Japanese Crypto Exchange Bitbank Eyes IPO Next Year, CEO Says

Bitbank is hoping to list itself around the middle of next year, CEO says, a move that if successful would make it Japan’s first publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange operator.

• “I’d like to do the IPO next year,” possibly “around the middle,” Noriyuki Hirosue tells journalists during an online seminar Tuesday
• Bitbank would spend money on strengthening regulatory compliance, launching new services and investing in technologies such as artificial intelligence if the IPO goes through
• If any crypto exchange goes public, that might help boost “social credibility” that Japan’s crypto industry lacks
• Hirosue owns about 31% of the company; other investors ...