2026-01-08 15:20:41

Japan's Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck announced a significant acquisition plan. The company has reached an agreement with Monex Group to acquire approximately 97% of the Canadian digital asset management firm 3iQ, with an overall valuation of about $112 million.

Under the terms of the deal, Coincheck will issue 27,149,700 new shares to Monex Group at a price of $4.00 per share. The transaction is expected to be officially completed in the second quarter of 2026, at which point Coincheck plans to achieve full control of 3iQ through subsequent acquisitions.

The background of 3iQ is noteworthy. Founded in 2012, the company was a pioneer in North America's digital asset fund space, launching some of the first Bitcoin and Ethereum fund products listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. By 2025, 3iQ had also launched Solana staking ETFs and XRP spot ETFs, demonstrating its ability to expand into multi-chain asset management.

This acquisition reflects the trend of cryptocurrency exchanges extending into upstream asset management businesses and also highlights the ongoing investment by major platforms in compliance and institutional development.

BTC4,41%

ETH7,16%

SOL4,5%

XRP5,33%

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NFTBlackHole

· 01-11 06:36

3iQ is about to take off. The ETF products for Solana and XRP have indeed seized the opportunity of multi-chain development.

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TokenAlchemist

· 01-11 02:43

ngl the $4 per share valuation screams desperation... 3iQ's ETF surface used to be the only real alpha vector in north american crypto funds, now they're just another asset under management play? feels like coincheck's betting on institutional routing inefficiencies that don't exist anymore

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NotSatoshi

· 01-08 15:49

Coincheck, this move is good. Taking down 3iQ directly means grabbing the gateway for institutional funds. Smart.

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SneakyFlashloan

· 01-08 15:46

It's another exchange doing M&A, this time 3iQ got acquired. It seems there will be more mergers and acquisitions happening in the future.

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FreeMinter

· 01-08 15:38

Huh, Coincheck is doing mergers and acquisitions again, this time targeting 3iQ? Basically, they still want to take over the management's cake. --- $112 million for 3iQ, is this price cheap or expensive? Seems like not many people are discussing it. --- Wait, it's not until Q2 2026 that the deal will be completed? This pace is a bit slow, could there be variables in between? --- 3iQ is working on Solana staking and XRP spot ETFs, definitely sensing the trend, but after being acquired by a big company like Coincheck, can they still operate independently? Doubtful. --- Exchanges are so competitive that they're now acquiring management companies, indicating there are no new businesses. --- Wow, issuing over 27 million new shares to dilute so aggressively—holders must be feeling uncomfortable.

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BlindBoxVictim

· 01-08 15:36

Japanese exchanges are again on a buying spree, this time targeting the asset management business in North America, which is quite interesting. It's still settlement in 2026, why is this routine so slow? Does anyone still remember 3iQ? That early batch of BTC funds was really scarce.

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