Metaplanet, Smarter Web, Blockchain Group Buy $260 Million in Bitcoin

On July 7, three prominent companies—Japan’s Metaplanet, the UK-based Smarter Web Company, and France’s Blockchain Group—made significant Bitcoin purchases, collectively acquiring over $260 million worth of the cryptocurrency. This move underscores a growing trend among public firms to treat Bitcoin as a strategic treasury asset rather than a speculative investment.

Metaplanet, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, purchased 2,205 BTC for approximately $238.7 million, bringing its total holdings to 15,555 BTC. The company’s CEO, Simon Gerovich, emphasized that this acquisition is another step toward making Bitcoin central to their balance sheet. Metaplanet’s average acquisition cost is around $108,000 per coin, which is below the current market level, providing the firm with solid paper gains and positioning Bitcoin as a reliable store of value in inflationary times. This move also highlights Asia’s growing corporate appetite for digital assets, as Japanese regulators have established clear custody and accounting rules, enabling firms to build sizable holdings without regulatory uncertainty.

Across the globe, the UK-based Smarter Web Company reached a significant milestone by acquiring 226.42 BTC for £17.9 million, bringing its total holdings to exactly 1,000 BTC. The company’s average buy-in price is £78,228 (about $106,766), giving it an unrealized cushion as Bitcoin trades above that level. CEO Andrew Webley framed the acquisition as part of a “10-Year Plan,” integrating Bitcoin into every layer of the business, from accepting BTC as client payments to using it as a strategic reserve. Smarter Web also raised £22.9 million in fresh equity this week, which can be funneled into further Bitcoin purchases if market conditions remain favorable.

Paris-based Blockchain Group rounded out the week’s buying spree by spending roughly €10.7 million for an additional 116 BTC, raising its stack to 1,904 BTC and lifting its year-to-date Bitcoin yield to an impressive 1,348.8 percent. Co-CEOs Alexandre Laizet and Valentin Kosanovic stated that the purchase aligns with their strategy to treat Bitcoin as a “working capital hedge” against euro weakness and global liquidity shifts. France’s regulatory environment, becoming more crypto-friendly under the EU’s MiCA framework, positions Blockchain Group as an early beneficiary. By anchoring part of its balance sheet in Bitcoin, the firm aims to create an “equity-backed digital asset strategy” designed to attract both retail and institutional investors.

Collectively, these purchases underscore a broader trend where public companies are no longer dabbling in Bitcoin but are stockpiling it. Several factors drive this momentum. Lingering inflation and mixed bond returns have revived interest in scarce digital assets. Clearer accounting standards in places like Japan and the EU make it easier to hold BTC without scaring auditors. Additionally, headline-grabbing success stories, such as MicroStrategy’s multi-billion-dollar stock rally, continue to persuade boards that Bitcoin exposure can be accretive. For crypto markets, corporate adoption serves as both price support and narrative fuel. Each large purchase tightens available supply on exchanges while giving traditional investors a familiar equity wrapper for Bitcoin exposure. As demonstrated by Metaplanet, Smarter Web, and Blockchain Group, the corporate race to secure Bitcoin is no longer a niche experiment but is rapidly becoming a mainstream balance-sheet play, potentially reshaping a new generation of crypto-savvy shareholders.