Main Points :
- The Japanese firm Metaplanet Inc. has transformed itself into a bitcoin-treasury company, arranging a massive financing secured by BTC and launching an aggressive acquisition of self shares strategy.
- The Japanese Web3 firm HashPort Inc. is leveraging USDC and the soon-to-be launched Japanese yen–pegged stablecoin JPYC to build a next-generation wallet with gasless, multi-chain stable-coin payments, anchored on the upcoming Expo2025 in Japan.
- The global bank Standard Chartered Bank has publicly suggested that Bitcoin may never again fall below the US$100,000 level, pointing to a structural change driven by institutional adoption, spot ETF flows and supply constraints.
1. “Bitcoin as Ultimate Collateral”: Metaplanet’s Strategic Pivot
1.1 From Hotel Operator to Major Bitcoin Treasury
In a striking repositioning, Metaplanet has shifted from its original business of hotels and media to become what is effectively Japan’s first publicly listed “bitcoin treasury company”. The firm now holds a very large quantity of bitcoin as part of its core balance-sheet strategy. According to BitcoinTreasuries.net data, Metaplanet holds approximately 30,823 BTC (worth roughly US$3.45 billion) and is among the largest corporate holders globally.
1.2 Financing via Bitcoin Collateral and Stock Buyback Strategy
Metaplanet has taken the bold step of using bitcoin as collateral to raise funding — in one recent case a facility of up to US$500 million (≈¥76.4 billion) backed by bitcoin. This represents a structural shift: bitcoin is no longer merely a speculative asset, but one the firm treats as ultra-high-quality collateral. This move signals the emergence of corporate finance strategies anchored in digital assets.
Further, Metaplanet is deploying the raised funds not just into accumulating more BTC but also into a self-share buyback programme. By reducing the share count while maintaining or increasing its bitcoin treasury, it aims to magnify value for shareholders through what one might call “double leverage” — on the asset side (bitcoin holdings) and on the equity side (fewer shares outstanding).
1.3 Significance for Investors & the Wider Market
For readers seeking new crypto-asset opportunities or income strategies, Metaplanet’s model provides several takeaways:
- It highlights how bitcoin is transitioning into a reserve asset and collateral asset at the corporate level, not just a retail speculative token.
- The self-buyback mechanism tied to bitcoin holdings creates a potential upward feedback loop: as bitcoin’s value rises, the company’s per-share bitcoin “yield” (BTC per share) improves, which in turn could support the stock price.
- From a strategic point of view, it implies that firms holding bitcoin can now access liquidity without selling their coins — hence enabling accumulation and reducing opportunity cost of disposition.
However, caveats remain: such strategies inherently increase leverage and exposure to bitcoin’s volatility, and corporate governance and audit transparency remain key risk dimensions (see later).
2. Stablecoin Payments & Web3 Wallet: HashPort’s Japan-First Rollout
2.1 Expo2025 and the Transition to “HashPort Wallet”
In Japan, the organisation HashPort has leveraged the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka‑Kansai as a real-world deployment ground for Web3 payments infrastructure. It reports over one million downloads of its “EXPO2025 Digital Wallet” app, which will be re-branded as “HashPort Wallet” post-Expo. The wallet’s upgrade roadmap includes support for USDC, JPYC, and a multi-chain environment with gasless transaction capabilities.
2.2 USDC, JPYC and Gasless Multi-Chain Payments
Key features planned:
- USDC (the US-dollar-pegged stablecoin by Circle Internet Financial) will be adopted as a major settlement currency in the wallet.
- JPYC, the Japanese-yen pegged stablecoin, is under consideration for integration, enabling yen-based stablecoin usage.
- Support for multiple chains (Aptos, Ethereum, Polygon initially; followed by Bitcoin, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Arbitrum) and a “gasless” transaction layer (i.e., potentially free for end-users) to remove a major friction for mainstream adoption.
2.3 Why This Matters for New Crypto-Asset Plays
For investors and blockchain application explorers:
- The wallet infrastructure points to the growing utility of stablecoins not just as trading instruments but as payment rails in consumer settings — a step beyond “store of value” toward transactional use.
- With the backing of a large event (Expo 2025) and mass-download base, the infrastructure may act as a “gateway” for mainstream Web3 adoption in Japan.
- Multi-chain + stablecoins + gasless UX is a strong theme: protocols or projects enabling gasless abstraction, stablecoin rails or multi-chain UX improvements may see rising interest (and usage).
- For token issuers or DeFi projects looking for real-world flows, this kind of wallet architecture may present collaboration or listing opportunities (for example, stablecoin merchants, loyalty integrations, small-merchant payment settlement).
