Telecom giant KDDI to acquire 14.9% stake in Coincheck Group in $65 million deal

Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Telecom giant KDDI to acquire 14.9% stake in Coincheck Group in $65 million deal The companies signed a business alliance for revenue sharing, referral fees and customer referrals to expand crypto access in Japan. By Francisco Rodrigues | Edited by Nikhilesh De May 13, 2026, 3:11 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on (Jakub Żerdzicki/Unsplash) What to know : KDDI, a major Japanese telecom firm, plans to acquire a 14.9% stake in Coincheck Group (CNCK) for $65 million, with the deal expected to close in June. The companies signed a business alliance for revenue sharing, referral fees, and customer referrals to expand crypto access in Japan. KDDI gains the right to nominate one non-executive director to Coincheck's board, aligning with its recent Web3 and metaverse initiatives. KDDI, one of Japan’s largest telecom companies, is set to hold a 14.9% stake in local crypto exchange operator Coincheck Group (CNCK) after agreeing to a $65 million deal. The telecom giant will subscribe for 28.5 million newly issued Coincheck Group shares at $2.28 each, Coincheck said on Wednesday. The deal is expected to close in June. Coincheck and KDDI also signed what both firms called a business alliance covering customer referrals, revenue sharing and referral fees. The companies said the partnership is aimed at expanding crypto access in Japan through KDDI’s consumer channels and Coincheck’s trading, custody, staking and asset-management services. KDDI has been building around crypto and Web3 since at least 2023, when it launched αU , a metaverse and Web3 service with a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace and crypto wallet. The company deepened that push through a capital and business alliance with HashPort, a Japanese Web3 wallet developer. The deal was tied to plans allowing users to convert Ponta loyalty points into stablecoins and crypto, and convert those assets into au PAY gift cards. KDDI will receive registration rights for the shares and the right to nominate one non-executive director to Coincheck Group’s board at its next annual general meeting, expected in September. Coincheck’s Dutch parent listed on Nasdaq in late 2024 under the ticker CNCK, after a delayed plan to go public through a SPAC deal . The company has since pushed into institutional crypto services, including through its acquisition of digital asset prime broker Aplo . KDDI, as of December 2025, had over 72 million mobile subscriptions. J.P. Morgan advised Coincheck Group on the deal. De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett acted as legal counsel. Japan More For You Animoca-backed NUVA connects Figure's $19 billion of tokenized assets to Ethereum By Krisztian Sandor 12 minutes ago The protocol, led by veteran BNY executive Anthony Moro, aims to connect real-world assets with DeFi markets, starting with home equity lines of credit and Treasuries. What to know : NUVA, a new Ethereum-based marketplace from Animoca Brands and Nuva Labs, is linking $19 billion of tokenized real-world assets tied to Figure to decentralized finance. The platform debuts with two flagship products, a Treasury-linked yield vault and a token tied to Figure Technologies' $18 billion home equity line of credit... Read full story Latest Crypto News Clarity Act amendments would remake key parts of crypto bill but have doubtful future 11 minutes ago Animoca-backed NUVA connects Figure's $19 billion of tokenized assets to Ethereum 12 minutes ago Crypto wallet provider Ledger puts U.S. IPO plans on hold due to market conditions 30 minutes ago It’s time for clarity for America’s digital asset markets 55 minutes ago Anthropic, OpenAI tokens plunge as AI firms say pre-IPO share transfers are invalid 1 hour ago CoinDesk 20 performance update: SUI drops 3.2% as index trades lower 1 hour ago Top Stories Live markets: Bitcoin dips below $80,000 as producer price inflation surges to 6% 2 hours ago The $82,000 battle: bitcoin tests key resistance zone to form next major breakout 4 hours ago Charles Schwab begins U.S. rollout of spot crypto trading for retail customers 4 hours ago Nevada regulators push back after prediction market conference blames them for move 11 hours ago Bitcoin holds below $81,000 with Trump-Xi talks on the horizon 3 hours ago Tokenized Treasuries hit $15 billion as bitcoin stalls, Fed rate-rise concerns build 3 hours ago