Japan Plans Major Shift As Crypto Moves From Payments To Securities...
Japan plans to move crypto regulation from payments law to securities rules, tightening disclosures for IEOs and cracking down on unregistered platforms.
Japan’s financial regulators are preparing to move crypto asset oversight out of the country’s payments regime and into a framework designed for investment and securities markets.
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) on Wednesday released a comprehensive report from the Financial System Council’s Working Group on the regulatory status of cryptocurrencies across multiple sectors.
The document outlines a plan to shift the legal basis for crypto regulation from the Payment Services Act (PSA) to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA), which is the primary law regulating securities markets, issuance, trading and disclosures.
“Crypto assets are increasingly being used as investment targets both domestically and internationally,” the report noted, underscoring the need to protect users by providing regulation that treats crypto as a financial product.
One of the core changes brought by bringing crypto under FIEA regulatory scope is strengthening data disclosure requirements for initial exchange offerings (IEOs), or token sales managed by crypto exchanges.
“Crypto transactions conducted by users are similar to securities transactions, and may involve the sale of new crypto assets or the buying and selling already in circulation,” the document reads, highlighting the importance of timely information during IEO sales.
Among the requirements for IEOs, the proposal mandates that exchanges provide pre-sale disclosures, including detailed information about the core entities behind the offering. It also requires code audits by independent third-party experts and encourages consideration of feedback from self-regulatory organizations.
In addition to exchanges, it places responsibilities on issuers, requiring them to disclose their identities, regardless of whether the project is decentralized, and how tokens are issued and distributed.
Related: Crypto payments coming to PlayStation as Sony plans stablecoin launch in 2026
Source: CoinTelegraph
