Japanese publicly listed company Metaplanet has announced the purchase of 780 BTC at an average price of approximately $118,622 per bitcoin, totaling around $92.5 million. As of July 28, Metaplanet holds a total of 17,132 BTC, acquired for $1.73 billion at an average purchase price of about $101,030 per bitcoin.
CEO Simon Gerovich announced on his X account. He said diversifying into Bitcoin has generated a 449.7% year-to-date return, an amazing number that few traditional stocks could boast of. The latest purchase signals renewed confidence in institutional buying amid a wave of corporate purchases recently.
Metaplanet Bolsters Its BTC Holdings
The Japanese company has been aggressive in its Bitcoin purchases since early 2025. It first bought 497 BTC for an average price of $89,398 on March 5, 2025, totalling its holdings to 2,888. Between March and April, the company purchased an additional 1,165 BTC for an average price of 83k to 97k, pushing its holdings to 5,555.
May to June saw the highest number of acquisitions, with the company adding up to 4,000 BTC at an average purchase price of 101k to 108k. On June 30, Metaplanet added 1,005 BTC at an average price of 107,601 to take its total holdings to 13,350. The company made its last acquisition before today on July 7, purchasing 797 BTC at an average price of 117,451, taking its total holdings to 16,352.
Metaplanet financed these acquisitions through equity sales and zero-interest bonds. The company plans to bolster its Bitcoin holdings to 210,000 BTC by 2027, representing approximately 1% of the total supply. Metaplanet’s meticulously executed plan places the company as one of the largest corporate holders of Bitcoin, as institutional buying surges.
What’s Driving Institutional Buying?
Metaplanet’s latest acquisition underscores a growing institutional buying trend that began early this year. But why are companies stacking up Bitcoin amid the narrative that it’s a volatile asset?
First is treasury diversification. Metaplanet is shifting idle capital to Bitcoin with the hope of a potential increase amid declining currency and inflation. Rather than allow inflation and a volatile economy to depreciate value, diversifying into Bitcoin helps to protect the company’s portfolio and keep it afloat.
Furthermore, companies with a Bitcoin treasury often trade at premiums. They believe in the longevity of BTC and its potential yield, which helps to bolster their equity rating. Moreover, adopting a Bitcoin reserve represents forward-thinking leadership and innovation, championed by pro-crypto leaders like Donald Trump and Lee Jae Myung of South Korea.
Institutional Buying Validates Bitcoin as a Corporate Reserve
Once considered a volatile asset that would make many poorer, Bitcoin’s legitimacy as a corporate reserve asset has been sealed. The institutional buying trend of Metaplanet and other companies like MicroStrategy reinforces BTC’s role as fundamental to long-term profitability.
Even in turbulent markets, corporate institutions continue to pile into Bitcoin, but not in lump sums. Instead, they use a methodical approach of smaller, consistent buys, which delivers long-term superior yields. This shows confidence in its long-term value. When more companies diversify into BTC, it would only aid the asset to go up in price, which benefits everyone.
With more corporate institutions into Bitcoin, investors have increased access to the asset. This is true for traditional investors afraid of investing in Bitcoin directly. As a shareholder, they can have indirect exposure to BTC through ETFs; that way, the risks are mitigated.
Will Metaplanet’s Buying Spree Affect Other Non-US Firms?
Metaplanet’s move puts Japan on the crypto map. Not only will other companies try to penetrate the market, but it may also influence other Japanese companies and non-U.S. firms to embrace Bitcoin as a core strategic asset.
However, firms may need to be cautious. Continued BTC accumulation depends on the company’s ability to issue equity or debt without affecting shareholders’ value. Also, firms trying to delve into Bitcoin accumulation should be aware of volatility, which could affect the balance sheet. This could be fatal if the company bought aggressively or over-leveraged its stock holdings.
Metaplanet has already indicated it’d buy more BTC in the future as part of its long-term strategy. The company also plans to make future cash-generative business acquisitions using its BTC holdings. We might see the company expand into tokenization and crypto-backed lending.
