Bakkt Doubles Down on Bitcoin Dominance: Acquires 30% Stake in Japan’s Marusho Hotta

Bakkt just placed a bold bet on Asia's crypto future—and Wall Street barely blinked.

The institutional trading platform snapped up a 30% stake in Marusho Hotta, a Japanese firm quietly building regulatory bridges for digital assets. No terms disclosed—because why would a publicly-traded company bother with pesky details?

Why Japan? Try 'last untapped whale market'

While U.S. regulators play whack-a-mole with crypto ETFs, Japan's FSA has greenlit Bitcoin as legal tender since 2017. Marusho's licensing groundwork could let Bakkt bypass years of red tape.

The institutional playbook: buy, don't build

Bakkt's move mirrors Coinbase's European acquisition spree—proving even crypto giants prefer buying compliance over begging for it. The 30% stake suggests a testing period before full control.

One hedge fund manager quipped: 'They'll either own Japan's crypto rails or write off $200M as a 'learning experience'. Either way, the board gets paid.'