Nomura backs blockchain and payments startup Omise Holdings

Omise Holdings, a Bangkok-based payments and blockchain startup, has secured an investment from Japanese financial giant Nomura Holdings.

Founded in 2013, Omise is the parent company of OmiseGo (OMG), an ethereum-based decentralized platform facilitating real-time peer-to-peer transactions, GO.Exchange, a cryptocurrency exchange launched this year, and payment gateway Omise.

The company has raised $20.4 million in various funding rounds so far and secured $25 million in the OmiseGo initial coin offering (ICO) in 2017. The details of the investment from Nomura have not been disclosed.

In its press release, Omise said that it intends to use the fresh funding to finance the expansion of its subsidiaries as they scale their operations across various jurisdictions with a focus on areas including payments, cryptocurrency exchange, and blockchain technology.

“The speed of blockchain regulation, policy and compliance continue to impact our industry, but we can’t allow that to stifle our growth. As I’ve said before, in expanding our operations, we’re seeking jurisdictions with stable and transparent regulatory frameworks and forward-thinking governments,” said Jun Hasegawa, Group CEO, Omise Holdings.

He said that the backing from Nomura is “an extremely positive indication” for the financial services, open infrastructure, and disruptive technology that is being developed by the company.

Noting the rapid growth of the asset tokenization market, Omise said that it is ready to support businesses seeking to enter this industry.

Nomura, on the other hand, has been making inroads into the blockchain space for quite some time. Earlier this year, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with chat giant LINE and LVC Corporation to discuss establishing a blockchain-based financial business alliance. Last month, it signed an MOU with the Nomura Research Institute (NRI) to establish a joint venture company that will focus on developing a blockchain-based platform for exchanging securities and other rights.

Nomura has also made an investment in blockchain security startup Quantstamp in March.