ADDX Expands to Tap into MENA’s Thriving Private Market

The Japan Exchange Group (JPX), operator of the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges, is considering measures to curb the expansion of publicly listed digital-asset treasury (DAT) firms, according to sources speaking to Bloomberg. JPX is reportedly exploring various regulatory avenues, ranging from tightening backdoor listing rules to mandating new audits for applicable firms. Following recent scrutiny from the exchange, three Japanese public companies have suspended their cryptocurrency purchase plans since September. These firms were reportedly warned that pursuing crypto investment as a core strategy could restrict their ability to raise future capital. While JPX currently lacks binding regulations explicitly prohibiting listed companies from accumulating digital assets, a representative stated that the exchange is monitoring firms with potential governance and risk issues to protect the interests of shareholders and investors.Photo by Su San Lee on UnsplashMetaplanet responds to regulatory concernsFollowing the Bloomberg report, Metaplanet, a Japanese public company that has adopted a Bitcoin accumulation strategy similar to that of the American firm Strategy, issued a clarifying statement. The firm asserted that it "has not been subject to any regulatory actions or investigations by relevant authorities concerning our business operations." Metaplanet emphasized its willingness to engage in constructive dialogue with regulators should any inquiries arise. According to BitcoinTreasuries.net data, Metaplanet is currently Japan’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder and ranks fourth globally among public companies, trailing only Strategy, MARA Holdings, and XXI. The extent of the firm’s commitment to this strategy was highlighted by Shinpei Okuno, Metaplanet’s Head of IR and Capital Strategy, who shared the company’s holdings via X. Balance sheet data as of September 30, 2025, reveals that Bitcoin accounts for 99% of Metaplanet’s total assets, 542.7 billion yen out of 550.7 billion yen. Okuno noted that the company aims to maintain a balance sheet structure that supports the issuance of digital credits collateralized by its crypto holdings. Market performance and sector outlookThe stock performance of DAT firms highlights the market's reaction to these risks. According to Yahoo Finance data, Metaplanet’s share price has declined 40.29% over the past six months to 372 yen. This drop outpaces Bitcoin’s 8% decline over the same period. This downward pressure is visible across the broader DAT sector. Decrypt reported that Strategy's stock has fallen 50% from its July peak, while SharpLink, which invests in Ethereum, has dropped nearly 90%. Data from StrategyTracker indicates that the market-net-asset values (mNAVs) of these firms have slipped to near or below 1, reflecting depressed valuations. Analysts warn that low mNAVs complicate capital raising efforts, potentially forcing these firms to liquidate crypto holdings to cover operating expenses. At the same time, the analysts acknowledged possible tailwinds. Fakhul Miah, Managing Director at GoMining Institutional, told Decrypt that Bitcoin-oriented DATs generally outperform those investing in multiple, higher-risk crypto assets. He suggested that if U.S. economic data indicates easing inflation and the Federal Reserve cuts rates in December, Bitcoin could rally. Yaroslav Patsira, Fractional Director at CEX.IO, echoed this sentiment, noting that the outlook for DATs is tied closely to Bitcoin’s potential upside. Taking a longer-term view, Decrypt noted that despite the recent pullback, crypto-related equities have shown strong year-to-date (YTD) performance relative to the underlying asset. Galaxy Digital is up 73.4% and SharpLink 43.2% YTD, compared to Bitcoin’s 8.6% gain, suggesting the current correction is taking place within a broader uptrend. Japanese stablecoin push faces U.S. resistanceBeyond the equity markets, Japanese crypto initiatives are also encountering regulatory friction in the U.S. Decrypt reported that a coalition of small U.S. banks has formally objected to a bid by Connectia Trust, a proposed subsidiary of Sony Bank, to issue dollar-backed stablecoins in the U.S. Sony Group’s banking arm last month applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust charter to facilitate these issuances. The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) argues that the Japanese institution is attempting to exploit regulatory gaps to avoid the oversight applied to traditional banks, noting that Connectia’s stablecoin bears similarities to bank deposits. However, Kadan Stadelmann, CTO of Komodo Platform, offered a different view, telling Decrypt the concerns are “overstated and driven by big-bank interests.” As Connectia’s application undergoes U.S. regulatory review, it has once again exposed the underlying divide between established banking interests and crypto-native approaches to financial services, particularly around how stablecoin issuers should be overseen.

