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Since the launch of the Bitcoin strategy, the Metaplanet share price has exploded. Why the Japanese company now wants to buy as much as 21,000 BTC by the end of next year.
The fact that Bitcoin is conquering the traditional stock markets is no longer only demonstrated by the steep rise of Strategy (formerly: MicroStrategy), Michael Saylor's US software company. The international imitators are also recording phenomenal share returns, with Metaplanet standing out in particular. According to new data from Yahoo Finance, the Japanese company's share price rose by 3,575% over the year to currently 5,880 yen (= 37.36 euros). Metaplanet only launched its ambitious Bitcoin strategy in April 2024, which has seen the "Asian MicroStrategy" grow to become the fifteenth largest corporate hodler in the world to date.
Japan's leading Bitcoin company now owns a total of 1,762 BTC worth 173 million US dollars. The most recent and largest Bitcoin purchase took place just before Christmas, when the company acquired 619.7 BTC in one go on December 23. Although this is only around 0.4 percent of the 478,740 BTC that Strategy holds on its balance sheet, Metaplanet has already significantly outperformed its major rival and the cryptocurrency itself in terms of share returns.
On Monday, the company announced in an X-Post that bonds worth 4 billion yen (= 25.4 million euros) will be issued again to finance further Bitcoin purchases. At the time of writing, this could buy around 270 BTC. But CEO Simon Gerovich has not had enough by a long shot and said at the start of the year: "Our goal is to expand our Bitcoin holdings to 10,000 BTC by using the best possible capital market instruments available to us."
The vision: 21,000 Bitcoin by the end of 2026
In the next two years, Metaplanet even plans to buy up one thousandth of all Bitcoin ever in existence. These 21,000 BTC currently correspond to a value of around 2.06 billion US dollars. "Our vision is to lead the Bitcoin renaissance in Japan and become one of the largest Bitcoin holders in the world. This plan is our commitment to this future," says Gerovich, explaining his company's ambitions. Dylan LeChair, Director of Bitcoin Strategy, adds: "Our goal is to maximize BTC per share for shareholders. Bitcoin is not just an asset; it's the exit strategy. We are here to accumulate and lead, not to sell."
As things stand today, Metaplanet would be the world's third-largest Bitcoin hodler with 21,000 BTC. But the competition is not sleeping: whether MicroStrategy, Marathon Digital or Semler Scientific - more and more companies are entering the race for digital gold. With a new "21 million plan", which includes the issue of 21 million shares via moving strike warrants, Metaplanet wants to claim the largest possible slice of the scarce BTC pie for itself. The aim is to raise over 116.65 billion yen (= 740 million euros) in fresh capital, the largest equity fundraising for Bitcoin purchases in Asia to date. For Metaplanet's risk-averse shareholders, the company's strategy could continue to bring high price gains.
