Nomura Unit Eyes Wider Access To Crypto Trading In Japan: Report

Nomura Holdings is preparing to deepen its presence in Japan’s digital asset market as crypto activity surges, with its wholly owned subsidiary Laser Digital Holdings seeking a license to offer trading services to institutional clients. Laser, based in Switzerland, is in pre-consultation talks with Japan’s Financial Services Agency, according to Chief Executive Officer Jez ￰1￱ told Bloomberg that the application reflects the group’s confidence in the country’s digital asset ￰2￱ Value Doubles As Investors Embrace Digital Assets In Japan Japan’s crypto trading market has expanded rapidly this ￰3￱ from the Japan Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association showed that the value of transactions doubled to ¥33.7 trillion, or about $230b, in the first seven months ￰4￱ Holdings plans to expand in Japan’s digital-asset market through a subsidiary, as crypto trading in the country heats up ￰0￱ — Bloomberg (@business) October 3, 2025 Supportive policies abroad, particularly in the US, and anticipated changes at home such as tax cuts and new rules for crypto-focused funds have fueled the ￰5￱ move by Nomura comes as cryptocurrencies push further into mainstream financial services in ￰6￱ Securities, the country’s second-largest brokerage, announced this week that clients at its 181 retail branches can now use Bitcoin and Ether as collateral to borrow ￰7￱ Reforms On Tax And Rules Boost Market Participation In Japan Nomura unveiled Laser in 2022 to offer services ranging from asset management to venture ￰8￱ unit secured a full crypto business license in Dubai in 2023 and set up a Japanese subsidiary the same ￰9￱ granted approval, Laser plans to provide broker-dealer services for both traditional financial institutions and crypto firms, including digital-asset exchanges operating in ￰10￱ observers say that younger investors and institutional players are increasingly turning to digital assets as part of their portfolios, particularly as the government moves to ease tax burdens and refine rules.

Japan’s market has also drawn global attention for its pace of ￰11￱ the 12 months to June 2025, the country recorded a 120% increase in on-chain value received , outpacing South Korea, India and ￰12￱ growth has been helped by reforms treating more tokens as investment instruments and the licensing of the first yen-backed stablecoin ￰13￱ Institutions Eye Japan’s Fast Evolving Crypto Market Landscape Still, Laser’s performance has not been without ￰14￱ reported a quarterly loss in Europe earlier this year, partly linked to what CFO Hiroyuki Moriuchi described as the unit’s “not very good” ￰15￱ had initially expected Laser to turn a profit within two years of its launch, though he later cautioned that breaking even might take ￰16￱ with those setbacks, the planned expansion into Japan signals Nomura’s intent to solidify its role in a market that is evolving quickly and attracting global financial ￰17￱ regulators, the arrival of new players such as Laser highlights the balancing act of fostering innovation while maintaining strict oversight.