Japan’s Top Brokers Launch Crypto Trusts: Bitcoin, Ethereum Exposure for Retail Investors

SBI, Rakuten and Nomura prepare crypto investment trusts in Japan

Japan’s leading brokerage firms are getting ready to offer cryptocurrency investment products. This comes as regulators aim to permit these funds to include digital assets in their holdings by 2028.

Summary

  • SBI and Rakuten are preparing in-house crypto investment trusts for Japanese retail investors.
  • Nomura, Daiwa, SMBC and Mizuho-linked firms are studying crypto fund products as rules evolve.
  • Japan’s 2028 roadmap could allow investment trusts and ETFs to hold Bitcoin and Ether.

According to a report in the Nikkei, SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities are both working on new products within their own companies.

These new products would allow everyday investors to buy crypto without needing a separate exchange account or digital wallet. Currently, many people in Japan need those extra steps to directly purchase cryptocurrencies. These investment trusts would make it simpler by offering Bitcoin and Ethereum exposure through standard investment funds that people are already familiar with.

SBI and Rakuten build in-house products

SBI Securities is planning to offer investment products created by SBI Global Asset Management. These products will likely invest in easily bought and sold digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, and could be offered as both exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and investment trusts.

Rakuten Securities is working on new cryptocurrency investment products, developed with help from Rakuten Investment Management and other companies within the Rakuten group. The goal is to let customers buy and sell these products easily using their smartphones.

Nomura and Daiwa are planning to offer crypto investment products as soon as regulations are finalized. Similarly, SMBC Group, including SMBC Nikko, is exploring potential offerings, and Mizuho Financial Group’s Asset Management One has already begun initial research into the area.

Recent market reports indicate that most major Japanese brokerage firms – 11 out of 18 – are planning to offer cryptocurrency investment products once they receive official approval. This demonstrates significant interest in crypto from established financial companies, even though the regulatory framework isn’t finalized yet.

Japan’s crypto fund roadmap advances

From my analysis, Japan’s regulators, the Financial Services Agency, are planning to update investment trust rules, likely by 2028. This revision would allow investment trusts to include crypto assets in their portfolios, expanding the range of investments they can offer.

According to Crypto.news, Japan has officially categorized cryptocurrency as a financial asset, bringing it under the rules of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. This update means stricter regulations for the crypto market, such as yearly reporting requirements and rules against insider trading.

This change in policy also helps Japan move forward with plans to approve exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for cryptocurrencies by 2028. According to Crypto.news, Nomura Holdings and SBI Holdings are likely to be the first major companies to create these crypto-based ETF products.

State Bank of India (SBI) is still actively involved in the cryptocurrency space. Recent reports from crypto.news indicate they’ve been exploring a partnership with Bitbank and have introduced a Visa card that rewards users with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP. These actions demonstrate a growing trend among Japanese financial institutions to make cryptocurrency more accessible to individual investors through various investment options, exchanges, and payment methods.

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2026-05-17 16:28