A Japan-wide business corporate pension fund based in Okayama plans to allocate about 1 percent of its assets to cryptocurrencies in fiscal 2026. Cointelegraph reported on Saturday that the fund plans to invest, as part of a currency diversification strategy, in a passive fund run by a large hedge fund that holds multiple cryptocurrencies.

The pension fund covers about 1,200 small and medium-sized companies and has about 21.3 billion yen in assets under management. Its current asset allocation is 80 percent in yen, 15 percent in U.S. dollars and 5 percent in other currencies. The move to include cryptocurrencies is being pursued to diversify exposure.

The plan comes as acceptance of digital assets grows among conservative institutional investors in Japan. Japan's House of Representatives passed a bill on June 11 that would place cryptocurrencies under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. The bill is set to move to the House of Councillors and could open the way for the introduction of cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds and a shift to a flat 20 percent tax rate on digital asset income.

Related product development in Japan's financial sector is also continuing. SBI Shinsei Bank is testing a deposit-linked rewards programme that offers vouchers that can be exchanged for bitcoin, ether and XRP. The programme is set for an official launch this autumn.

Metaplanet also agreed on June 12 to acquire Seii Securities for 2.1 billion yen. Metaplanet said it would support the development and distribution of bitcoin-linked yield products through a newly established securities division.