Network — a layer-2 payment system built on top of Bitcoin — as well as other platforms focused on payments and lending.
Metaplanet also noted that startups working in areas such as stablecoins, options and derivatives trading, custody solutions and tokenization could receive funding. This suggests the firm may support broader crypto infrastructure projects beyond the core Bitcoin ecosystem.
The incubation program will focus on nurturing early-stage Bitcoin and crypto infrastructure startups in Japan. Meanwhile, the grants program will provide funding to Bitcoin open-source developers, educators, researchers and community organizers.
According to Metaplanet, the company plans to invest about 4 billion Japanese yen (around $25.2 million) into these initiatives over the next two to three years. The funding will come from cash flows generated by its Bitcoin-related income operations.
Simon Gerovich, CEO of Metaplanet, and board director Shinpei Okuno have been appointed as representatives of Metaplanet Ventures.
Bitcoin accumulation remains the main priority
Despite expanding into crypto startup investments, Metaplanet emphasized that accumulating and holding Bitcoin for the long term remains its “core focus.”
The company is currently the fourth-largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, with 35,102 BTC — valued at about $2.44 billion — on its balance sheet, according to data from BitcoinTreasuries.NET.
Led by Simon Gerovich, the company announced in June that it plans to accumulate 210,000 Bitcoin — roughly 1% of the network’s maximum supply — by the end of 2027.
