Nomura Survey Shows More Than 50% Japanese Managers Plan Crypto Investment

Japan’s largest brokerage platform Nomura Holdings and its digital asset wing Laser Digital released a recent survey showing that nearly 50% of investment managers are looking to invest in crypto assets over the next three years.

Nomura conducted the survey back in April with nearly 500 investment managers in Japan. It found that 54% of investors showed interest in investing in crypto over the next three years in order to stabilize their portfolios by hedging against inflation and reducing risks through the process of diversification.

Moreover, nearly 25% of the respondents stated that they held a positive view of crypto, especially Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), while 62% of respondents saw crypto assets as a diversification opportunity.

The survey was conducted after the Japanese cabinet approved a proposal in February to include cryptocurrency in the list of assets that local investment limited partnerships can acquire or hold. According to a separate statement by Nomura on Monday, the revision to the Limited Partnerships Act is anticipated to take place later this year.

Additionally, the Nomura survey noted that respondents already investing or looking ahead to investing in crypto rely on main drivers such as the development of several crypto investment products such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), staking, lending, investment trusts, and other financial instruments.

As part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s “new capitalism” economic policy, Japan is actively working to develop its Web3 industry. In December, the government approved a tax regime revision aimed at excluding corporations from paying taxes on unrealized crypto gains if they hold the assets for the long term.

Normura to Launch Yen Stablecoins

The Japanese crypto industry is maturing fast amid the steadfast regulatory approach and the participation of traditional market players like Normura. Last month in May, Nomura announced that it plans to introduce USD and Yen-backed stablecoins in the market.

For this ambitious plan, Nomura’s digital assets division Laser Digital shall be partnering with internet infrastructure company GMO Internet. Additionally, the companies aim to introduce stablecoin-as-a-service solutions for customers in the Japanese market.

The partnership will explore the issuance, redemption, and circulation of USD and JPY stablecoins. Beyond issuing these stablecoins, Nomura plans to offer a stablecoin-as-a-service solution to companies interested in launching their own stablecoins. This service will encompass key elements such as regulatory compliance management, backend transaction management, and blockchain technology integration.