Gumi, SBI launch ¥3 billion crypto fund as Japan opens door to spot ETFs

gumi Inc., a Japanese gaming and blockchain company, has joined with a financial group, SBI, to launch SBI Crypto Fund I. It will begin operating on August 1, 2026.

The fund is aiming for 3 billion yen, which makes up $18.3 million. It will employ methods such as staking, hedging, and portfolio rebalancing to manage the money.

SBI Financial Services holds 51% of the stake in the fund, while Gumi’s unit gC Labs owns the remaining 49%. Moreover, Daiwa Securities Group and Yamada Securities Group are among the investors. The fund only puts money into Bitcoin and other major altcoins that trade on recognized exchanges.

Gumi has been active in digital assets since at least 2018. As of April 30, 2026, its total crypto holdings were worth around 14 billion yen, or about $86 million. The company wants to become the largest XRP treasury company in Japan.

SBI already owns about 34% of gumi through a capital and business partnership formed in 2022. Gumi also created a unit called “Neo Crypto” to bring all its digital asset work under one roof. The division is being built to gain operating experience and get ready for the possible approval of crypto ETFs in Japan.

Gumi bets on Japan’s crypto reforms

Japan’s parliament approved new laws that reclassify digital currencies as financial instruments rather than just payment tools. The legislation amends the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and the Payment Services Act. The changes are set to take effect in 2027, as reported by Cryptopolitan previously.

The new rules open the door for future spot bitcoin ETFs, though no such products have been approved. The Financial Services Agency said it will now work on building a proper framework for crypto ETFs.

【お知らせ】
当社子会社の株式会社gC Labsを通じて、SBIファイナンシャルサービシーズ株式会社と共同で組成した暗号資産運用ファンド「SBI Crypto Fund Ⅰ」の運営を2026年8月1日より開始することを決定いたしましたので、お知らせいたします。https://t.co/dXHOQgIJy8

— gumi公式 (@gumi_pr) July 28, 2026

The law also brings stiffer penalties. Anyone running an unregistered crypto operation can now face up to 10 years in prison, compared to three years before. The maximum fine has gone up from 3 million yen, about $18,500, to 10 million yen. Stricter insider-trading rules are included, and both crypto issuers and exchanges will have to share more information with investors and the public.

Lawmakers also backed a plan to cut the crypto tax rate from as high as 55% down to 20%, though that change will not take effect until 2028. Under the new system, 15% of the tax goes to the national government and 5% goes to local governments.

Businesses and users drive account growth

SBI VC Trade, the crypto exchange arm of Tokyo-based SBI Holdings, said its registered accounts recently passed 2 million. That is about double the 1 million accounts it had in 2025. The company says more businesses are moving money into Bitcoin and XRP to reduce their exposure to a weak yen. Some of those companies also give out Bitcoin or XRP as part of shareholder benefit programs.

The account total covers both its VCTRADE and BITPOINT platforms, which came together after SBI VC Trade merged with BitPoint Japan in April 2026. The two brands are expected to fully combine around the end of December, which the company said should lower costs and bring service levels in line across both.

Stablecoins have been another factor behind the growth. SBI VC Trade listed USDC in March 2025, calling it Japan’s first dollar-backed stablecoin listing. In June 2026, it added Ripple’s RLUSD alongside JPYSC, a yen-pegged token it described as the country’s first trust-based yen stablecoin. It also began offering loans against stablecoin holdings.

Japan’s crypto market is still smaller than those in the United States and South Korea, partly because of its strict rules. But rising account numbers and growing corporate interest in digital asset strategies suggest the market is gaining real momentum.

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