TLDR
- Laser Digital secured regulatory registration to provide crypto asset exchange services in Japan for institutions.
- The Nomura-backed firm will initially provide liquidity services to domestic virtual asset service providers nationwide.
- Laser Digital plans to offer digital asset trading opportunities to institutional investors in Japan eventually.
- The approval marks Japan’s first new crypto asset industry registration in four years, Laser says.
- Laser Digital’s survey found 79% of institutions plan crypto investments within the next three years.
Nomura-backed Laser Digital has secured regulatory registration to provide crypto asset services in Japan, clearing the way for the company to build an institutional digital asset business in the country.
Laser Digital Secures Crypto Registration in Japan
Laser Digital Japan completed its registration as a Crypto Asset Exchange Service Provider, allowing the company to develop regulated crypto services for the Japanese market. The company said the approval represents Japan’s first new crypto asset industry registration in four years.
The Japanese arm of Nomura’s digital asset subsidiary will initially provide liquidity to domestic virtual asset service providers. Laser Digital also plans to offer digital asset trading opportunities to institutional investors, although it has not announced a launch date or identified which products will be available.
Steve Ashley, co-founder and executive chairman of Laser Digital, said the registration allows the company to bring the standards used across its international operations to Japan. He said the company intends to contribute to the development of the country’s digital asset market while meeting local regulatory requirements.
“We are fully committed to serving the Japanese market and clients with the same high standards of service we have set in other markets,” Ashley said.
Japanese Institutions Increase Interest in Crypto
Laser Digital enters the regulated Japanese market as institutional interest in digital assets continues to grow. Nomura and Laser Digital’s 2026 Institutional Investor Survey found that 65% of respondents viewed crypto assets as a way to diversify portfolios.
Nearly 79% of respondents also said they planned to invest in crypto assets during the next three years. Laser Digital Japan plans to target that market with infrastructure designed for professional investors while maintaining controls covering compliance, governance, risk management and investor protection.
Laser Digital co-founder and CEO Dr. Jez Mohideen said institutional investors require regulated counterparties as their participation in digital assets expands.
“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 Moves Crypto Under Financial Markets Framework
The registration comes as Japan prepares broader changes to its digital asset rules. Parliament recently approved legislation designed to move crypto oversight from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.
Under the new framework, crypto assets will be treated as financial products, bringing exchanges, issuers, investment managers and advisers under rules closer to those governing traditional financial markets. The legislation also introduces restrictions against insider trading in domestic crypto markets.
Japan is also preparing changes to the taxation of digital assets. The legislation creates the basis for a 20% tax rate on qualifying crypto gains, replacing a system under which investors can face rates as high as 55%.
The new tax treatment could begin as early as January 1, 2028. Laser Digital’s registration gives the Nomura-backed company a regulated position in Japan as the country restructures its rules for institutional crypto trading and investment.
