Laser Digital Asset Management, a subsidiary of Nomura, has made an announcement with the launch of their Bitcoin Adoption Fund.
The fund is designed to cater for the needs of institutional investors of the Japanese company. It is also a positive step towards expanding more crypto services between the European and Asian markets.
Laser Digital is a digital asset business backed by Nomura, a Japanese financial holding company. It is the crypto investment arm of Nomura, and was launched in 2022 to provide scalable, robust opportunities across trading, asset management, and ventures.
Laser Digital is run by Steven Ashley as Chairman and Jez Mohideen as CEO. The company is headquartered in Switzerland, which was selected as the location for the new entity given its robust regulatory regime for digital assets and blockchain projects, and an attractive talent pool.
According to Laser Digital, the Bitcoin Adoption Fund is incorporated within the firm, operating as a Segregated Portfolio Company, and is registered as a mutual fund under section 4(3) of the Mutual Funds Act, supervised by the Cayman Islands Regulatory Authority (CIMA).
Furthermore, it added that the services from the fund are being kept under the custody of Komainu, a regulated custody solution founded in 2018 through a collaboration with Nomura, Ledger, and Coinshares.
Macro investment opportunities
Commenting on the fund’s launch, Sebastien Guglietta, formerly Nomura’s Chief Scientist Officer, expressed his belief in technology as a pivotal driver of global economic growth, stating that Bitcoin plays a crucial role in the ongoing transformation from analog to digital.
He sees long-term exposure to Bitcoin as a solution for investors to tap into this significant macroeconomic trend that is changing the world of finance.
Fiona King, Head of Distribution at Laser Digital Asset Management, shared her enthusiasm for the launch, noting that the Bitcoin Adoption Fund provides institutional investors with a secure path to engage in digital asset investments.
She added that these investments are backed by the expertise of established financial institutions, and incorporate robust risk management and compliance measures.
US Bitcoin ETFs
On the far side of the US, the expansion of Bitcoin related services for institutional investors have come lately as Bitcoin ETF applications which the SEC is yet to approve.
Franklin Templeton, BlackRock, Bitwise, VanEck, WisdomTree, Invesco, Galaxy, Fidelity, and Valkyrie are among some of the financial firms that have applied for approval.
The response of the SEC will be a distinctive factor in shaping the future of the industry as these applications, if approved, are poised to release billions if not trillions of dollars into the crypto market.
