SBI Holdings has signed agreements to acquire all shares of Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank in a deal valued at 46.7 billion yen, or approximately $288.6 million, the companies announced on June 24. 

The transaction will make Bitbank a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Group through its investment arm, SBICAH GK.

The deal represents the largest consolidation move in Japan’s regulated crypto market to date. SBI and Bitbank entered into both a basic agreement and a share transfer agreement, with the transaction structured in two phases. 

SBI will acquire shares held by Bitbank’s founders and individual shareholders in August. Bitbank will then buy out shares held by existing…

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