Japanese investment bank Nomura has launched its venture capital unit to invest in firms focused on crypto and blockchain.
The launch of the new arm follows the company’s announcement made in May that it was planning to launch a new subsidiary to focus on digital assets. The new business, Laser Digital, will be integrated with holding company Laser Digital Holdings AG based in Switzerland. Jez Mohideen will serve as chief executive of the new venture, while Steven Ashley will be the chairman.
The launch was announced through a press release on the company’s website on 21 September. The release further stated that the banking giant opted for Switzerland as home for the new entity taking into account the country’s robust regulatory regime for digital assets and blockchain projects.
The product will focus on investing in projects related to decentralized finance (DeFi), centralized finance (CeFi), Web 3.0, and blockchain infrastructure. Further, the company said that additional products and services would be launched in the coming months.
Nomura, one of Japan’s largest banks, provides investment, financing, and related services to individual, institutional, and government customers globally. Nomura Holdings had $454.8 billion in gross assets under management as of June 2022.
