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Crypto In Japan May Soon Open Wider As Holdings Giant Pushes Expansion

by admin October 3, 2025

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Based on reports, Nomura Holdings is preparing to strengthen its footprint in Japan’s crypto market as trading activity picks up across the country.

The move comes through Laser Digital Holdings, a Nomura unit based in Switzerland that is now in pre-consultation with Japan’s Financial Services Agency to seek a license to offer trading services to institutional clients.

The talks signal a push to bring more traditional finance players into the market.

Nomura Deepens Its Bet

Laser’s CEO, Jez Mohideen, told Bloomberg the application reflects the group’s confidence in Japan’s digital asset scene. Laser was launched in 2022 and already won a full crypto business license in Dubai in 2023.

Nomura Holdings plans to expand in Japan’s digital-asset market through a subsidiary, as crypto trading in the country heats up https://t.co/vV6z8i9JTZ

— Bloomberg (@business) October 3, 2025

A Japanese subsidiary was set up that same year. If regulators approve the new application, Laser plans to act as a broker-dealer for banks, pension managers and crypto firms, and to support exchanges that operate in Japan.

A History Of Ambition And Mixed Results

Nomura created Laser to cover asset management, venture investments and trading services for digital assets. The unit has not been a steady profit engine.

Nomura disclosed a quarterly loss in Europe earlier this year that was partly tied to Laser’s activities. CFO Hiroyuki Moriuchi described the unit’s results as “not very good.”

Mohideen had predicted Laser would break even within two years of launch, but he later warned that turning a profit might take longer than originally expected.

BTCUSD now trading at $120,392. Chart: TradingView

Trading Volumes Double

According to the Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association, the value of crypto transactions in Japan rose to ¥33.7 trillion — about $230 billion — in the first seven months of the year, roughly double the previous pace.

On-chain value received jumped 120% in the 12 months to June 2025, outpacing markets such as South Korea, India and Vietnam.

Reports have disclosed that policy steps, including possible tax cuts and new rules for crypto funds, are helping attract both younger retail investors and larger institutional players.

Mainstream Firms Move Toward Crypto Collateral

Daiwa Securities recently allowed clients at its 181 retail branches to use Bitcoin and Ether as collateral for yen loans. That sort of move shows how some big financial firms are incorporating crypto into everyday financial services.

A yen-backed stablecoin issuer has also gained a license, adding more tools for traders and fund managers to use.

Profit Questions Remain

Even as trading and on-chain measures climb, the business case for some newcomers is still unproven. Laser’s early losses and delayed profit expectations highlight that risk.

Nomura’s expansion into Japan is a clear long-term play, but short-term returns are uncertain and will depend on how quickly institutional flows keep growing and how regulators set the rules.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

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October 3, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

A Newly Discovered ‘Einstein’s Cross’ Reveals the Existence of a Giant Dark Matter Halo

by admin October 3, 2025

The gravitational lensing not only splits the light source, but magnifies it, allowing a detailed view of the light source behind the lens. Thanks to this, the team says that HerS-3 appears to be a bright starburst galaxy—a galaxy undergoing explosive star formation—and was formed at a time when star formation was at its peak throughout the universe. HerS-3 also has a tilted, rotating disk, from the center of which gas is gushing out at a furious rate, the team say.

“Thanks to this natural telescope, we can zoom into regions 10 times smaller than the Milky Way, almost 12 billion light-years away, and in the process infer hidden matter in the light-of-sight,” said Hugo Mesias, a coauthor of the paper, in a statement.

A Giant Dark Matter Halo Revealed

At first glance, the Einstein’s cross of HerS-3 appears to have been created solely by gravitational lensing generated by the four giant galaxies located between HerS-3 and Earth. However, using a precise model of gravitational lensing, the team found that the observable mass of these four giant galaxies is insufficient to explain the arrangement of the five images of the cross: their mass is simply not great enough to produce the visual effect seen.

“The only way to reproduce the remarkable configuration we observed was to add an invisible, massive component: a dark matter halo at the center of the galaxy group,” said lead author Pierre Cox, from the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris.

