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Lack of Crypto Regulations a Turnoff for Japanese Investors – Coincheck

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Tim Alper

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Tim Alper

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Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked...

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Last updated:

June 25, 2023

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The head of the Japanese crypto exchange Coincheck said there are relatively “few” crypto-keen institutional investors in Japan – and has complained of the lack of a framework to help foster professional crypto investors.

In an interview with IT Media, Satoshi Hasuo, the Representative Director and President of Coincheck, warned that “there is a possibility that the entire Japanese [community] will lose out on investment opportunities,” while their counterparts in the West begin to step up their crypto investments.

Coincheck is currently the only major domestic exchange that offers over-the-counter (OTC) transactions for large-scale customers and Hasuo stated that factors such as American regulators allowing banks to take charge of crypto custody had helped sway investors toward crypto. In Japan, meanwhile, banks are yet to receive the green light to offer such services.

Hasuo explained,

“There is no legal framework for domestic institutional investors. There are also accounting problems. [The government] needs to introduce regulations.”

And the Coincheck boss stated that a rush of investors to the market may have helped drive up prices, although bigger Japanese investors have seen little or none of the action.

He said,

“Overseas, a considerable number of institutional investors are coming in, which is spurring the market on. There is no equivalent movement from corporations and institutional investors in Japan. We do have OTC customers, but these are few in number. And almost none of them are listed companies.”

Meanwhile, another Coincheck expert stated, per the same media outlet, that some Japanese companies would likely eventually pursue bitcoin (BTC) and altcoin-buying strategies like those executed by the likes of America’s MicroStrategy – but hinted that regulatory clarity could also help expedite this trend.
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