Japan’s Landmark Vote Reclassifies Bitcoin And Crypto As Financial Assets

HomeNEWSJapan's Landmark Vote Reclassifies Bitcoin And Crypto As Financial Assets NEWS Japan’s Landmark Vote Reclassifies Bitcoin And Crypto As Financial Assets Japan's parliament approved legislation reclassifying bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as financial assets, marking a major regulatory shift that aligns digital assets more closely with traditional financial markets. By Micah Zimmerman July 15, 2026 Share FacebookXLinkedinReddItEmailTelegramCopy URL Prefer us on Google Download App Download App Japan’s parliament passed an amendment on Wednesday that reclassifies cryptocurrency as a “financial asset,” a shift that pulls bitcoin and other digital assets out of the country’s payments regime and into the framework that governs stocks, bonds, and investment trusts, according to a report from public broadcaster NHK. The change strips crypto of its prior status under the Payment Services Act, where regulators treated it as a means of settlement, and folds it into the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA), the same statute that oversees traditional securities. The amendment moves bitcoin and other crypto under a single investor-protection standard. NHK reports the change takes effect within a year, with a target of fiscal 2027. Japan’s new authority over bitcoin and the crypto asset class Japan’s cabinet first approved this measure as a draft amendment in April 2026, but that step only sent the bill toward the Diet for debate. Wednesday’s vote marks the final enactment into law, alongside formal approval of a separate plan to cut the top tax rate on crypto gains from 55% to a flat 20% starting in 2028. The move rewires how Japan supervises the asset class. As financial instruments, crypto assets now fall under insider-trading rules that bar issuers, exchange operators, and other parties with access to non-public information from trading ahead of events such as token listings, delistings, or major technical incidents. Exchanges face new disclosure oblig…

Japan’s Landmark Vote Reclassifies Bitcoin And Crypto As Financial Assets

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