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October 3, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

$4 Trillion Banking Giant JPMorgan Teases Bitcoin Price to $165,000

by admin October 2, 2025

Bitcoin (BTC) has gained over $3,000 in the last 24 hours as the flagship cryptocurrency experienced an upward rally. Amid this bullish movement, the asset has received an institutional endorsement that could trigger a further price uptick. According to a report, JPMorgan, the biggest bank in the U.S., has stated that the coin is undervalued, predicting a rise to $165,000.

JPMorgan says Bitcoin is undervalued compared to gold

The assessment of Bitcoin’s value by JPMorgan’s analysts comes as they benchmarked BTC against gold. The valuation could have been based on price-to-market size, investment inflows or volatility. The global financial giant insists that the current price of Bitcoin is too low relative to gold’s market value.

JUST IN: JPMorgan says Bitcoin is “undervalued” compared to gold

— Kalshi (@Kalshi) October 2, 2025

That is, if Bitcoin were valued like gold on the broader financial market, it would be higher than that of the precious metal. JPMorgan sees upside potential for BTC, and this kind of statement is capable of triggering bullish sentiment on the crypto market.

As per JPMorgan’s estimation, Bitcoin price could reach $165,000 per coin on a volatility-adjusted basis, relative to gold. It relies on the analysis of ongoing “debasement trade,” which is pushing investors toward assets like gold and Bitcoin as a store of value.

The $165,000 forecast assumes that Bitcoin will continue with its current upward momentum and inflows into BTC exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Regardless of the conditions, the prediction has sparked an uptick in the price of the asset.

As of press time, Bitcoin exchanged hands at $119,288.53, which marked a 2.36% increase in the last 24 hours. It previously hit a peak of $119,453.67, signaling potential for more upside. The trading volume has also climbed by 6.68% to $67.76 billion.

It is likely that if Bitcoin bulls support the current momentum, the asset will flip $120,000 and begin its journey toward its all-time high (ATH). It is worth mentioning that the current ATH of $124,457, which was set on Aug. 13, is less than 5% away.

Beyond JPMorgan, Bitcoin validation is viral

Interestingly, JPMorgan is not the only one bullish about Bitcoin’s price. In a recent analysis, CryptoQuant suggested that the asset could break out to $150,000.

The analytics platform based its projection on the increased minting of fresh stablecoins in the last 60 days. According to available data, 10 billion USDT have been added to the market, signaling increased liquidity.

Similarly, Pavel Durov, Telegram CEO, has predicted that Bitcoin could hit seven figures based on scarcity. He maintained that the rate at which governments are printing fiat currency means inflation is inevitable, and this will increase the value of BTC to $1,000,000.

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October 2, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Bitcoin Giant Strategy Dodges Multi-Billion Tax Liability Following IRS, Treasury Guidance: TD

by admin October 1, 2025

In brief

The IRS and Treasury Department issued new guidance.
Strategy no longer expects to become subject to CAMT.
Shares rose 4.6% to $337 on Wednesday as Bitcoin jumped.

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, is no longer anticipating a multi-billion tax liability from an increase in the value of its $75 billion stockpile, following a clarification from the IRS and Treasury Department on Tuesday.

In a 71-page document, the regulators said that firms are not required to incorporate unrealized gains or losses on the value of digital assets into calculations on whether they are subject to a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT) that was established in 2022.

In an SEC filing, Strategy said that it plans to follow the guidance and, as a result, it “no longer expects to become subject to CAMT due to unrealized gains on its Bitcoin holdings” in 2026 and beyond. In June, Strategy told investors that it expected to pay CAMT liabilities.

“Thanks to yesterday’s action on behalf of the IRS, that potential scenario is no longer off the table,” TD Cowen analyst Lance Vitzanza wrote in a Wednesday note, adding that the action removed “a significant source of potential overhang for Strategy.”

Strategy shares rose 5% to $338 on Wednesday, according to Yahoo Finance. Over the past six months, the company’s stock has advanced 10% from $293 in April.

Vitanza noted that Strategy may have been forced to navigate a cash tax liability that could’ve potentially been billions of dollars starting next year, “likely continuing to the extent Bitcoin continues to appreciate in dollar terms,” he added.

