PANews reported on February 18th, citing DL News, that three leading Japanese securities firms with a combined market capitalization of approximately $48 billion are considering entering the cryptocurrency trading business. Nomura Holdings, Japan's largest securities provider managing approximately $673 billion in client assets, will have its Swiss cryptocurrency subsidiary, Laser Digital, handle the related business. The report states that two other companies—Daiwa Securities Group and SMBC Nikko Securities—are also actively considering entering the cryptocurrency trading market. These three companies anticipate a surge in demand for cryptocurrency investments when Tokyo relaxes restrictions on cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), thus requiring them to plan ahead.