Japan’s finance minister backs crypto integration across stock exchanges: report

Japan's Minister of Finance, Satsuki Katayama, voiced strong support for integrating digital assets into traditional financial systems during her New Year's address at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. She emphasized that stock and commodity exchanges are crucial for providing public access to blockchain-based assets, citing the popularity of crypto ETFs in the U.S. as a potential model for Japan, which currently lacks domestic crypto ETFs. Katayama designated 2026 as the "digital year" and pledged support for exchanges to adopt innovative trading environments using cutting-edge technology. This move aligns with Japan's broader efforts to become a crypto hub, including recent regulatory reforms such as potentially allowing banks to hold crypto assets, approving the yen-pegged stablecoin JPYC, and plans to reclassify major cryptocurrencies as financial products to potentially lower their tax rate from 55% to 20%.

(Source：The Block)