Strategy’s performance coincided with a rise in Bitcoin’s price, as investors mulled a government shutdown in the U.S. Over the past day, its price had risen 3% to $117,500, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko, while jumping 42% from $85,000 in April.

Earlier this week, Strategy notched its third smallest Bitcoin purchase of the year, while pocketing $100 million from its latest raise, as dividend payments on preferred shares approached.

Strategy, which hasn’t sold a single Bitcoin since it began stockpiling the asset in 2020, is sitting on a massive unrealized gain when it comes to its Bitcoin holdings. So far, it’s spent $47.4 billion on Bitcoin, leaving a current unrealized gain of close to $28 billion.

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October 1, 2025 0 comments

Whales Inject an Extra $329K+ Into Bitcoin Hyper Ahead of Uptober – The Next 1000x Crypto?

NFT Gaming

Bitcoin Hyper as the Next 1000x Crypto After Whales Buy $329K in a Giant Move

by admin September 30, 2025

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With ‘Uptober’ just around the corner (literally tomorrow), anticipation is building for what could be a pivotal moment for $BTC.

So, what better time for the Bitcoin Hyper Layer-2 (L2) to go live? Suppose this peak demand takes shape, it could position itself as a go-to solution for scaling Bitcoin, precisely when the network needs it most.

It’s no surprise, then, that whales have latched on. Just yesterday, three invested $113.8K, $109.9K, and $105.4K into the ecosystem’s $HYPER presale, signaling strong confidence in the L2’s potential.

$HYPER might even become the next 1000x crypto.

$BTC Rockets 4.5% in One Month, Before Possible October Rally

Since last month, $BTC has jumped by over 4.5%, a sign that bullish momentum may already be on the way.
Yes, $BTC has plummeted from $114K to $113K since just yesterday. But it’s not all doom and gloom for the #1 crypto.

Even during the most challenging market cycles, October is often a turning point where $BTC sentiment flips from bearish to bullish.

Take 2023 an example. After a modest 3.91% gain in September, it soared by 28.52% in October.

In fact, most years after a negative September, $BTC surges in October. Look at past Uptober rallies – In 2020, $BTC surges 27.7%+ and 47.81%+ in 2017.

Source: Coinglass

It’s also no wonder that institutions are positioning themselves for what might be another legendary spike.

As of September, Strategy now holds an eye-boggling 640,031 $BTC valued at $47.35B+. The average price per token is approximately $73,983.

Source: X (Michael Saylor)

Strategy isn’t the only public company acquiring sizable amounts of $BTC in the hope of capitalizing on the next bull run.

Over the past 30 days, MARA Holdings has boosted its stack to 52,477 $BTC valued at nearly $5.94B.

XXI also bets big on the crypto leader jumping to greater heights. In total, it owns 43,515 $BTC, currently worth around $4.92B.

Source: CoinGecko

When firms commit billions to $BTC, it validates the asset’s role as a store of value as opposed to being yet another speculative asset.

In turn, they fuel demand for $BTC and boost market confidence. But there’s a hitch: as $BTC’s popularity surges and transaction volumes increase, the network often faces mounting pressure.

Bitcoin Processes Fees 43%+ Slower Than Ethereum

Bitcoin’s no stranger to scalability challenges. Today, the network can process just 12.47 transactions per second (tps), 43.32% lower than Ethereum’s 22.01 tps.

Even at its record level, Bitcoin has only managed 13.2 tps – a far cry from Ethereum’s 62.34 tps and nowhere near Solana’s 65K tps.

The network’s limited throughput often causes higher gas costs during peak activity. Following the halving event last October, average transaction fees rose as high as $8.36 one month later.

While fees have since dropped to just $0.84, they’re still no stranger to fluctuating. This makes it tricky for everyday traders to rely on Bitcoin for everyday transactions.

Source: Bitcoin Hyper

The bridge achieves this by enabling $BTC to move seamlessly between the Bitcoin base layer and the Hyper L2 ecosystem. And once bridged, $BTC can interact directly with smart contracts, dApps, and liquidity protocols.

$HYPER Fuels L2 Growth & 61% Staking Rewards

$HYPER is behind the entire Hyper ecosystem, supercharging every inch of its utility and growth.

