Nomura Holdings and GMO Group Collaborate to Introduce Stablecoin in Japan

Nomura Holdings and GMO Internet Group have announced a strategic alliance to issue stablecoins in Japan. The stablecoins will be denominated in Japanese yen and US dollars, and the partnership will also include Laser Digital Holdings, a company owned by Nomura Holdings that offers digital asset trading and management solutions. The aim of the alliance is to provide high-quality stablecoin services, leveraging the expertise of both companies in stablecoin issuance and digital assets. Nomura Holdings, through Laser Digital, will bring its experience in digital asset trading, asset management, and risk investment to support the issuance of stablecoins in Japan. The partnership will explore the mechanisms of stablecoin issuance, redemption, and circulation, and will provide a “Stablecoin-as-a-Service” solution that includes regulatory compliance management, technology integration, and back-end transaction management. Kentaro Okuda, president and CEO of the Nomura Holdings group, emphasized the significance of the partnership in advancing the accessibility and innovation of digital assets in the Japanese financial landscape. In another development, Laser Digital, the digital assets division of Nomura, has made a strategic investment in MANTRA, a blockchain platform focused on real-world assets (RWA). This investment aims to position MANTRA as the leading Layer-1 blockchain for RWAs in the Middle East and Asia. The collaboration between MANTRA and Laser Digital will strengthen the implementation of RWA tokenization in these regions by combining MANTRA’s expertise with Laser Digital’s experience in asset digitization. Laser Digital holds virtual asset broker-dealer and management and investment services licenses granted by the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority and has received preliminary approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of the Abu Dhabi Global Market.