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Laser Digital Japan Co., Ltd. has finalized its registration as a Crypto Asset Exchange Service Provider under the Payment Services Act. The Tokyo-based firm, the local arm of Nomura’s digital assets subsidiary Laser Digital, announced the milestone on August 21, 2026.
This marks the first new registration of its kind in the country’s crypto industry in roughly four years. The approval authorizes the company to operate within Japan’s regulated framework for crypto asset exchange services.
Laser Digital Japan has stressed its focus on strict regulatory compliance, risk management, and governance standards aligned with global best practices.
Rather than launching a broad consumer platform immediately, the firm plans to begin by supporting liquidity for existing domestic virtual asset service providers. This wholesale-oriented approach aims to improve market depth and efficiency for local operators handling institutional and other order flow.
The company intends to expand into providing digital asset trading opportunities tailored for institutional investors.
Specific details on the timing, product range, and full scope of these offerings will be disclosed later.
The registration positions Laser Digital Japan to help mature Japan’s digital assets ecosystem at a time of rising institutional interest.
Steve Ashley, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Laser Digital and Chairman of Laser Digital Japan, highlighted the growing global demand among sophisticated investors for high-quality infrastructure and access.
He noted that the successful registration demonstrates the firm’s capacity to meet Japan’s regulatory standards, building on its established operations elsewhere.
Ashley expressed a strong commitment to serving the Japanese market with the same elevated service standards applied in other jurisdictions and to supporting the broader development of the local digital assets landscape.
Dr. Jez Mohideen, Co-founder and CEO of Laser Digital, described Japan’s market as entering a new phase of maturity.
He pointed to increasing institutional appetite for the asset class and the corresponding need for reliable counterparties and specialized infrastructure.
Through this registration, the firm aims to introduce its international capabilities and rigorous service standards to Japanese clients.
Hideaki Kudo, Representative Director and Head of Laser Digital Japan, called the completion of the thorough regulatory review an important step in the company’s plans to operate in the market.
He reaffirmed the commitment to a strong compliance and investor-protection framework while contributing to the long-term expansion of Japan’s digital assets sector.
The development arrives against a backdrop of regulatory evolution in Japan, including reforms related to stablecoins, and a shift in how institutional investors regard digital assets as a diversification tool.
A joint 2026 Institutional Investor Survey by Nomura and Laser Digital revealed strengthening sentiment: 65 percent of respondents viewed crypto assets as an opportunity to diversify portfolios, while nearly 79 percent indicated plans to invest within the next three years.
Laser Digital Japan is registered with the Director-General of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Registration No. 00032) and is a member of the Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association.
As part of the broader Laser Digital group—established by Nomura to deliver trading, asset management, solutions, and early-stage investment capabilities in digital assets—the Japanese entity brings institutional-grade operational infrastructure and risk controls to the local market. This registration ends a multi-year pause in new entrants, and signals continued institutional momentum in Japan’s carefully regulated crypto ecosystem.
Source: www.crowdfundinsider.com
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