Nomura tightens crypto risk after losses, but pushes ahead in the U.S.

[chainsniff]

Japan’s largest brokerage, Nomura, disclosed on Jan. 30 that its crypto subsidiary Laser Digital posted losses in the October–December quarter, prompting the firm to reduce cryptocurrency positions and tighten risk controls. The losses weighed on Nomura’s European operations.

Just days earlier, however, Laser Digital applied for a U.S. national trust bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The move would allow the firm to offer crypto custody, trading, and staking services to institutional clients. Nomura executives framed the actions as complementary, signaling stricter short-term risk management alongside continued long-term expansion into regulated digital asset markets.