Capital Group Becomes Largest Shareholder of Metaplanet with 11.11% Stake

Capital Group has once again become the largest shareholder of Metaplanet, a Tokyo-based company that shifted from the hotel business to bitcoin. The American asset manager now owns 143,301,084 shares, representing 11.11% of voting rights. Previously, in 2026, its stake had fallen below 10%.

The statement was filed with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau of Japan on October 23, 2026, reflecting holdings as of October 16. The shares are held through Capital Research and Management Company, part of the Capital Group. Before the latest purchase, the firm owned 125,455,820 shares, or 9.76% of voting rights; returning to 143,301,084 shares meant buying approximately 17.8 million shares on the market.

This is significant due to the threshold: Japanese regulations classify any holder above 10% as a major shareholder, which entails additional disclosure obligations. Over the past year, Capital Group has crossed this line several times amid changing market conditions. The statement also disclosed stock loan agreements with JPMorgan and Fidelity.

For comparison: in September 2025, Capital Group's stake was 11.39–11.45% with approximately 129.9 million shares. The firm now holds more shares than then, but the percentage is slightly lower—arithmetic points to an increase in the total number of shares, reflecting minor fluctuations during 2026 due to buybacks and dilution.

Metaplanet did not start as a crypto project: the company was engaged in the hotel and entertainment business and adopted a corporate bitcoin reserve strategy in 2024 under CEO Simon Gerovich. As of the end of September 2026, Metaplanet holds about 44,000 BTC, placing it among the largest corporate holders of bitcoin in the world.

Companies of this model often issue new shares to finance bitcoin purchases, diluting the stakes of existing shareholders unless they buy more. Metaplanet also used buybacks in 2026, which pulls the number of shares in the opposite direction. For a major holder like Capital Group, this means the percentage can change even without transactions.

The detail about stock loans is noteworthy: the loaned shares could end up with traders betting against the stock. Agreements with JPMorgan and Fidelity indicate that the position is actively managed. Capital Group's movements around the 10% mark suggest that even loyal institutional investors adjust their exposure as conditions change. Future statements to the Kanto Bureau should be monitored: any change in stake, especially another crossing of the 10% threshold, will provide a new signal on how large capital assesses the corporate bitcoin reserve strategy.