Laser Digital Japan plans to start by providing liquidity services to domestic crypto companies, with institutional trading services expected to follow as demand for digital assets grows.
Laser Digital has entered Japan’s crypto market as the country’s first new industry participant in four years after its local subsidiary obtained registration as a crypto asset exchange service provider.
The approval arrives as Japan prepares to shift crypto assets into a financial-instruments regulatory framework, marking a significant change in how the country oversees the sector.
The company said its initial focus will be supplying liquidity to Japanese virtual-asset service providers. It also plans to offer digital-asset trading services to institutional investors, although it has yet to disclose when those services will launch or exactly what they will include.
Laser Digital announced plans to expand its Japanese crypto operations late last year.
Backed by Japan’s largest investment bank, Nomura, Laser Digital is entering the market as institutional interest in crypto increases. A 2026 survey from Nomura and Laser Digital found that 79% of respondents intended to invest in digital assets within the next three years.
Jez Mohideen, Laser Digital’s co-founder and CEO, said Japan’s digital-asset industry is becoming more mature. He added that growing institutional participation is increasing the need for trusted counterparties and infrastructure built around professional investors’ needs.
Japan moved to classify cryptocurrencies as financial instruments last month, creating the groundwork for potential crypto ETFs and a separate tax regime for digital assets. The new framework is expected to come into force in 2027.
Steve Ashley, Laser Digital’s co-founder and executive chairman, said the company’s expansion reflects a wider global trend in which sophisticated investors are seeking greater access to digital assets along with reliable, institutional-quality infrastructure.