A sizable 30% of its total token supply is allocated to fund development, after all. Also fueling its long-term growth is an additional 25% of $HYPER being earmarked for the ecosystem treasury.

Source: Bitcoin Hyper

Holding $HYPER doesn’t only mean you’ll contribute to the project’s sustainability; it also unlocks meaningful utility.

By purchasing $HYPER on presale – now available for $0.013005 – you’ll gain governance rights, enjoy reduced gas fees, and stake your token at a 61% APY.

But time is of the essence: the APY will nosedive as more investors lock up their tokens. So, now’s an opportune moment to start staking $HYPER for the greatest possible gains.

Our Bitcoin Hyper price prediction also anticipates $HYPER to break $0.32 this year, after being listed on major CEXs.

Want to position yourself for possible 20x returns? Join Bitcoin Hyper.

We’re not financial advisors. Always do your own research and never invest more than you’d be sad to lose.

Authored by Leah Waters, Bitcoinist – https://bitcoinist.com/bitcoin-bull-surge-close-as-whale-buys-329k-bitcoin-hyper

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

SoftBank, Ark May Back Stablecoin Giant Tether in Massive Funding Round: Report

by admin September 27, 2025

In brief

Tether is reportedly seeking up to $15-20 billion for a 3% stake in its firm.
Ark Invest and Softbank are reportedly in discussions to participate in the raise.
The raise would value the firm at around $500 billion, making it one of the largest private companies in the world.

Tech investors SoftBank Group and Ark Investment are among the firms discussing participation in a major Tether fundraise that could value the stablecoin issuer at $500 billion, according to a Friday Bloomberg report.

The two groups’ interest follows three days after news that El Salvador-based Tether was looking to raise $15-20 billion for a 3% equity stake. Bloomberg first reported this story, citing two unnamed sources, although another source said the amount could be less.

The initiative could help push Tether deeper into mainstream finance, the report said.

At $500 billion, Tether would rank among the world’s largest private companies, putting it in the same conversation as artificial intelligence firm OpenAI and Elon Musk’s space exploration and transportation firm, SpaceX, which received similar valuations.

Tether, which issues the world’s largest stablecoin—USDT—plan’s to further expand its footprint, anticipating the debut of a new U.S. regulated stablecoin—USAT—by the end of the year.

Softbank is a Japan-based multinational investment company. Ark is a U.S.-based asset manager. Both have been active in the crypto space.

The firm has been creating more of a presence in the United States since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump last year, recently adding former White House crypto advisor Bo Hines as a strategic advisor. It also maintains a close relationship with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose previous firm Cantor Fitzgerald is advising Tether in its fundraising talks and also custodies all its assets, according to the Bloomberg report.

Tether and stablecoins have been at the forefront of crypto conversation for the bulk of this year, highlighted by the U.S.’s passage of the GENIUS Act, a regulatory framework for the trading and issuance of the fiat-backed tokens.

Its USDT stablecoin sits at a $173 billion market cap, making it the third largest crypto asset by market cap at the time of writing and more than double the market cap of Circle’s USDC stablecoin.

Stablecoins as a whole have added more than $122 billion in market cap since this time last year to reach a total of nearly $300 billion, according to data from DeFi Llama. Earlier this year, U.K. bank Standard Chartered predicted that the market could reach $750 billion by the end of 2026.

Decrypt reached out to Tether for comment.

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September 27, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Japanese Giant Softbank to Potentially Participate in Tether’s Funding Round

by admin September 26, 2025

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Japanese financial giant Softbank Group is on track to participate in the massive funding round of stablecoin behemoth Tether.

Recently, it was reported that Tether was preparing to rake in roughly $500 billion worth of crypto, which would make it one of the biggest private companies with a valuation of up to $20 billion.

Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment is also among the participants in the funding round.

Softbank and crypto

Softbank Group’s Masayoshi Son, who is currently the third-richest person in Japan with a net worth of $21.3 billion, has had a rather complicated relationship with crypto.

Crypto Exchange Giant Kraken Wraps Up $500 Million Funding Round

by admin September 25, 2025

IPO plans
Unconventional CEO

According to a recent report by Fortune, cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has closed a massive $500 million funding round at a staggering $15 billion valuation.