Thus, the HashPort case illustrates a concrete example of Web3 application deployment bridging consumer payments, stablecoins and multi-chain wallets in a mature market.
3. Institutional Floor: Standard Chartered’s $100K+ Bitcoin Forecast
3.1 Bank Predicts Bitcoin May “Never Again” Fall Below US$100,000
In a recent research note, Standard Chartered’s head of digital assets research, Geoffrey Kendrick, stated that bitcoin may never again trade below US$100,000, provided positive macro and geopolitical conditions continue. The note attributes this to enhanced institutional adoption, ETF flows, and the shifting role of bitcoin from speculative asset to portfolio reserve.
3.2 Underlying Rationale: Supply Constraints, ETF Flows, Institutional Demand
Kendrick’s reasoning includes:
- The bitcoin-gold ratio rising, indicating bitcoin is increasingly viewed as a store of value relative to gold.
- Spot-bitcoin ETF inflows acting as a structural demand driver, superseding the halving cycle narrative.
- Macroeconomic tailwinds: easing U.S.–China tensions, expected Fed policy easing, improved risk appetite.
3.3 Implications for Crypto Earnings and Asset Allocation
For our audience — exploring new crypto assets, revenue sources, blockchain applications — this prediction has multiple take-aways:
- Bitcoin may now be entering a different regime: long-term structural support rather than cyclical speculative peaks.
- If US$100,000 becomes a de facto floor, risk-reward metrics for bitcoin and associated businesses improve: the downside is limited, and upside may be broader.
- For altcoins or application tokens, the ripple effect could be two-fold: increased risk-on flows into the crypto sector overall, but also increased scrutiny on projects needing to justify their value beyond mere speculation.
- Portfolio strategies may shift: bitcoin as “core” holding, stablecoins as settlement layer, application tokens as yield/utility layer.
4. Synthesis: What This Trio of Events Means for You
4.1 A New Financial Landscape is Forming
Collectively, the three events signal a deeper shift: digital assets are moving from speculative fringes toward mainstream financial infrastructure. Corporates like Metaplanet are using bitcoin as collateral; payment platforms like HashPort are embedding stablecoins into user-wallets; banks like Standard Chartered are treating bitcoin as a portfolio asset.
4.2 Strategy Implications for Investors & Builders
- For Investors: Identify assets aligned with these structural changes — e.g., treasury-oriented companies, stablecoin rails, wallet/UX platforms, multi-chain infrastructure, and application-level tokens enabling real-world payments.
- For Builders / Developers: Focus on solutions that ease UX (gasless transactions, stable-coin rails, multi-chain wallets), corporate treasury utilities (tokenised assets, collateral protocols), or institutional-grade infrastructure (custody, auditability, compliance).
- For Income Opportunities: The expansion of wallets and stable-coin rails suggests yield-oriented opportunities (e.g., staking, lending) may move closer to mainstream; tokens tied to these rails may benefit.
4.3 Risks to Keep in Mind
- While bitcoin may have stronger institutional support, it remains volatile and sensitive to macro/regulatory shocks.
- Corporate treasury strategies (like Metaplanet’s) raise audit, liquidity, governance and leverage risks — these should be analysed carefully.
- The development of consumer Web3 infrastructure (like HashPort’s wallet) remains subject to regulation, user adoption, UX and competitive risks.
- Predictions like Standard Chartered’s are conditional: they presume favourable macro/geopolitical backdrop; adverse shifts could reverse sentiment.
Conclusion
In summary, the confluence of these three developments marks a potentially irreversible transformation in how digital assets, blockchain infrastructure and corporate finance intertwine. Bitcoin is not just a speculative token anymore — it is becoming collateral, reserve asset and payment rail. Stablecoins and multi-chain wallets are bridging consumer finance with Web3 realities. Institutional banks are beginning to treat digital assets as enduring, core holdings rather than temporary trends.
For investors seeking new crypto-assets or income opportunities, the implications are clear: spend less time chasing hype and more time identifying structural enablers — firms and networks enabling the transition from fiat-centric finance to a hybrid digital financial ecosystem. For builders and adopters, the message is to focus on real-world utility, scalable UX, regulatory-compliant rails and integration into existing financial workflows.
We are, in essence, witnessing the early formation of a Two Extremes Model in the digital asset era, where one extreme is the asset-backed representation (bitcoin as corporate collateral) and the other is the autonomous trust tender (stablecoins + multi-chain wallets enabling decentralised flows). These three events illustrate how the model is taking shape in practice.
