“Wave of Bitcoin Buying Coming from Japanese Firms,” Says Metaplanet CEO

- Metaplanet CEO, Japanese Companies Expected to Purchase Bitcoin Recognition of BTC as 'Digital Gold' Amid Weak Yen and Inflation [Unblock Media] On December 27, 2024, Simon Gerovich, CEO of the listed Japanese company Metaplanet, emphasized via an official press release and X (formerly Twitter) that a 'huge wave of BTC buying' would come, with more Japanese companies expected to purchase Bitcoin. This statement emerges amid weak yen and persistent inflationary pressures, suggesting that Bitcoin is being perceived as 'digital gold' at the corporate level. Metaplanet began including BTC in its asset management strategy starting in 2024, and as of April this year, held approximately 117 BTC (worth about $7.5 million at that time). The company has been dubbed the 'Japanese MicroStrategy' and is being noted as a symbolic example leading institutional demand for BTC in Asia. As the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) ultra-loose monetary policy continues, the yen reached its lowest level in 34 years by the end of 2024 (1 dollar = 151 yen). Consequently, Japanese companies face a complex risk of increased dollar-based import costs and declined real purchasing power. Amid this background, some listed companies are exploring BTC holdings as a part of their asset defense strategies. Bitcoin operates in a decentralized system where global distributed nodes verify transactions independently of any central authority. Transactions are transparently recorded using blockchain technology, which is practically immune to tampering due to hash-based encryption and the Proof of Work (PoW) structure. These features appeal to companies seeking to hedge against the declining value risks of fiat currencies like yen or dollars. The CEO of Metaplanet's remarks highlight a tangible shift in perception leading to actual purchasing behavior. A similar precedent was seen with Tesla in February 2021. At that time, Tesla announced a purchase of $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin, promptly causing Bitcoin prices to surge by 17% and hit an all-time high. Metaplanet is also sending strong signals to the market with its BTC holding strategy, which investors interpret as a precursor to a 'corporate buying boom' in Asia. Though Metaplanet's BTC holdings are still small in scale, the fact that an officially listed company in Japan is incorporating cryptocurrency into its corporate assets is significant. This move could influence not only the conservative financial market of Japan but may also indirectly affect the cryptocurrency strategies of global companies. The CEO of Metaplanet forecasts that "this trend is just the beginning" and predicts that more companies will include cryptocurrency in their accounting strategies by 2025. Metaplanet's statement implies more than a simple corporate announcement but also holds the potential to accelerate the institutional adoption of Bitcoin across Asia. If the demand for BTC rises in response to Japan's yen risk, it could lead to increased buying pressure in the global market, positively impacting the long-term value of Bitcoin.