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Japan licenses Laser Digital
Japan’s Financial Services Agency registry shows Laser Digital Japan, the Japanese arm of Nomura’s digital-asset subsidiary Laser Digital, completed registration as a crypto asset exchange service provider on 21 August under the Payment Services Act.
“completed registration as a crypto asset exchange service provider on 21 August”
The registration lists Kanto Local Finance Bureau Director No. 00032 and gives Laser Digital Japan an initial asset scope covering bitcoin, ether, XRP, bitcoin cash, litecoin and shiba inu.
Laser Digital Japan said it will initially focus on supplying liquidity to Japan’s existing crypto asset exchange service providers before extending digital-asset trading services to institutional clients at a later stage.
Jez Mohideen, Laser Digital’s co-founder and CEO, said, “Japan’s digital assets market is entering a new phase of maturity,” as the approval ends a four-year gap since the last operator added to the registry.
The FSA registry listed 27 crypto asset exchange service providers nationwide as of 21 August, and the time gap was described as reflecting a demanding registration process built around a checklist of more than 400 questions.
Regime shift and taxes
The Laser Digital Japan approval lands as Japan’s parliament passed legislation in July reclassifying crypto assets as financial products under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, bringing stricter oversight including insider-trading rules.
The new framework’s crypto provisions take effect on a date to be set by Cabinet Order, no later than one year after the legislation’s 23 July promulgation, with industry estimates pointing to around 2027.
The changes also pave the way for a flat 20% tax on qualifying crypto gains, down from a current top rate of 55%, expected to take effect as early as 1 January 2028.
Jez Mohideen framed the move around institutional demand, saying, “there remains a need for trusted counterparties and infrastructure designed specifically for their requirements,” as Laser Digital Japan prepares for the shift away from the Payment Services Act.
CryptoDnes.bg similarly described the registration as completed with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau under number 00032, while noting that the company “has not yet announced the specific launch date or the full scope of this upcoming service.”
Institutional push and next steps
Finance Magnates described Laser Digital’s Japan push as part of a broader institutional build-out, with SBI Holdings operating SBI VC Trade and MUFG developing its Progmat tokenisation platform while SMBC and Mizuho participate in a joint megabank project on stablecoin settlement.
“A 2026 survey by Nomura and Laser Digital found 65% of institutional investors in Japan”
In that context, Laser Digital’s registration adds Nomura’s institutional trading and asset-management capabilities to a framework that, the report said, is positioning large financial groups around infrastructure for tokenised finance rather than competing for retail trading volume.
A 2026 survey by Nomura and Laser Digital found 65% of institutional investors in Japan view crypto assets as a diversification tool, and 79% plan to invest in the asset class within three years.
CryptoDnes.bg reported that Laser Digital Japan will initially provide liquidity to virtual asset service providers and then offer digital asset trading to institutional investors “at a later stage,” while also stating that the firm has not disclosed when that second phase will start.
The sources also said Laser Digital Japan has not disclosed when it will launch institutional trading services or what the final product scope will cover, leaving the immediate impact tied to liquidity supply rather than direct institutional trading.