Survey: 65% of Japanese Institutions Use Bitcoin for Portfolio Diversification

A recent report from Nomura and its subsidiary Laser Digital reveals a growing acceptance of digital assets among Japanese institutional investors. The 2026 survey captured insights from 518 professionals across family offices, sovereign wealth funds, and large corporations.

Key takeaways from the survey include:

• 31% of participants maintain a positive outlook on the cryptocurrency market, an increase from 25% in 2024;
• The number of skeptics has decreased from 23% to 18%;
• A significant 65% of respondents are already utilizing cryptocurrencies for diversifying their portfolios;
• Most investors intend to invest between 2% and 5% of their capital in digital assets over the next three years.

There is also a notable interest in generating passive income, with over 60% of investors exploring options such as staking, mining, lending, and investing in real-world assets (RWA). In the realm of stablecoins, those issued by major financial institutions are seen as the most reliable, with plans for their use in cross-border transactions and capital management.

The positive shift in Japan's digital asset landscape has been supported by regulatory changes implemented at the end of 2025. Nevertheless, challenges such as market volatility, custodial risks, and a shortage of fundamental analysis tools persist.

Analysts at Nomura emphasized that investors are moving beyond viewing cryptocurrencies as mere experiments, now concentrating on practical risk management strategies. In a related note, a report from River in February indicated a record surge in Bitcoin adoption among institutional banks, public companies, and governmental entities.