Nomura Explores Sale of Crypto Arm Laser Digital Amid European Losses

Japanese financial conglomerate Nomura Holdings is evaluating a potential sale of its digital asset arm, Laser Digital, amid sustained losses in its European division ¹. Nomura has engaged in preliminary discussions with potential buyers, including financial services firm Marex Group ¹. A final decision has not been reached, and the firm could still elect to retain the subsidiary ¹.

The strategic review follows a fourth consecutive quarter in the red for Nomura’s European division, which reported a pretax loss of 7.4 billion yen ($46.5 million) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2026 ¹. In contrast, the financial services group recorded pretax profits across all other geographic reporting regions over the same quarter ¹. Nomura has not clarified whether Switzerland-headquartered Laser Digital contributed to those regional European losses ¹. As of September 2026, Nomura's investment management division managed 152.8 trillion yen ($960 billion) in assets ¹.

Institutional Footprint and Regulatory Milestones

Laser Digital was launched in 2022 to provide institutional cryptocurrency trading, asset management, and venture capital investments ¹. The potential divestment comes shortly after Laser Digital Japan secured Japan's first new crypto exchange license in four years, expanding its institutional trading mandate in its home market ¹. The entity had also progressed on its US expansion, securing preliminary approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in May for a proposed national trust bank ¹.

In a January earnings call, Nomura Chief Financial Officer Hiroyuki Moriuchi stated that the company intended to scale back crypto trading positions to curb short-term volatility, even as it planned medium- to long-term growth for the arm ¹. At the time of writing, the broader digital asset market was trading around a total market capitalization of $2.47 trillion, with $BTC at $74,360.