Nomura's Laser Digital first new crypto exchange in Japan in four years

Laser Digital Japan, the Japanese arm of Nomura’s digital assets subsidiary, has completed its registration as a crypto exchange. The company thereby becomes the first new party in four years to receive such a licence in Japan. Initially, the company will focus on liquidity services for local parties, with plans to later provide institutional investors with access to digital asset trading.

In brief:

• Laser Digital Japan has been approved as a crypto asset exchange service provider under Japan’s Payment Services Act.
• It is the first new registration in Japan’s crypto sector since 2022.
• The company will start with liquidity services and later plans to offer trading platforms to institutional investors.

First new licence in four years

Laser Digital Japan has been registered by the Japanese regulator as a crypto asset exchange service provider, as Nomura Holdings announced. The registration falls under the Payment Services Act and is the first new licence in the Japanese crypto sector in four years. Since then, Japan has implemented significant regulatory reforms, including around stablecoins.

Steve Ashley, co-founder and executive chairman of Laser Digital, says the registration demonstrates that the company can meet Japan’s regulatory requirements. According to him, institutional investors worldwide are increasingly seeking access to digital assets and the associated infrastructure.

Institutional investors show growing interest

Laser Digital Japan will initially focus on improving liquidity for Japanese virtual asset providers. Later, the company also wants to offer trading opportunities to institutional investors. The company will announce at a later date when exactly these services will launch.

A joint survey by Nomura and Laser Digital among institutional investors in 2026 shows that interest in digital assets is growing in Japan. Some 65% of respondents say they see digital assets as an opportunity to diversify their portfolios. Of that group, nearly 79% say they plan to invest in this category over the next three years. Japan has previously also reclassified crypto assets as financial instruments, laying the foundation for potential products such as crypto ETFs. Japanese Bitcoin ETFs have previously already attracted attention from investors, partly in line with the strong inflows into Bitcoin ETFs worldwide.

Jez Mohideen, co-founder and CEO of Laser Digital, states that the Japanese digital asset market is entering a new phase of maturity. He points to the need for reliable counterparties and infrastructure specifically geared towards institutional investors.