Nomura’s Laser Digital Partners with ZIGChain to Target USD 100m in Onchain Vaults

Nomura-backed digital asset firm Laser Digital has made a strategic investment in ZIGChain and entered into a partnership with its product layer, ZIG Markets, to launch institutional-grade onchain financial products. The investment amount and specific token valuation were not disclosed.

The collaboration aims to address a gap in emerging market private credit by pairing ZIG Markets' regional origination capabilities with Laser Digital’s risk governance and product structuring expertise. Together, the entities are targeting a minimum of $100 million in total value locked (TVL) across a new pipeline of vault products.

Key operational details of the deal include:

• Scope of Products: The joint pipeline will focus on tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), spanning private credit, SME financing, invoice factoring, PayFi, and stablecoin-enabled financial infrastructure.
• Institutional Governance: Laser Digital will oversee risk framework design, governance, and product structuring across ZIG Markets' vault offerings.
• Timeline: The partnership’s initial financial product is slated for release in the coming months.
• Corporate Structure: The deal is a strategic investment and operational partnership; it does not involve a new token launch, a public retail raise, or a change of corporate control for ZIGChain or ZIG Markets.

The initiative follows recent ZIGChain partnerships with Beehive, Taurus, and the ADI Foundation as the blockchain network builds out its regulated Layer-1 infrastructure.

Nomura’s Laser Digital Secures Conditional OCC Approval for US National Trust Bank

Laser Digital, the digital asset subsidiary of Nomura Group, has received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a de novo national trust bank. The newly approved entity, Laser Digital National Trust Bank, will operate under federal supervision as a wholly owned

Japan FinTech ObserverNorbert Gehrke