# Japan digital asset market institutional expansion > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/japan-digital-asset-market-institutional-expansion > Updated: 2026-08-24T17:30:00.000Z. Sources: 12. Developments: 2. Japan’s digital asset market is experiencing increased institutional integration through new regulatory approvals and expanded corporate partnerships. Laser Digital Japan, a subsidiary of Nomura Group, secured its registration as a crypto-asset exchange service provider under the Payment Services Act. This represents the first new exchange license granted in Japan in approximately four years. The firm intends to focus initially on providing wholesale liquidity to domestic service providers, with plans to later offer digital-asset trading for institutional investors. Its expected initial asset lineup includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Shiba Inu. In a parallel development, SBI Holdings and Ripple have deepened their long-term collaboration, which includes their joint venture SBI Ripple Asia. This partnership focuses on payments, tokenization, and digital asset distribution, utilizing XRP to facilitate crypto-powered remittances between international markets such as the Philippines and Vietnam. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-24: Japan digital asset market expands via SBI-Ripple ties and new registrations SBI Holdings and Ripple are expanding their digital finance collaboration in Japan, while Nomura-backed Laser Digital Japan has registered as a crypto asset exchange provider to support institutional liquidity. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-digital-asset-market-expands-via-sbi-ripple-ties-and-new-registrations ### 2026-08-21: Laser Digital Japan secures first new Japanese crypto exchange license in four years Nomura-backed Laser Digital Japan has received Japan’s first new crypto-asset exchange license in four years, focusing initially on wholesale liquidity provision for domestic firms. 9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/laser-digital-japan-secures-first-new-japanese-crypto-exchange-license-in-four-years --- Cite as: Japan digital asset market institutional expansion. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/japan-digital-asset-market-institutional-expansion