Seychelles-based crypto exchange OKX’s Web3 wallet service, OKX Wallet, has begun supporting Wemade’s blockchain network WEMIX3.0, according to an announcement on Friday (KST). This development will allow OKX Wallet holders to directly manage the crypto assets that they hold from the WEMIX3.0 ecosystem. Photo by GuerrillaBuzz on UnsplashSeamless access and versatile Web3 servicesOKX Wallet notably supports over 70 networks and 3,000 cryptocurrencies and provides other wide-ranging Web3 services like NFT trading, crypto swaps and a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform. In particular, it also has a hassle-free recovery process for account access that employs Multi-Party Computation (MPC) technology, effectively eliminating the need for traditional recovery methods like seed phrases.  OKX Wallet and WEMIX3.0 also vowed to work on more integrations and joint campaigns in the future to round up a larger global user base and lead the era of Web3.  A rising force in cryptoIn other news, WEMIX3.0’s governance token, WEMIX, has been making a significant impact in the crypto industry. The asset ranked ninth in CoinMarketCap’s list of largest blockchains in crypto ranked by total value locked (TVL) last month, and it possessed the largest constituent weight in terms of market capitalization in the gaming sector in the latest Crypto Sector Indices released by Sygnum, a global digital asset banking group headquartered in Switzerland and Singapore. 

Bullish Emerges as a Bidder for Bankrupt FTX ExchangeBullish, a Gibraltar-based crypto exchange with strong ties to Asia, has emerged as a prominent bidder for the bankrupt trading platform FTX, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November last year.Photo by Kelly Sikkema on UnsplashValuable customer baseUp until that point, FTX was a thriving player in the cryptocurrency market. However, it is now in the process of seeking new ownership or financial restructuring to resurrect its operations. In a report published on Tuesday, The Block outlined that according to sources familiar with the situation, Bullish is eager to acquire FTX primarily for its valuable customer base.The news follows the filing of a stakeholder brief to the bankruptcy court in Delaware in the United States by the FTX Debtor on Monday. The brief outlined that the Debtor, led by new CEO John Ray, has reached out to more than 75 bidders to evaluate the potential relaunch of the FTX exchange business.Bullish aims to leverage FTX’s existing user network, intending to convert as many of them as possible into Bullish customers. However, it’s worth noting that this complex negotiation process may face challenges and uncertainties along the way.Asian connectionsAlthough it’s incorporated and registered in Gibraltar, only 4% of the company’s staff are Gibraltar-based. Meanwhile, the firm has offices in Singapore and Hong Kong with those locations accounting for 49% of the company’s overall workforce, according to LinkedIn data. Back in November the firm confirmed that it wasn’t one of the many crypto businesses with exposure to the FTX collapse.Bullish was founded by Brendan Blumer, with Bloomer currently acting as the exchange’s Chairman. Blumer previously founded Block.one, the developer behind the EOS blockchain. He also successfully founded and later exited Okay.com, Hong Kong’s largest digital property agency.Other Asia-centric players in the crypto sector had expressed interest in buying the FTX business (or parts of the business) earlier in the year. These included Singapore’s BSQ Capital and Gamepay, India’s CoinDCX, Japan’s 5G networks developer Docomo and e-commerce giant Rakuten, and Hong Kong’s OKC Holdings.Tribe Capital interestThe Block article also outlines that US-based Tribe Capital is another significant bidder in the running. Tribe Capital had FTX within its venture portfolio prior to the exchange’s downfall and subsequent bankruptcy at the close of the previous year. It had also appeared on the list of 363 sales parties back in June, and prior to that still, it had expressed its interest in buying the business.To establish a clear timeline for its business restructuring efforts, the estate has set a deadline for new bids, which falls on September 24. The FTX estate is still at an early stage in trying to resuscitate the business. Even if it’s successful in that endeavor, it’s not expected that a new business will emerge until Q2 2024 at the earliest.Separately, a criminal prosecution against FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried is progressing with a trial scheduled to take place in New York in October. Presently Bankman-Fried is incarcerated in a New York City jail while he awaits trial, having been found to have breached his bail conditions on the grounds of witness tampering.