Nomura Holdings is in talks with potential buyers about selling Laser Digital. Founded in 2022, the crypto subsidiary is headquartered in Switzerland and focuses on institutional trading, asset management, and on-chain credit. Its losses last year dragged Nomura’s entire European business into a quarterly deficit. Bloomberg reported that financial services platform Marex Group is among the prospective buyers. Spokespeople for both sides declined to comment, and the deal may not go through.
The timing is worth noting. This August, Laser Digital’s Japanese entity received registration as a crypto-asset exchange service provider—the first new license of its kind in Japan in four years. At the time, it was seen as a sign that traditional brokerages were entering the market. Three months later, its parent company is already looking for a buyer.
Last year, Kentaro Okuda included Laser in the company’s plans to capture future business opportunities. Now, the books may be balanced by selling it. Japan, however, is moving in the opposite direction, promoting crypto ETFs and lowering tax rates. A country is opening its doors while one of its largest brokerages is winding down its operations—both things are happening at once. In the end, institutions’ patience with crypto comes down to the profit-and-loss statement.
#机构动向 $BTC $ETH
The timing is worth noting. This August, Laser Digital’s Japanese entity received registration as a crypto-asset exchange service provider—the first new license of its kind in Japan in four years. At the time, it was seen as a sign that traditional brokerages were entering the market. Three months later, its parent company is already looking for a buyer.
Last year, Kentaro Okuda included Laser in the company’s plans to capture future business opportunities. Now, the books may be balanced by selling it. Japan, however, is moving in the opposite direction, promoting crypto ETFs and lowering tax rates. A country is opening its doors while one of its largest brokerages is winding down its operations—both things are happening at once. In the end, institutions’ patience with crypto comes down to the profit-and-loss statement.
#机构动向 $BTC $ETH
