Laser Digital Invests in ZIGChain for Gulf Private Credit Push

The Nomura subsidiary wants to scale onchain private credit and invoice financing across the Gulf region through ZIGChain, with a focus on tokenization and Sharia compliance.

Key Takeaways

• Laser Digital, Nomura's digital asset arm, has made a strategic investment in ZIGChain, a Layer 1 blockchain from the United Arab Emirates.
• With the deal, the companies want to make private credit in the Gulf region more accessible through onchain products, including a Sharia-compliant offering.
• Laser Digital wants to work with ZIGChain to set up a risk framework and governance for institutional onchain vault products.

Laser Digital, the digital asset arm of Japan's Nomura Group, has taken a strategic stake in ZIGChain, a Layer 1-blockchain based in the United Arab Emirates. Through the partnership, the two companies aim to open up private credit in the Gulf region with onchain products, including one designed to be Sharia-compliant. The investment is reportedly in the high single-digit millions, though neither side has disclosed the exact figure.

Focus on Private Credit

ZIGChain already counts Standard Chartered and Apex Group among its partners and markets itself as infrastructure for tokenized real-world assets. In practical terms, that points to use cases such as private credit and invoice financing, which blockchain rails are meant to make easier to access and potentially easier to trade. The move also fits a wider pattern in crypto, where firms are trying to bring traditional finance and onchain settlement closer together. Big asset managers and banks are testing similar ideas too, including tokenized money market funds for institutional cash management.

ZIGChain cofounder Abdul Rafay Gadit said the deal is about more than funding, since market access is just as important. He pointed to a region where investors with capital do not always have enough credit opportunities, while smaller businesses often face high fees and other barriers that keep financing out of reach. Laser Digital said the investment and partnership will support its work on a risk framework and governance structure for a pipeline of institutional onchain vault products.

Why This Matters

For European crypto readers, the deal stands out because it shows institutional crypto infrastructure continuing to grow beyond the U.S. and Europe. The combination of tokenization, regulated firms, and private credit could shape how onchain capital markets develop in other regions as well. It also shows that major names like Nomura are still involved in crypto through Laser Digital, even if the approach is now much more cautious.

Laser Keeps Betting on Crypto

That more measured stance is not new. In February, Nomura cut risk limits at Laser Digital after crypto losses hurt quarterly profit, a move that the market read as a step back. Even then, the company said it still wanted to stay active in crypto, just with a stronger emphasis on risk management.

Laser Digital CEO Jez Mohideen said the firm has been tracking the private credit category for some time, but that execution risk is often underestimated. In his view, ZIGChain brings regional experience and a history in origination, while Laser aims to contribute the institutional risk framework standards it already uses across other products.