Nomura-backed Laser Digital has become Japan’s first newly registered crypto asset exchange service provider in about four years, securing approval as the country prepares to move digital assets under a financial-instruments framework.
Summary
- Laser Digital has become Japan’s first newly registered crypto asset exchange service provider in about four years.
- The Nomura-backed firm will initially provide liquidity services to domestic virtual asset service providers.
- Laser Digital plans to expand into institutional digital asset trading, though no launch date has been announced.
- Japan is preparing to bring crypto under its financial instruments framework, with new rules expected to take effect in 2027.
According to Laser Digital, its Japanese subsidiary has completed registration as a crypto asset exchange service provider and will initially supply liquidity to domestic virtual-asset service providers before considering trading services for institutional investors.
The company has not disclosed when the institutional offering will launch or the full range of services it intends to provide. The registration, however, gives Laser Digital a regulated route into a market where institutional demand has been rising, according to research conducted by Nomura and the digital-asset firm.
A 2026 survey by Nomura and Laser Digital found that 79% of respondents planned to invest in crypto assets within the next three years. Laser Digital said the findings support its decision to build services designed for professional investors in Japan.
Laser Digital gains Japan entry after a four-year registration gap
The approval follows months of regulatory work by the Nomura subsidiary, which had been preparing to establish a regulated trading operation for institutional clients.
In October 2025, crypto.news reported Laser Digital plans to seek a Japanese crypto trading license after the firm entered preliminary discussions with the Financial Services Agency. At the time, Laser Digital was considering broker-dealer services for traditional financial institutions, crypto companies and digital-asset exchanges operating in the country.
Those plans have now moved into the registration stage, although the company’s first services will focus on liquidity for locally registered crypto businesses. Institutional trading opportunities are expected to follow, subject to the company’s final service structure and launch schedule.
Laser Digital was established by Nomura in 2022 as the investment bank expanded into digital assets. The business has since developed operations across asset management, trading and venture investment, while its Japanese subsidiary has been working toward establishing a regulated local presence.
Outside Japan, the company received a full crypto business license in Dubai in 2023. Laser Digital has also launched investment products including Bitcoin and Ethereum-focused funds designed for institutional investors.
Its Japan strategy has included other parts of the digital-asset market. During its earlier licensing discussions, Laser Digital was also exploring yen- and dollar-pegged stablecoins with GMO Internet Group, including services covering regulatory support, blockchain infrastructure and backend operations.
Jez Mohideen, co-founder and CEO of Laser Digital, said the Japanese market was reaching “a new phase of maturity” as professional investors increase their exposure to the sector.
“As institutional investors increase their interest in this asset class, there remains a need for trusted counterparties and infrastructure designed specifically for their requirements,” Mohideen said.
Japan crypto rules are moving digital assets closer to securities
Laser Digital’s registration comes shortly after Japan completed legislation that changes how cryptocurrencies are treated under the country’s financial laws.
Japan passed its crypto law in July, classifying digital assets as financial products under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and creating a separate legal category alongside products such as stocks and bonds. The legislation followed years in which crypto assets were primarily regulated under the Payment Services Act.
Under the amended framework, Japan will introduce insider-trading restrictions for crypto transactions and annual disclosure requirements for issuers of certain digital assets. Penalties for businesses operating without registration will also increase once the rules are implemented.
The legislation also establishes a legal basis for changing how crypto gains are taxed. Japan currently treats individual crypto profits as miscellaneous income, with rates that can reach about 55%, while the planned system could place qualifying gains under separate taxation at an effective rate of about 20%.
Tax provisions are expected to take effect in January 2028 because enforcement is scheduled during Japan’s 2027 fiscal year, according to CoinPost reporting cited in the July coverage. The amended financial law itself is expected to take effect within one year of promulgation, with cabinet ordinances and supervisory guidelines setting out the detailed requirements.
Japan’s revised framework also provides the legal groundwork for domestic spot crypto exchange-traded funds. The Japan Exchange Group has been considering local crypto ETF listings as early as 2027, although approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs has not yet been confirmed.
Nomura is preparing for more institutional crypto products
Traditional financial groups were already positioning for new crypto investment products before the latest law was completed.
By May, major Japanese brokerage groups including SBI, Rakuten and Nomura were preparing or studying crypto investment trust products as regulators worked on rules allowing funds to hold digital assets. SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities were developing products internally, while Nomura, Daiwa and firms linked to SMBC and Mizuho were examining similar offerings.
The planned investment trusts could allow Japanese investors to gain crypto exposure through conventional securities accounts once regulatory requirements are completed. Japan’s roadmap has also included plans that could eventually allow investment trusts and ETFs to hold assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Laser Digital has already built products around that institutional demand outside its Japanese exchange operation. Nomura launched the unit’s Bitcoin Adoption Fund in 2023, giving institutional investors long-only Bitcoin exposure, followed by other digital-asset investment products.
The company has also expanded into tokenized finance through projects linked to institutional funds and blockchain infrastructure, placing regulated trading, asset management and tokenized products within the same digital-asset business.
For its Japanese operation, however, the immediate focus remains liquidity provision to registered domestic crypto firms. Laser Digital has said details covering the launch timetable and the scope of future institutional trading services will be announced later.
Steve Ashley, co-founder and executive chairman of Laser Digital, said professional investors globally were increasingly seeking digital-asset access alongside infrastructure capable of supporting institutional trading.
“Sophisticated investors are increasingly looking for access and the necessary quality of infrastructure behind it,” Ashley said.
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