SBI Bitbank acquisition complete: Full Takeover

Bitbank said on Oct. 1, 2026 that share repurchase transactions with MIXI and Ceres had closed. The SBI Bitbank acquisition complete status means the exchange is now a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Holdings. Customer services on the bitbank exchange, the company said, are unchanged.

What happened

Bitbank’s corporate notice describes full subsidiaryization under SBI through the MIXI and Ceres share repurchase path. That notice is the primary confirmation that the remaining outside stakes tied to those counterparties are out and that SBI Holdings now owns the exchange outright. Crypto.news’s Oct. 1 account of the same close describes a multi-step structure via SBICAH and values the deal at about ¥46.7 billion. The valuation figure is attributed to that secondary report; Bitbank’s own completion notice stresses ownership close and board changes rather than restating a headline price.

Governance moved with ownership. SBI VC Trade President Tomohiko Kondo joined Bitbank’s board. Bitbank CEO Noriyuki Hirosue remains chief executive and is planned to become an outside director at SBI VC Trade, according to crypto.news. The dual appointment creates a formal board link between the exchange and SBI’s crypto brokerage arm without announcing a merger of the two operating brands.

Both accounts say customer-facing exchange services are unaffected. That statement is about continuity of the bitbank venue as users know it. It is not a claim that fees, listed assets, or API terms are frozen forever; those items simply are not part of the Oct. 1 completion package.

Why it matters

Japans licensed crypto market has long mixed independent exchanges with larger financial groups. A full SBI ownership stake places Bitbank inside that conglomerate perimeter while keeping Hirosue as CEO on day one. For counterparties and customers, the immediate public message is control change plus service continuity, not a new product suite.

Regional policy context on Called It includes the Japan FSA TradeWaltz stablecoin pilot. Outside Japan, the FCA crypto authorisation gateway shows another major market tightening who may operate. Neither story is about Bitbank’s close; both illustrate why ownership of a licensed venue attracts group-level capital.

No recommendation on SBI Holdings equity, MIXI, Ceres, or any crypto asset follows from the takeover completing.

MIXI and Ceres exit as shareholders under the repurchase path Bitbank describes. Their prior role as outside owners ends with the Oct. 1 close; neither completion notice used here assigns them an ongoing operating role at the exchange.

What's next

Integration beyond the board seats—shared custody, shared order routing, or brand consolidation—is not described in the completion notices used here and is not predicted. What those notices establish is wholly owned SBI status, Kondo’s board seat, Hirosue’s continued CEO role and planned SBI VC Trade outside directorship, and unchanged customer services at the exchange.

Crypto.news’s account of the close is here.