Bitbank
Bitbank (ビットバンク株式会社) is a Tokyo-headquartered, FSA-registered cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2014, serving Japanese retail and active traders with 40+ JPY-paired cryptocurrencies, margin trading, crypto lending, an EPOS-Visa co-branded card, and institutional Bitbank Prime custody.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Bitbank does
Bitbank, Inc. (ビットバンク株式会社) is a Tokyo-headquartered, FSA-registered cryptocurrency exchange founded in May 2014 by Noriyuki Hirosue. The company operates a vertically integrated spot and margin trading platform under the bitbank.cc brand, supporting 40+ cryptocurrencies priced exclusively in JPY pairs, with the No. 1 share of domestic altcoin spot trading volume per JVCEA statistics (November 2024–October 2025). Bitbank's proprietary technology stack — NestJS/TypeScript on AWS with Docker, TradingView-native charts, and a public REST API — underpins both consumer and professional trading experiences. Security is a primary differentiator: a multi-signature cold-wallet architecture with physically distributed offline key custodians, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (ISMS) certification (the first among Japanese crypto exchanges), an industry-first bug bounty program, and zero reported hacking incidents since founding.
Revenue is generated across multiple streams: variable maker/taker spot trading fees (BTC/JPY 0.00%/0.10%; other pairs -0.02% rebate / 0.12% taker), OTC sales-desk spread of up to ~4%, margin interest and lending fees, in-kind crypto lending yield of 0.1–5.0% APR, deposit/withdrawal fees, and card interchange from the co-branded EPOS CRYPTO Card launched April 2026 with Marui Group on the Visa network. The customer base is overwhelmingly Japanese retail and active/algorithmic traders, supplemented by a smaller Bitbank Prime corporate channel that explicitly serves international enterprises outside Japan. Combined customer accounts post the pending SBI Holdings acquisition would total ~2.92 million with ~JPY 1.1 trillion in custody assets.
Distribution combines direct-to-consumer self-serve onboarding (~1-minute IC-chip identity verification) via web and native iOS/Android apps, an API-first channel for system traders, an enterprise sales motion via Bitbank Prime, and a card-embedded channel through Marui Group's Visa-acceptance footprint. Bitbank also publishes the bitbank Plus knowledge portal and bitbank MARKETS analyst content, operates the FiKNOTS GameFi scholarship marketplace (its first non-financial business), and maintains an internal focus on compliance, with registrations as both a Crypto-Asset Exchange Service Provider (No. 00004) and a Money Lending Business. On June 25, 2026, SBI Holdings announced a definitive agreement to acquire Bitbank for ~JPY 4.67 billion (~US$289 million) via a phased buyout through SBICAH GK, pending Japan Fair Trade Commission review.
Bitbank firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bitbank
- Legal name
- ビットバンク株式会社 (Bitbank, Inc.)
- Website
- https://bitbank.cc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Bitbank (ビットバンク株式会社) is a Tokyo-headquartered, FSA-registered cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2014, serving Japanese retail and active traders with 40+ JPY-paired cryptocurrencies, margin trading, crypto lending, an EPOS-Visa co-branded card, and institutional Bitbank Prime custody.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bitbank industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cryptocurrency Exchange
- NAICS
- Credit Card Issuing (52221), Credit Card Issuing (522210)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crypto Card Issuing & Card Programs (Debit/Credit/Prepaid) (FSADAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Crypto Payment Gateways & Checkout APIs (FSADAIAA), B2B Crypto Payouts, Mass Payments & Treasury Disbursements (FSADAIAF), Treasury Management & Corporate Crypto Yield Programs (FSADAHAL), Crypto Borrowing & Margin Credit Facilities (FSADAFAC)
Keywords
Where Bitbank is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bitbank business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Exchange transaction fees (maker/taker): Spot exchange charges variable maker/taker fees: BTC/JPY maker 0.00% (rebate), BTC/JPY taker 0.10%; all other pairs maker -0.02% (rebate paid to user), taker 0.12%. Fees calculated as execution price × executed quantity × fee rate and charged at settlement.
