In a major development, Japan’s crypto registry has a new addition for the first time since 2022, with Laser Digital Japan clearing the regulatory bar needed to operate as a licensed exchange in the country. The firm, a subsidiary of Nomura’s digital-asset arm Laser Digital, confirmed Friday it had finished registering as a crypto asset exchange service provider under Japan’s Payment Services Act.Public trading won’t be the immediate focus, since Laser Digital plans to start by supplying liquidity to existing domestic virtual-asset service providers. Institutional trading services are on the roadmap too, though the company hasn’t said when that offering might actually launch or exactly what it will include once it does. What the registration does provide immediately is a regulated foothold in a market Laser Digital and its parent company believe is heading toward significant institutional growth.Survey data compiled by the two firms themselves partly explains that confidence. A 2026 Institutional Investor Survey conducted by Nomura and Laser Digital found that 65% of respondents view crypto as a useful way to diversify their portfolios, and nearly 79% said they intend to add digital-asset investments within the next three years. Laser Digital pointed to those numbers as validation for building out services specifically tailored to professional investors operating in Japan.Friday’s approval didn’t come out of nowhere. As per reports, Laser Digital was pursuing a Japanese trading license after opening preliminary talks with the Financial Services Agency last year.Laser Digital’s registration marks the first new entrant to Japan’s exchange registry in roughly four years. Binance Japan was the last operator added, joining the list after Binance acquired the already-licensed local exchange Sakura Exchange Bitcoin in October 2022. Before that addition, Mercari’s crypto division, Mercoin, had registered back in June 2022.Japan’s Financial Services Agency listed 27 crypto asset exchange service providers operating nationwide as of August 21, a number that now reflects Laser Digital’s addition to the roster.Macy’s to Release a Parade themed NFTsBinomo Review: Trade Crypto and ForexNewton Exchange Review – A Safe Canadian Crypto ExchangeAlgorand Crypto Breakout Trade: Next Target Revealed