Japanese cryptocurrency industry participants hope for regulatory easing and are competing for market share

According to Reuters, from launching new products and services in Japan to promoting leveraged trading, Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges and financial companies are seizing the opportunity to profit from the growing enthusiasm of investors for digital assets, amid expectations of regulatory easing. By the end of July, the scale of cryptocurrency assets held by Japanese investors surpassed a record 50 trillion yen, a 25% increase from just a month earlier. During the same period, Bitcoin, as a major holding, saw a price increase of only 15% in yen terms. By the end of September, the holding scale slightly decreased to 49 trillion yen.

Now, industry participants are preparing for accelerated growth. The regulatory changes being discussed may attract more retail investors by reducing cryptocurrency capital gains tax and easing restrictions on lending and asset securitization transactions. Satoshi Hasuo, a representative director of Coincheck, pointed out that the number of securities accounts is about three times that of cryptocurrency accounts, indicating significant market potential and the need to consider how to attract this segment of investors. CJ Fong from market maker GSR also mentioned that there has been increased communication with Japanese exchanges and financial companies this year, aimed at providing more liquidity for digital assets. The CEO of Bitbank believes that the Trump administration prompted Japan to warm up to cryptocurrencies. Currently, Japan's Financial Services Agency is refining the rule amendment proposal, which is expected to be implemented in 2026 or 2027 after parliamentary discussion and approval.