- Sales desk spread: OTC dealer (販売所) earns spread embedded in quoted buy/sell prices, typically up to ~4% based on exchange reference price; spread can exceed this range under certain market conditions. Order type limited to market orders.
- Crypto lending interest ('貸して増やす'): Lending service charges lending fees via implied rate: utilization fee paid in kind at 0.1%–5.0% annual rate (tax-inclusive), with 5% early-termination fee. Funds locked for ~1 year from next month after subscription month.
- Margin trading interest and lending fees: Margin trading generates revenue from interest on borrowed JPY (for long positions) and lending fees on borrowed crypto (for short positions). Interest computed daily (365-day year) with late-payment penalties and a 6-month revolving credit agreement.
- EPOS CRYPTO Card interchange & rewards: Visa-network co-branded credit card issued with EPOS Card (Marui Group subsidiary) enables users to settle bills in BTC and earn 0.5% cashback in BTC/ETH/Astar. Generates interchange and partnership revenue from card spend.
- Crypto deposit and withdrawal fees: Fee charged for crypto and JPY withdrawals; bank remittance fees borne by customer. Crypto recovery/recovery investigation fee of ¥11,000 and ¥110,000 (tax incl.) for non-standard deposits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Spot exchange maker/taker fees: BTC/JPY maker 0.00%, taker 0.10%; all other JPY pairs maker -0.02% (rebate), taker 0.12% |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Sales desk (販売所): spread embedded in quoted price, generally up to ~4% |
| Usage-based | Annual | Crypto lending: 0.1%–5.0% APR utilization fee (in-kind, tax incl.) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Account opening, maintenance, and account closure: free |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Bitbank product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bitbank operates an in-house-built cryptocurrency exchange platform (bitbank.cc) where retail and corporate customers can spot trade 40+ cryptocurrencies in JPY pairs, take leveraged margin positions, and access OTC purchases via a sales desk. The platform is augmented by a crypto lending product, an EPOS CRYPTO Card co-issued with Marui Group on the Visa network, and a Bitbank Prime tier providing dedicated corporate custody, sub-accounting, and tax-exemption services to institutional clients.
Product overview
Bitbank operates an integrated, in-house-built cryptocurrency exchange platform under the bitbank.cc brand, delivered as a core order-book engine augmented by several user-facing modules. The core platform combines Spot Trading (現物取引), Margin Trading (信用取引), and a beginner Sales Counter (販売所) OTC brokerage, complemented by add-on modules such as the EPOS CRYPTO Card for bitbank (crypto-backed Visa credit card co-issued with Marui Group's EPOS Card), a consumer Lending product (貸して増やす), an Auto-Invest (定期購入) feature, the bitbank Prime corporate-services tier, and the bitbank VIP Program for high-volume traders. Beyond trading, Bitbank publishes the bitbank Plus educational portal and bitbank MARKETS market-analysis sub-brand, exposes a public Trading REST API and an officially released MCP server for AI-agent integration, and operates the adjacent FiKNOTS GameFi scholarship marketplace and the proprietary Lightning Network application NLoop.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EPOS CRYPTO Card for bitbank: Crypto-payments enabled credit card launched April 27, 2026 in partnership with EPOS Card (Marui Group subsidiary) on the Visa network; offers 0.5% rewards in BTC, ETH, or ASTR.
- bitbank Prime
- bitbank Plus (ビットバンクプラス)
- FiKNOTS (ファイノッツ)
Products and services
- bitbank.cc Spot Trading (現物取引 / 取引所)
- bitbank.cc Margin Trading (信用取引 / 取引所)
- bitbank.cc Sales Counter / OTC (販売所)
- EPOS CRYPTO Card for bitbank
- bitbank Lending (貸して増やす)
- bitbank Prime (事業法人向けサービス)
- Public Trading API (APIトレード)
- bitbank MCP Server
- FiKNOTS (ファイノッツ)
Quantifiable outcome
- 国内アルトコイン取引量シェア No.1 (2024年11月～2025年10月のJVCEA統計)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Bitbank
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Bitbank technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability6 records
Feature9 records
Bitbank partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- EPOS Card (Marui Group)flagshipCo-developed the EPOS CRYPTO Card for bitbank, launched April 27, 2026 — Japan's first crypto-payments-enabled credit card issued by a licensed exchange. The card operates on the Visa network, lets users settle monthly bills directly in BTC and earn 0.5% cashback in BTC/ETH/Astar. Issued by EPOS Card, a subsidiary of Marui Group, one of Japan's largest retail conglomerates.
