Institutional investors in Japan are showing growing interest in digital assets, viewing them as a tool for portfolio diversification.
According to a study by Nomura and Laser Digital, conducted among 518 investment professionals in Japan, attitudes toward cryptocurrency assets noticeably improved. Specifically, 31% of respondents now view them positively, up from 25% previously, while the share of negative opinions decreased from 23% to 18%.
Overall interest in the market is supported by concrete investment plans. Around 79% of respondents said they intend to invest in crypto-assets, with more than half of them (55%) planning to begin within the next year. The most common strategy remains moderate allocation — 60% of investors are willing to allocate between 2% and 5% of their portfolios to cryptocurrencies.
Most institutional investors see crypto as a portfolio diversification tool, half of those surveyed identified this as the key reason for future investments. At the same time, 65% of respondents consider digital assets a full alternative to traditional instruments such as stocks, bonds, and commodities.
Direct investment in crypto-assets was preferred by 31% of respondents. Moreover, investors are showing interest in the following types of crypto instruments:
- staking — 66%;
- crypto lending — 65%;
- exchange-traded funds (ETF) — 53%;
- public investment funds — 41%;
- private funds — 25%.
Special attention is being paid to stablecoins. 63% of investors already see practical use cases for them, including liquidity management (42%) and cross-border payments (34%). Stablecoins issued by major financial institutions inspire the most trust, supported by 50% of respondents for yen-pegged coins, 44% for U.S. dollar, and 40% for euro.
Despite growing interest, the market still faces several barriers. Key challenges include the lack of established valuation methods, high volatility, and regulatory uncertainty. However, these factors are gradually weakening. As regulation evolves and expertise grows, the main obstacle is becoming limited awareness and cautious attitudes among decision-makers.
The study’s authors conclude that institutional investors are preparing for the systematic integration of digital assets into their investment strategies. According to forecasts by State Street, the average share of digital assets in institutional investment portfolios could more than double by 2028.
