Metaplanet Invests in Bitcoin
Metaplanet decided to buy an additional 150 Bitcoin. At the time of writing, the value of Bitcoin is $85,141, making it a sizable purchase. The company has already announced a plan to own 21,000 BTC by 2026, and this is a step towards that goal.
The purchase took place on March 18th, and it cost 1.88 billion yen ($12.6 million) or $83,671 per Bitcoin. At this point, Metaplent holds 3,200 BTC in aggregate value of $261.8 million at the time of writing. In this article, we’ll explain the details of this deal and its importance for the state of the Bitcoin market.
What’s Metaplanet?
Metaplanet is a publicly traded Japanese company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company was founded in 1999, but in recent years, it has refocused on Bitcoin. Metaplanet tries to use Bitcoin as a principal treasury reserve asset. All the excess cash flow the company has at its disposal is used to purchase more Bitcoin.
The company is rooted in Japan, and its employees include experts in the fields of Bitcoin, traditional financial assets, real estate, and trading.
How was the Purchase made?
Purchasing Bitcoin is now easier than ever, and it’s widely available to the general public. Many small investors are able to buy crypto with a credit card. This has broadened the base of users and provided a chance for almost anyone to have some Bitcoin assets as a part of their portfolio.
However, Metaplanet used common shares to fund a purchase of this large amount. It has issued over 44 million shares that were available to the general public to buy on the stock market. This is the approach used by MicroStrategy, and the company is often called Asia MicroStrategy.
Investors Reacting
Metaplanet’s goal and its moves towards achieving it have sparked interest among investors. The stock price has risen by 4.8 percent since February, and this can only be attributed to the recent doubling of Bitcoin.
According to the company, its investor base is also rising. The base grew by as much as 500 percent in 2024. This means that about 50,000 new investors have joined Metaplanet. Its market capitalization has increased by 9,652% in the same year. This is partly because Japan has changed its policy towards crypto and reduced the taxes on profits made from it.
The Returns
The return per share has also risen dramatically, and investors in Metaplanet and, therefore, Bitcoin have profited from this short golden age of crypto. Metaplanet’s Bitcoin return per share rose by 309.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, the returns jumped from 53.2% to 60.8% between January 1st and March 18th, compared to March of the previous year.
These results, alongside others made by Japanese crypto-oriented companies, have led experts in the country to change their minds about blockchain-based currencies. For instance, the government is now considering creating a Bitcoin reserve, as is the case with the US.
Less Whale Investors
This move by Metaplanet comes at an interesting time for Bitcoin investing. Bitcoin has had a great run for months now, and it reached its highest price on the day Trump was inaugurated — January 20th. However, many feel that this cycle is about to end and somewhat faster than expected.
One of the ways this is noticeable — and also one of the reasons why it’s happening — is that whale investors are backing away from Bitcoin purchases. Combined with the lesser interest in Bitcoin ETFs, it may create a downturn.
End of the Cycle
Bitcoin has had a good cycle consistent with the four-year rule, but lately, it’s on a downward turn that has surprised many analysts and experts. Some feel that it isn’t just a temporary setback, and it goes to show that the four-year cycle is no longer applicable when Bitcoin ETFs are available.
Metaplanet has used this dip to make its purchase and move further towards its goal set for 2026. This is a common strategy for both big and small-time investors, as the value of Bitcoin is almost certain to rise again in the long run, and holding the assets you’ve bought during the dip pays out eventually.
To Sum Up
Metaplanet, an investment company from Japan, recently made a large purchase of Bitcoin. It’s a part of its long-term goal to boost its Bitcoin assets by 2026 significantly. They bought about 150 BTC, which is 3,200 BTC altogether. The final goal of 21,000 is still far away. Metaplanet issued shares to raise the funds needed to make the purchase.
This move comes at a time when Bitcoin is losing value faster than was anticipated. Some believe that it’s a quick end to the bull market and that the predictions around a four-year cycle no longer apply to Bitcoin.