Japanese firm Metaplanet saw its stock price surge to three-month highs on Monday after announcing its latest Bitcoin (BTC) acquisition. The company added 1,004 BTC to its treasury, marking its third significant purchase this month.
A week earlier, it had acquired 1,241 BTC, surpassing El Salvador’s reserves. Previously, on May 7, Metaplanet made a comparatively smaller purchase of 555 BTC.
“From July 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024, the Company’s BTC Yield was 41.7%. From October 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, the Company’s BTC Yield was 309.8%. From January 1, 2025, to March 31, 2025, the company achieved a BTC Yield of 95.6%. Quarter to Date, from April 1, 2025, to May 19, 2025, the Company’s BTC Yield is 47.8%,” the statement read.
The company now holds a total of 7,800 Bitcoin, with an aggregate investment of 105.38 billion yen, or roughly $712.5 million. The average historical purchase price across its Bitcoin holdings stands at 13.5 million yen per BTC, approximately $91,343 per coin.
Meanwhile, following the news, Metaplanet stock, 3350.T, appreciated by 12.6%, according to Yahoo Finance data. At press time, its trading price was 702 yen ($4.8), marking highs last seen on February 13.
Over the past month alone, 3350.T’s value has increased by 101.7%, greatly benefiting from Bitcoin’s latest rally. In fact, since adopting a Bitcoin reserve strategy, the stock prices have increased over 15-fold.
The firm’s financial performance further supports this upward trajectory. In its Q1 FY2025 earnings report, Metaplanet disclosed revenues of $6 million, with 88% derived from Bitcoin options trading.
This highlighted the important role BTC plays in its financial success. As the firm continues integrating Bitcoin into its economic strategy, it is setting a new benchmark for corporate crypto adoption in the region.
The crypto market is going nowhere at the moment, stabilizing instead of rallying or crashing. However, this is not stopping meme coins from noting extravagant rallies as displayed by MANEKI.
BeInCrypto has analyzed two other meme coins that, while not experiencing explosive growth, are still generating enough market movement to make them important assets to watch.
MAGIC•INTERNET•MONEY (Bitcoin) (MIM)
Launch Date – February 2025
Total Circulating Supply – 21 Billion MIM
Maximum Supply – 21 Billion MIM
Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) – $65.54 Million
MIM experienced an eventful week with sharp rallies early on, followed by slight declines in the past few days. Currently trading at $0.003026, this meme coin has garnered attention due to its performance as a Bitcoin-based token.
Despite recent declines, MIM has surged by 64% over the past week. The token’s unique positioning as a meme coin on Bitcoin adds to its intrigue, especially as meme coins expand into different blockchain ecosystems. This trend indicates growing investor interest and speculation in such assets.
MIM remains primed for further gains, potentially reaching $0.004000 or higher. However, if investors decide to sell, the price could fall back to $0.00200, reflecting the volatility of meme coins. Traders should carefully monitor market sentiment and any signs of selling pressure.
Shiba Inu (SHIB)
Launch Date – August 2020
Total Circulating Supply – 589.2 Trillion SHIB
Maximum Supply – 589.5 Trillion SHIB
Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) – $7.01 Billion
Shiba Inu’s price is currently at $0.00001189, continuing its downtrend since the start of the year. While the meme coin shows signs of potential recovery, the reduced burn rate has contributed to limiting upward momentum. A continuation of this trend could hinder any substantial gains for SHIB.
The burn rate for Shiba Inu has dropped significantly, falling by 98% over the last 24 hours. A high burn rate usually helps reduce inflation and supports price growth. The current decline in burn rate presents challenges, as it reduces demand and further limits SHIB’s ability to recover in the short term.
SHIB is holding above the support level of $0.00001141 and may continue to consolidate around this price point. However, if it breaches the $0.00001252 resistance, it could invalidate the bearish-neutral outlook.
Small Cap Corner : MANEKI (MANEKI)
Launch Date – April 2024
Total Circulating Supply – 8.85 Billion MANEKI
Maximum Supply – 8.88 Billion MANEKI
Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) – $38.45 Million
MANEKI has emerged as one of the top-performing tokens this month, gaining 33% over the past week. In the last 24 hours alone, the meme coin surged by more than 30%, showing strong potential for further upward movement. The growth in the cat-themed token market is fueling this momentum.
Despite being a small-cap token, MANEKI has caught the attention of investors. The growing interest in cat-themed tokens has added to its appeal. Currently trading at $0.0043, the coin is on the verge of breaching the $0.0047 resistance. A successful breakthrough could push the price to $0.0055.
However, if the price fails to breach $0.0047, the coin could fall back to $0.0036. Losing this support would invalidate the bullish thesis, causing a drop to $0.0022. Investors need to monitor the price closely to determine the next potential move for MANEKI.
In 2025, AI agents became the newest obsession for crypto market participants. They were integrated into decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming, infrastructure, and even DAO governance, touted as the next evolution of Web3 intelligence.
