Bakkt Expands Global Bitcoin Play With 30% Stake in Japan's Marusho Hotta

Bakkt has acquired a 30% stake in Japanese firm Marusho Hotta and is expanding into Asian crypto markets. A former Apple engineer has unveiled a privacy-focused crypto Visa card, combining transaction-shielding cryptography with a custom-built blockchain. The SEC has affirmed that liquid staking protocols are not securities, boosting governance tokens like LDO and RPL. Marex has become the first clearing firm to adopt JPMorgan's Kinexys, aimed at modernizing payment infrastructure and reducing settlement risk. Ripple's partnership with BDACS has paid off as XRP support has gone live at a Korean crypto custodian.

Bakkt, a digital asset custodian and trading company, has expanded its reach into the crypto market by acquiring a 30% stake in Japanese firm Marusho Hotta. The acquisition, which involves a strategic shift for Bakkt, is part of its broader plan to become a crypto treasury firm. Marusho Hotta will be rebranded as "bitcoin.jp" and will focus on Bitcoin investments under Bakkt’s guidance [1].

The deal, announced on August 5, 2025, sees Bakkt becoming Marusho Hotta’s largest shareholder. This acquisition follows Bakkt’s recent efforts to reposition itself as a pure-play crypto infrastructure company. The company has been actively raising funds to support its Bitcoin investment strategy, including a $75 million equity offering [1].

Phillip Lord, Bakkt’s president for international operations, will take the role of CEO at the newly rebranded bitcoin.jp. The company’s focus will shift to Bitcoin and digital asset investments, aligning with Bakkt’s long-term corporate strategy. Japan’s regulatory environment is seen as an ideal location for Bitcoin-centered businesses, providing a structured legal framework for growth [1].

Separately, a former Apple engineer has unveiled a privacy-focused crypto Visa card. The card, developed by Polybase Labs, combines transaction-shielding cryptography with a custom-built blockchain to ensure user confidentiality. The card uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to authorize transactions, making it compliant with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) [3].

The SEC has affirmed that liquid staking protocols are not securities, boosting governance tokens like LDO and RPL. This ruling has significant implications for the governance of decentralized finance (DeFi) projects, providing clarity for investors and developers [2].

Marex has become the first clearing firm to adopt JPMorgan’s Kinexys, aimed at modernizing payment infrastructure and reducing settlement risk. The adoption of Kinexys is expected to streamline financial transactions and improve efficiency in the financial ecosystem [2].

Ripple’s partnership with BDACS has paid off as XRP support has gone live at a Korean crypto custodian. This move expands Ripple’s reach in the Asian market, potentially increasing the adoption and usage of XRP [2].

References:
[1] https://coincentral.com/bakkt-expands-into-crypto-treasury-with-marusho-hotta-investment/
[2] https://cointelegraph.com/news/bakkt-acquires-marusho-hotta-rebrand-bitcoin-jp?utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
[3] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ex-apple-engineer-unveils-privacy-140000717.html