Metaplanet, a Japanese listed company, saw its share price rise by more than 4,000% in the past year, the highest increase in the Japanese stock market.

Odaily Planet Daily News Metaplanet Inc., a Japanese listed company that adopts a Bitcoin strategy, has seen its share price rise by more than 4,000% in the past 12 months, the largest increase among all Japanese stocks in the same period and one of the highest increase in the world. Metaplanet CEO and former Goldman Sachs equity derivatives trader Simon Gerovich said he became interested in the idea after hearing Michael Saylor's strategy on a podcast and turned to a "Bitcoin-first strategy" in early 2024. Since then, Metaplanet's shareholder base has grown to nearly 50,000, a 500% increase by 2024, according to the company. Shareholders include Capital Group (which also invested in Strategy), but the vast majority are retail investors, many of whom have limited experience with volatile crypto assets. “Metaplanet has such high exposure to the volatile retail crowd that they need to make sure shareholders understand exactly what their strategy is,” said Rhiannon Ewart-White, a Japanese equity analyst and managing director of Storm Research in the U.K. The company, which has posted losses for six straight years, expects to post a profit in its fourth-quarter earnings, which it will report later Monday in Tokyo. Ewart-White said that could boost the stock price. Metaplanet isn’t the only company in Japan copying MicroStrategy. For example, software developer Remixpoint Inc. announced plans last September to buy 1.2 billion yen (about $8 million) in bitcoin, and its shares have since risen more than 300%. (Bloomberg)