Japanese Brokerage Firm May Acquire Hacked Coincheck Exchange

Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck, which suffered a major hack early this year, may soon be under new management, reports say.

AccessTimeIconApr 3, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 8:40 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Update (April 3, 12:34 UTC):, Monex has issued a press release to confirm it is considering taking over Coincheck, but that such a move hasn't been finalized.

----

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck, which suffered a major hack early this year, may soon be under new management.

    According to Nikkei sources, Monex – an online brokerage firm also based in japan – is considering buying a majority stake in the exchange. Under the possible deal, Monex would reportedly replace the management team and rebuild the Coincheck platform itself.

    If it goes ahead, the deal could be worth "several billion yen" and could be announced this week, Nikkei adds.

    However, the acquisition has still not been officially confirmed by the broker, and a report from Reuters states that, when contacted for confirmation of the news, Coincheck said that it hadn’t released information on any deal.

    Following the report, Monex shares shot up by 23 percent, the maximum permitted by the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nikkei says.

    Coincheck found itself in deep water with both customers and regulators following the hack of about $530 million-worth of cryptocurrency that occurred in late January.

    Since then, it has faced investigations from Japan's Financial Services Agency over security failures and its ability to repay users that lost funds in the heist.

    Coincheck has pledged to reimburse users at a rate of $0.81 per token – which would result in a total payout near $420 million. Even so, the exchange has been faced with several lawsuits from investors claiming refunds and compensation.

    Japanese yen image via Shutterstock

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.