TLDR:
- Nomuras Laser Digital is in conversation with Japan’s FSA to apply for a crypto trade license for institutional services.
- Japan’s crypto transactions doubled to 33.7 trillion ¥ 2025, increased by regulatory reforms and pro-crypto policy.
- If approved, Laser Digital will provide broker resale services for finance companies and exchanges of digital assets in Japan.
- Laser already has a Dubai-Cryptolic license and launched a Japanese unit in 2023 to expand its presence of digital access.
Crypto activity in Japan climbs and global institutions are watching. Nomura Holdings prepares its digital asset arm, Laser Digital, for the next step. The company is looking for Approval to operate crypto services for institutional players.
Discussions with regulatory authorities are ongoing when the country includes new rules and higher volumes. The move would place laser in one of Asia’s fastest growing crypto markets.
Nomuras Laser Digital Eyes Japan Crypto License
According to a Bloomberg ReportNomura’s Switzerland-based subsidiary Digital Holdings AG holds preliminary conversations with Japan’s financial services agency.
The discussions focus on ensuring approval for a crypto trade license aimed at institutional customers.
CEO Jez Mohideen said that if the application is successful, Laser will offer broker resale services. The plan includes service banks, traditional asset managers and crypto companies as exchanges that already operate in Japan.
Japan’s crypto industry expands quickly. Data from Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association showed that transaction values doubled in the first seven months of 2025 and reached $ 33.7 trillion ($ 230 billion).
Observers have linked growth to global speed and domestic reforms, including tax cuts and new fund roads.
Laser’s expansion to Japan marks a return to one of Nomura’s core markets. The company has said that its entry reflects a long -term optimism about the country’s digital access framework.
Market guards believe that the new rules have made Japan attractive to foreign and local players.
Crypto market growth fuels institutional interest
Laser Digital, revealed in 2022, offers a mix of services in Digital management And venture capital. The unit secured a complete cryptol license in Dubai last year and opened a Japanese office shortly after.
However, the road has not been without hindrance. In July, Nomura reported a quarterly loss in Europe, with reference to Laser’s under performance as a factor. Corporate leaders admitted that profitability can take longer than initially predicting.
Mohideen previously said that the group expected the unit to break evenly within two years. In 2023, however, he warned that the timeline could extend due to slower than expected return.
Despite this, he noted the importance of building a presence in regulated markets.
Crypto commentators in Japan, such as industry supervisors on social media, said that the timing is in line with reforms that encourage stablecoins and fund structures. With more institutions investigating digital assets, a licensed broker in Japan can become an early recipient.