- VisaflagshipCard network partner enabling the EPOS CRYPTO Card (launched April 27, 2026) to be accepted at all Visa merchants in Japan. Visa also partners with SBI for credit-card crypto rewards (mentioned in Coindesk coverage) — Visa is embedded as the rail across the broader SBI crypto-card ecosystem that Bitbank is joining.
- SBI HoldingsflagshipAcquiring Bitbank for JPY 4.67 billion (~US$289 million) in a phased buyout — share purchases from founders in August 2026 and from Mixi/Ceres by end of October 2026 — to make Bitbank a wholly owned subsidiary via SBICAH GK. Combined entity would hold ~2.92M accounts and ~JPY 1.1 trillion in custody assets. Subject to Japan Fair Trade Commission review.
- TradingViewcoreAdoption of TradingView's charting platform on bitbank.cc, providing 70+ technical analysis indicators (Ichimoku, trend lines, multi-pair comparison). Powers the exchange's professional trading interface and is a core differentiator for advanced users.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)corePrimary cloud provider hosting the entire bitbank.cc platform. Bitbank has presented at AWS events including 'Analytics Modernization' and 'Cloud-Native Container Migration', and maintains a multi-account AWS environment managed by its platform/infrastructure team.
- Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings (JADAT)coreSigned a basic agreement (May 2022) toward capital participation to establish a digital-asset-focused trust company (JADAT). Joint venture to provide trusted custody for digital assets in Japan.
- IssueHunt.iocoreHosts Bitbank's responsible-disclosure (bug bounty) program, enabling security researchers to submit vulnerability reports and receive monetary rewards. First Japanese crypto exchange to launch such a program.
- Mackerel / Sumo LogiccoreServer monitoring and observability tools used across the Bitbank tech stack (alongside AWS); support incident detection and infrastructure reliability.
- Astar NetworkminorBitbank sponsored the 'Astar Network Hackathon' for Web3 developers (announced March 2022), supporting developer ecosystem engagement around the Astar blockchain.
- Nisshokin Trust Bank (日証金信託銀行)flagshipStatutory trust bank entrusted with customer fiat deposits under Japanese crypto-exchange trust-segregation requirements. Customer yen funds are calculated daily and entrusted via GMO Aozora Net Bank and Sumishin SBI Net Bank accounts.
- GMO Aozora Net Bank / Sumishin SBI Net BankflagshipCustomer yen deposit and withdrawal banks. GMO Aozora Net Bank is the default for JPY transfer-in; Sumishin SBI Net Bank requires a 9-digit deposit code prefix. Funds held in segregated 'bitbank contract accounts' before being entrusted to Nisshokin Trust Bank.
- CoinPostminorCoinPost, Japan's largest crypto media outlet, organizes WebX and selected Bitbank (alongside bitFlyer, SBI Holdings, and Simplex) as a title sponsor of WebX 2026.
- Japan Crypto-Asset Exchange Association (JVCEA / 日本暗号資産等取引業協会)flagshipBitbank is a member of JVCEA, the certified self-regulatory organization for crypto-asset exchanges in Japan; the source of JVCEA trading-volume statistics cited by Bitbank (e.g., altcoin share No.1 ranking).
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bitbank competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Kraken: Global crypto exchange with a strong API and pro-trader focus that Bitbank directly emulates in its public REST API and TradingView integration. Represents the international benchmark for spot liquidity, security track record, and institutional services that Bitbank's Bitbank Prime tier targets.
- Coinbase: US-listed global crypto exchange offering spot trading, custody, staking, card, and a public API for developers. Comparable to Bitbank on full-stack crypto services and developer-facing infrastructure, though at a much larger geographic scale.
