Summary
Laser Digital Japan, the Japanese entity of Nomura's digital assets subsidiary, announced it has completed its registration as a Crypto Asset Exchange Service Provider under Japan's Payment Services Act — becoming Japan's first new registered crypto exchange entrant in about four years (since Binance's entry in November 2022). The approval gives Nomura a regulated route into one of Asia's most tightly supervised crypto markets, initially providing liquidity to domestic VASPs and later exploring institutional digital-asset trading services. It comes as Japan reclassifies roughly 105 crypto assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act for fiscal 2027.
Key Facts
- Laser Digital Japan completed registration as a crypto asset exchange service provider under Japan's Payment Services Act
- First new entrant on Japan's register of licensed crypto exchanges in ~4 years (since Binance Nov 2022)
- Registered with the Director-General of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Registration No. 00032)
- Part of Nomura Group's Laser Digital digital assets arm
- Will initially serve domestic crypto asset businesses focusing on improving market liquidity
- Plans to explore digital-asset trading services for Japanese institutional investors (no launch date yet)
- Lists six supported crypto assets: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Shiba Inu
- 2026 Nomura/Laser Digital survey: 79% of Japanese institutional investor respondents plan to invest in crypto within three years
- Japan's Diet in July passed legislation reclassifying ~105 crypto assets from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (fiscal 2027)
- Builds on Japan's regulatory reforms around stablecoins; institutional investors increasingly view digital assets as a diversification tool
- CEO Jez Mohideen: "Japan's digital assets market is entering a new phase of maturity"
Why It Matters
Laser Digital Japan's approval breaks a four-year registration drought in one of Asia's most tightly regulated crypto markets, and signals a shift from retail-driven exchanges to bank-backed institutional infrastructure. As Japan moves crypto toward a financial-instruments framework (and possible spot ETF later), the entry of a Nomura-backed licensed liquidity provider offers domestic exchanges and institutional investors a trusted counterparty. It strengthens Japan's position as a venue for regulated digital assets and validates the institutional-crypto narrative across Asia.