Overview
- The National Business Corporate Pension Fund, which reported its plans on Sunday, intends to allocate about 1% of its roughly ¥21.3 billion portfolio to crypto in fiscal 2026.
- That 1% stake equals about ¥213 million (roughly $1.3–$1.4 million) and the fund serves about 1,200 small and medium enterprises and their employees.
- The fund plans to gain exposure through a passive multi‑crypto fund run by a large hedge fund rather than buying tokens directly, avoiding direct custody and on‑chain holdings.
- Fund executive director Ayumi Kiguchi framed the move as a currency‑diversification step that will cut yen exposure from roughly 80% to about 70% while adding developed currencies, emerging‑market currencies, gold, and crypto.
- The decision follows nearly six years of internal study and comes as Japan reclassified many crypto assets under financial law and moved toward a flatter tax rate, changes that lower institutional barriers but do not remove volatility or operational risk and could make similar cautious allocations easier for other conservative investors.