Nomura's Laser Digital applies for U.S. national trust bank to offer crypto custody

Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Nomura's Laser Digital applies for U.S. national trust bank to offer crypto custody The proposed bank would offer cryptocurrency custody, spot trading and staking services under direct federal regulatory supervision. By Francisco Rodrigues , AI Boost | Edited by Sheldon Reback Jan 28, 2026, 10:49 a.m. Make us preferred on Google Laser Digital, the digital asset arm of Nomura, applied for a U.S. national trust bank license. (charnsitr/Shutterstock, modified by CoinDesk) What to know : Laser Digital, Nomura's digital assets arm, applied for a license to open Laser Digital National Trust Bank, seeking OCC approval to provide digital asset services for institutional clients. The proposed bank would offer cryptocurrency custody, spot trading and staking services under direct federal regulatory supervision. Laser Digital joins other crypto companies including Ripple and Circle Internet in seeking trust bank charters. Laser Digital, the digital assets arm of Japanese investment bank Nomura, said it filed an application with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to open a federally regulated national trust bank, joining a number of crypto companies looking to off asset management services for the digital assets industry. The proposed Laser Digital National Trust Bank would be based in the U.S. and serve institutional clients with custody for cryptocurrencies and U.S. government securities. It would also offer spot trading for both crypto and fiat currencies, along with staking services for eligible digital assets held in custody, according to a Tuesday press release . STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . If approved, Laser Digital would join a small group of federally regulated crypto-native institutions able to offer these services under direct supervision from a national regulator. The application comes just a month after Ripple, Circle Internet (CRCL), BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos r eceived initial approvals as trust banks. “Institutional clients are increasingly looking for ways to engage with digital assets within structures that are familiar, well governed, and regulator supervised,” Purvi Maniar, Laser Digital’s chief legal officer and proposed bank president, said in a statement. "The National Trust Bank framework provides exactly that.” Laser Digital, based in Zurich and already licensed in the UAE, currently offers crypto funds, over-the-counter trading and treasury management tools. Earlier this month it introduced a tokenized bitcoin yield-bearing fund , the Laser Digital Bitcoin Diversified Yield Fund. The proposed bank will not offer deposit accounts or securities trading at launch. Nomura Laser Digital United States banking US AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards . For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy . More For You Pudgy Penguins: A New Blueprint for Tokenized Culture By CoinDesk Research Dec 30, 2025 Commissioned by Pudgy Penguins Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale. What to know : Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. 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What to know : OKX has launched a new Mastercard-linked crypto debit card in Europe that lets users spend stablecoins directly from self-custody wallets at more than 150 million locations. The card converts stablecoins only at the time of purchase with a 0.4% market spread and no additional fees, offers limited-time crypto rewards of up to 20 percent, and supports tap-to-pay via Apple Pay and Google Pay. OKX and Mastercard executives say the rollout reflects how stablecoins, now regulated in the European Union under the MiCA framework, are moving into the financial mainstream for everyday payments and settlements. 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