With this in mind, BeInCrypto contacted OORT CEO Dr. Max Li for his perspective on whether these autonomous, machine-learning-driven software acting on behalf of users could reshape crypto. Li had some interesting insights, but warned that real-world adoption, security, and regulation are the biggest hurdles ahead.
The AI Agent Gold Rush: Disruption or Distraction?
Data from the AI Agents Directory indicates an average monthly increase of 33% in the number of AI agents.
However, despite the growing interest, Web3-based artificial intelligence solutions still account for a minimal fraction (3%) of the overall AI agent ecosystem.
According to Dr. Max Li, founder and CEO of decentralized cloud network OORT, the space is moving faster than its infrastructure can handle, pointing to models like ElizaOS (formerly ai16z).
Yet, in his opinion, the broader playing field is not ready. He says the core infrastructure, from decentralized storage to tokenized agent marketplaces, is still under construction.
The Real Bottleneck? Security, Not Speed
While scalability is often seen as crypto’s weakness, Max Li says security and compliance are bigger threats. This is especially true when tokenizing AI outputs like computing, decision-making, or real-time data.
Dr. Li added that tokenized AI raises difficult questions. Who owns the data that the agents generate? How can decentralized systems comply with global data laws like GDPR? And what happens when AI agents interact with sensitive personal or financial information on-chain?
“These may already be more significant barriers than scalability,” Dr. Li warned.
The OORT executive emphasized that without clear custodianship or compliance frameworks, the risks extend beyond crypto to regulators, investors, and end-users.
Enterprise Adoption Isn’t Coming Anytime Soon
The industry often claims AI agents will bring real-world industries on-chain. However, Dr. Li says it is still a fantasy, particularly in the public blockchain.
He explained that while enterprises like Walmart could benefit from AI for internal operations, there is little incentive to tokenize those agents. Traditional firms want efficiency and control, not decentralized tokens wrapped around their core systems.
“Most enterprises would prefer to keep that data within their own secured servers rather than exposing it on a public, decentralized network,” he said.
While private chains may offer a bridge, Max Li says the idea of tokenized agents powering real-world logistics or finance is, for now, a crypto-native dream.
A Market Fueled by Hype
AI agent tokens have exploded in 2025. Riding the momentum of both AI and crypto, they have attracted massive capital inflows. However, Dr. Li parallels the dot-com bubble, concluding that while innovation is real, the market is overheated.
Based on this, he does not believe the current rally is sustainable: “It’s fair to say there’s a bubble forming here.”
This sentiment echoes Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), who recently warned that most AI token projects launch too early.
“Too many AI agent developers focus too much on their token and not enough on the agent’s usefulness. I recommend making a really good agent first,” wrote CZ in a post.
Zhao argued that only a tiny fraction of AI agents, say 0.05%, actually need tokens at this stage. Similarly, Hitesh Malviya, an analyst and popular figure on X, recently echoed this sentiment in a post.
“If you look outside the crypto echo chamber, you’ll find that we do have a solid ecosystem of free and better AI agents—and they don’t have tokens, nor might they ever need one. So, what we’re trading in the name of agents is nothing but memes—a value we created out of thin air, like we always do,” Hitesh observed.
Regulatory Turbulence Ahead
Perhaps the most underappreciated risk in the AI agent boom is regulation. The intersection of open AI systems, tokenized data, and borderless blockchains is a minefield for compliance.
Dr. Li warned of contradictions yet to be resolved: How can decentralized AI be transparent and private? Who is liable when agents act autonomously but cause financial losses?
“In the short term, regulatory intervention will likely create additional hurdles for innovation,” he concluded.
This is especially true where there is no global consensus. Until jurisdictions align on KYC (know-your-customer), AML (anti-money laundering) laws, and data governance, institutional adoption will remain cautious, if not frozen.
While the rise of AI agents is real, their integration into tokenized crypto ecosystems is still a high-risk, high-ambiguity frontier. Infrastructure remains fragile. Legal frameworks are missing, and real-world adoption is still speculative at best.
Dr. Max Li’s view is clear: crypto must shift its focus from hype to functionality—from token-first to agent-first design.
Only then will the next leap in AI-powered decentralization become more than just a market cycle.
Sygnum’s off-exchange custody platform allows traders to mirror assets held in Sygnum’s custody while trading on an exchange like Deribit.
Cryptocurrency banking firm Sygnum is partnering with crypto derivatives exchange Deribit, providing its off-exchange custody platform, Sygnum Protect.
On March 5, Sygnum announced the expansion of Sygnum Protect, its off-exchange custody platform, to include Deribit, one of the world’s largest derivatives exchanges in crypto.
This integration enables institutional Deribit traders to hold their assets in Sygnum’s institutional-grade custody while accessing Deribit’s broad trading offering and liquidity.
