Unable to Verify That Nomura Is Considering a Sale of Laser Digital
Key Facts
It could not be verified that Nomura is considering selling its digital assets unit, Laser Digital, after the page reporting the news on The Defiant could not be opened and no matching coverage that could be accessed was found. It is therefore not possible to confirm that a sale is under consideration or attribute it to the company. EL7 data show that Nomura shares, listed under the ticker NMR, closed at $9.51 on November 10, 2026. This is the available closing price for the session; it does not by itself establish that the stock moved in response to the alleged sale news.
In earlier remarks in January 2026, Nomura’s chief financial officer described Laser Digital’s business as including digital asset making, and said the company was targeting business growth over the medium to long term while managing risk to limit short-term volatility. The unit’s activities include market making for institutional investors, crypto asset fund management, and seed and venture capital investments related to those operations, according to the CFO’s answer at a Nomura results conference. He said the company would reduce the unit’s exposure to risk positions to lower short-term volatility while continuing to pursue business expansion. Management thus set out its stated direction for the business at the time, without that constituting confirmation of any subsequent decision about selling the unit.
Laser Digital continues to take regulatory steps in the United States and Japan. It applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on January 27, 2026, to establish a new national trust bank, and the office granted it preliminary conditional approval on May 29. The approval remains subject to meeting regulatory and policy requirements, according to the office’s decision. In Japan, Laser Digital said on August 21, 2026, that its subsidiary there had completed registration to operate as a crypto asset exchange service provider under Japan’s Payment Services Act. The company had not announced the timing or scope of the services at the time.
At the group level, Nomura said net income rose 27% in the first half of fiscal 2026/27 from the same period a year earlier, but fell 29% in the second quarter from the previous quarter. These figures provide context on the group’s performance, but do not indicate its position on Laser Digital’s future or establish that there is a plan to sell it. The investor relations calendar had pointed to an October announcement of second-quarter results, without specifying a confirmed date. The calendar did not set a date for any update on the digital unit.