Japan Registers First New Crypto Exchange in Four Years

Japan's financial regulator has registered its first new crypto exchange in four years. Laser Digital Japan, a subsidiary of Nomura Holdings' digital assets division, completed its registration as a Crypto Asset Exchange Service Provider with Japan's Financial Services Agency on August 21.

The firm isn't launching with consumer-facing trading or flashy token listing sprees. Instead, it will focus on providing liquidity to domestic virtual asset service providers and extend digital asset trading services to institutional clients later on.

This approach makes strategic sense given the demand data from a 2026 survey conducted by Nomura and Laser Digital. The survey found that 65% of institutional investors in Japan view crypto assets as a diversification tool, with approximately 79% indicating plans to invest within the next three years.