Japanese gaming and blockchain firm Gumi has introduced a 1 billion yen ($6.5 million) funding in Bitcoin (BTC) in a Feb. 10 letter to the market.
The funding will happen from February to Could and can signify 4.3% of Gumi’s $150 million market cap. Following the information, Gumi inventory climbed 3.65%.
The corporate additionally revealed that it grew to become the primary publicly listed Japanese firm to take part as a validator for BTC staking protocol Babylon within the second quarter of the fiscal yr ending April 2025.
Babylon lets customers stake their Bitcoin to earn rewards. The staked BTC is used as safety for different protocols, making a Bitcoin Secured Networks layer. The protocol has over $5.4 billion in complete worth locked (TVL), based mostly on DefiLlama knowledge.
Gumi’s Board of Administrators authorized the acquisition as a part of its technique to strengthen monetary operations inside its blockchain-focused enterprise, which has develop into a central pillar of the corporate’s development.
In response to Babylon’s web site, Gumi has 7.99 BTC — price over $770,000 — staked on the platform, incomes a 5% fee.
BTC staking
Gumi anticipates new income sources from capital appreciation and extra validator rewards by buying Bitcoin and utilizing it for staking.
The choice aligns with the agency’s Web3 ambitions, because it seeks to deepen its presence in decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain-based monetary companies.
Notably, Gumi’s web site reveals the corporate is already a node operator for eight blockchains, together with Ethereum, Sui, and Avalanche.
Furthermore, the Japanese gaming writer has a blockchain unit liable for efforts mixing video games and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Gaming firms Capcom and Double Leap are reported as Gumi companions.
Gumi’s web site additionally highlights investments within the NFT market OpenSea and the gaming-focused decentralized group Yield Guild Video games.
The corporate plans to conduct quarterly valuations of its Bitcoin holdings and incorporate beneficial properties or losses into its monetary statements. It has additionally acknowledged that any important monetary affect from this funding will probably be disclosed promptly.