To put this massive raise into perspective, it is worth noting that the exchange raised only $27 million in venture capital funding during its first decade.

IPO plans

Kraken has been considering going public for roughly five years. Then-CEO Jesse Powell first divulged the company’s IPO plans in 2021 during a major bull run.

However, Kraken’s plans to go public were likely postponed due to the cryptocurrency winter that came in 2022.

In March, Bloomberg reported that Kraken was planning to go public in 2026. This was followed by the company’s acquisition of futures trading platform NinjaTrader.

Unconventional CEO

Co-CEO Arjun Sethi is currently spearheading the exchange in a rather unorthodox way.

Sethi operates one of the world’s largest exchanges out of his home in Menlo Park, combining business with his personal life.

He is primarily focused on merging crypto with traditional finance, with Kraken’s recent tokenization efforts being part of this push.

With xStocks, which are tokenized versions of US equities, Kraken aims to increase its appeal for retail traders.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

South Korean Internet Giant Naver to Buy Crypto Exchange Upbit: Report

by admin September 25, 2025

South Korean crypto exchange Upbit is about to be acquired by internet giant Naver, according to a report.

The deal would bring Upbit’s parent Dunamu under the umbrella of Naver Financial, making Dunamu a full subsidiary of Naver’s financial arm, the report said.

Upbit is one of the largest crypto exchanges in the crypto friendly country, while Naver operates multiple internet based services in South Korea, including Naver Pay.

The deal is likely to be a stock swap deal with Naver Financial issuing new shares in the crypto exchange for Dunamu’s current shares, the report added.

Shares of Naver jumped over 7% to korean won 246,000 ($175) after reports of the Upbit acquisition came out.

Reports of the deal come in the wake up of the South Korean government pushing to establish a framework for won-pegged stablecoins in the country.

Naver and Dunamu were not immediately available for comment.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

An elderly sad woman in a wheelchair looks at a tablet and talks to her family via video call - stock photo

Gaming Gear

Steam’s new store look is out and is earning a mixed response: ‘Thanks Valve I am a grandma using Steam on a giant old touchscreen Samsung tablet’

by admin September 24, 2025

I’m beginning to think I have far-too-strong feelings about changes to Steam minutiae. Why? Because when I heard that Valve had finally unleashed its updated storefront from beta, I fired up the site so quickly you’d have thought it was giving out candy. No one should care this much about website UI updates. I do. This is my cross to bear.

Anyway, Steam’s storefront update is out of beta and the frontpage is a whole lot slicker now. Also, wider. Valve has merged the two constituent parts of its old UI—that big list of categories down the left-hand side and the blue bar up top—into a single easy-to-navigate bar.

As part of that merge, the Categories section now displays, well, actual categories. Before, when it was consigned to the sidebar, the Steam categories you could select consisted of things like “Top sellers,” and “New releases.”

Now, hovering over the new Categories display section shows much more useful game genres, letting you easily browse by things like racing, stealth, and what-have-you. Also, the categories that appear are personalised for you, which is either very convenient or yet another intrusion by the dead hand of surveillance capitalism. Whichever you prefer.

I like the look of it, though I suspect the most stalwart PC gamers among you might recoil a little at how clearly mobile-friendly the new layout is. Indeed, some of the community response on Reddit has been a little mixed. “Thanks Valve I am a grandma using Steam on a giant old touchscreen Samsung tablet,” writes dogdillon, who may in fact be a grandma on a giant tablet but is more likely a sarky Steam user. “Yet another site update that gets worse on pc in favor of mobile. Bigger icons, less information, more clicks to navigate menus…” concurs hooliganmike.

It’s a brave new world. (Image credit: Valve)

Still, at least some people do like it. “Good lord, it’s actually so, so much better,” writes Xedronic, “and the categories tab is ACTUALLY COMPREHENSIBLE to look at!”

Me? I like it. Or at least, I disliked how it looked before enough that this feels like an improvement. Hey, take the wins where you can: at least Valve hasn’t installed a helpful AI chatbot prompt up there.

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September 24, 2025 0 comments