Regional players
- OKCoin Japan / OKJ: Japan-licensed affiliate of OKX/OKCoin offering spot crypto trading to Japanese retail and corporate customers. Comparable to Bitbank in regulated JPY spot access and pro-trader tooling within the Japanese market.
- Huobi Japan (now HTX Japan / IOST): Japan-licensed crypto exchange serving Japanese retail traders with spot trading and staking products. Comparable to Bitbank's regulated domestic offering while historically tied to a global exchange group.
Emerging players
- Bybit: Global derivatives-heavy crypto exchange expanding spot and API services. Comparable to Bitbank on algorithmic/system trading appeal and API-first design, though predominantly offshore and not Japan-domestic licensed.
Direct peers
- bitFlyer: Japan's largest crypto-asset exchange by bitcoin trading volume, directly competing with Bitbank in JPY spot trading, advanced charting, and corporate services. Both target Japanese retail and algo traders and were co-title sponsors of WebX 2026.
- Coincheck: Major Japanese crypto exchange (subsidiary of Monex Group) offering spot trading of a wide coin set in JPY pairs. Directly comparable to Bitbank on retail onboarding, mobile-first trading, and broad altcoin listings within Japan.
- SBI VC Trade: SBI Holdings' in-house crypto exchange, being consolidated with Bitbank and former Bitpoint Japan. Operates the same JPY spot and custody services, competes for Japanese retail/corporate crypto customers, and is the primary peer under the announced acquisition.
- GMO Coin: Japanese crypto exchange operated by GMO Internet Group; offers spot, margin and FX-style derivatives on a broad JPY-pair lineup. Direct competitor on Japanese retail spot and margin trading with similar GTM via mobile and web platforms.
- BITPOINT Japan: Japan-based crypto exchange formerly under Remixpoint, now part of the SBI crypto group alongside Bitbank. Directly comparable on regulated JPY spot trading, custody, and corporate services for Japanese customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bitbank social profiles
Digital presenceBitbank compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Bitbank financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bitbank leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Bitbank subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Bitbank funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bitbank M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bitbank
What does Bitbank do?
Bitbank operates an in-house-built cryptocurrency exchange platform (bitbank.cc) where retail and corporate customers can spot trade 40+ cryptocurrencies in JPY pairs, take leveraged margin positions, and access OTC purchases via a sales desk. The platform is augmented by a crypto lending product, an EPOS CRYPTO Card co-issued with Marui Group on the Visa network, and a Bitbank Prime tier providing dedicated corporate custody, sub-accounting, and tax-exemption services to institutional clients.
Is Bitbank a public or private company?
Bitbank is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently acquired.
When was Bitbank founded?
Bitbank was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Bitbank based?
Bitbank is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Bitbank make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Exchange transaction fees (maker/taker) is the primary driver. The others are sales desk spread, crypto lending interest ('貸して増やす'), margin trading interest and lending fees, EPOS CRYPTO Card interchange & rewards and crypto deposit and withdrawal fees.
Who are Bitbank's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Kraken and Coinbase. Regional players are OKCoin Japan / OKJ and Huobi Japan (now HTX Japan / IOST). Bybit is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are bitFlyer, Coincheck, SBI VC Trade, GMO Coin and BITPOINT Japan.
Does Bitbank have an API?
Yes. Bitbank operates a public REST API for system trading, supporting retrieval of public data such as board (order book) information and chart data, as well as order placement, trade history retrieval, and withdrawal requests. The API is documented at docs.bitbank.cc and the API reference repository on GitHub (bitbankinc/bitbank-api-docs). In November 2025, Bitbank publicly released an official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server on GitHub that enables AI clients to retrieve real-time cryptocurrency prices and integrates with major MCP clients. Developer documentation is at docs.bitbank.cc.
What industry is Bitbank in?
Bitbank's product category is Cryptocurrency Exchange. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSADAIAC, Crypto Card Issuing & Card Programs (Debit/Credit/Prepaid), with a secondary code of FSADAIAA, Crypto Payment Gateways & Checkout APIs. Its NAICS code is 52221 and its SIC code is 6200.