New Business Opportunities in Bitcoin Investment Strategy — An Interview with Simon Gerovich

Is this the birth of a “Japanese version of MicroStrategy”?

In April 2024, Metaplanet, which will be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market, launched a Bitcoin investment strategy, which became a hot topic.

MicroStrategy, which is based in the United States, is known as a pioneer in business intelligence (BI). However, in recent years, the public's perception of the company as a representative company that holds Bitcoin is likely to change. At present, it holds 226,500 BTC (at the time of writing), making it the largest single company in the world in terms of the amount held. Compared to other companies, its holdings are overwhelming, and its asset value is approaching 2 trillion dollars.

Like MicroStrategy, Metaplanet has also shifted its focus to a strategy that looks at the future potential of Bitcoin. Recently, it has expressed its intention to purchase 8.5 billion yen worth of Bitcoin through fundraising. Due to this attitude, the view that Metaplanet is becoming a “Japanese version of MicroStrategy” is gradually spreading.

It must have been novel for a listed company to decide to invest in Bitcoin in Japan. Perhaps because of the market conditions in the cryptocurrency market when Metaplanet announced its Bitcoin investment strategy, the company's stock price also rose significantly. At the time of writing, the company's stock price has risen by well over 500% since the beginning of the year. This is proof that the market is favorably disposed towards Metaplanet and the future prospects of Bitcoin.

How will Metaplanet move forward with Bitcoin in the future? Our editorial team spoke with Simon Gerovich, head of Metaplanet, which is attracting attention both inside and outside the Web 3.0 industry. We will explore the background to Metaplanet's decision to entrust its future to Bitcoin and what strategy it will pursue in the future.