Cryptoupdated 30m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 17 June 2015Nomura Weighs Sale of Laser Digital Crypto Unit, Marex Among Potential Buyers
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Nomura weighing sale of Zurich-based Laser Digital Holdings AG. Marex Group among potential buyers in talks.
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Nomura reviews Laser Digital
Nomura is weighing an exit from its crypto business after losses at its Zurich-based unit Laser Digital pushed the group’s entire European operation into the red, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. Nomura is exploring a possible sale of its cryptocurrency subsidiary Laser Digital Holdings AG, and Marex Group Ltd. is among the potential buyers evaluating a deal.
Nomura’s representatives declined to comment on the report, and Marex’s representatives also declined to comment. Nomura named its digital asset business Laser Digital on September 21, 2022, and incorporated the holding company, Laser Digital Holdings AG, in Switzerland.
Licenses and risk controls
Nomura’s CFO Hiroyuki Moriuchi said at an earnings briefing on January 30, 2026 that the firm had reduced its crypto positions and tightened position management at Laser Digital.
Nomura said the losses in the October to December 2025 quarter followed a sharp sell-off in digital asset prices, and the firm said some earnings volatility is inherent in the crypto business.
Laser Digital has built a network of regulated entities across several countries, including an Abu Dhabi entity that received in-principle approval from Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) on September 26, 2023.
Laser Digital Japan Co., Ltd. completed its registration as a Crypto AssetExchangeService Provider under the Payment Services Act (PSA) on August 21, 2026, and the firm is registered with the Director-General of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau under Registration No. 00032.
What a sale could change
The possible sale comes as Nomura’s European operations posted a pretax loss of 7.4 billion yen ($46.5 million) in the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2026, their fourth consecutive quarterly loss.
Marex describes itself as a diversified global financial services platform that provides liquidity, market access and infrastructure services to clients in the energy, commodities and financial markets, and it has been building out its crypto business.
Buying Laser Digital would give Marex an established institutional crypto business that already holds registrations in Japan and the United Arab Emirates and has a pending US trust bank charter.
Nomura has not made a final decision, and the talks may not lead to a transaction, with any change in ownership likely requiring review by regulators overseeing Laser Digital’s licensed entities.
