Laser Digital, a digital asset subsidiary of Japanese banking giant Nomura, has secured the first limited license to offer over-the-counter crypto derivatives under the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority’s (VARA) Pilot Regime, the company announced Wednesday.

Laser Digital is the first firm authorized to provide institutional-grade crypto options directly to clients under the VARA framework, marking a significant milestone for the firm and the UAE’s emerging regulatory environment.

With this approval, Laser Digital is officially open for business in Dubai and will begin engaging with institutional counterparties to deliver structured derivative strategies.

The offering includes products for hedging, yield enhancement, and volatility management, all of which are tailored to meet the needs of sophisticated investors in the digital asset space.

The license falls under VARA’s Pilot Regime, designed to vet and onboard qualified firms while maintaining strong oversight of virtual asset activity. Laser Digital’s entry under this program reflects growing regulatory maturity in Dubai’s digital asset sector.

Founded by Nomura to bridge traditional finance and the crypto economy, Laser Digital offers trading, asset management, and venture investment services within a regulated institutional framework.

The company’s approval under VARA signals a deepening of Dubai’s ambitions to lead in the global race for regulated crypto innovation.

VARA, established in 2022, has steadily advanced its regulatory roadmap, most recently introducing a staged licensing framework designed to bring oversight to virtual asset activity while supporting innovation.

The Pilot Regime, which Laser Digital now operates under, allows select firms to engage with the market on a limited basis before progressing toward a full Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license.

Dubai’s regulatory clarity has made it a magnet for crypto firms seeking stability amid a patchwork of enforcement actions and inconsistent policies in other jurisdictions. By securing this license, Laser Digital gains a foothold in one of the few jurisdictions offering structured access to institutional-grade crypto finance under government oversight.

Ethereum is once again approaching critical levels after a stretch of volatile yet bullish price action. Following a sharp rebound from yesterday’s low of around $3,675, ETH is now trading above the $3,800 mark, regaining momentum as traders eye a decisive move. While short-term volatility remains, the overall structure favors continuation—provided ETH can break cleanly above the $4,000 resistance level.

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This threshold now stands as the key barrier between consolidation and a potential rally toward new highs. A confirmed breakout would likely ignite fresh bullish momentum across the broader altcoin market. Until then, price remains trapped in a narrowing range, testing both trader patience and liquidity depth.

Meanwhile, on-chain data supports the bullish case. According to blockchain analytics platform Arkham, whales have ramped up their accumulation, with large addresses steadily adding to their ETH holdings in recent days. This ongoing accumulation trend reflects growing conviction among high-cap players and adds weight to the possibility of further upside in the months ahead.

Whale Receives Ethereum From Galaxy OTC As Institutions Double Down

Ethereum’s bullish narrative gained further momentum this week after Arkham disclosed a massive on-chain transaction involving a major institutional player. A fresh wallet address—0xdf0A67Ded855F8ea4baB6399690883243c0e2EF3—just received $153 million worth of ETH, purchased directly through Galaxy Digital’s over-the-counter (OTC) desk. The scale and nature of this transaction suggest growing institutional conviction in Ethereum’s long-term potential.

This isn’t just another whale move. The fact that the ETH was funneled into a new wallet from a regulated OTC provider underscores the strategic accumulation taking place behind the scenes. As traditional finance increasingly integrates with crypto, Ethereum’s utility, programmability, and future role in tokenized finance are making it a high-conviction play among institutional allocators.

This heavy buy comes after a prolonged period of weakness. Earlier this year, ETH suffered persistent selling pressure, with price action sliding lower for months. Retail interest faded, and sentiment turned bearish. But while the public panicked, sophisticated players appear to have taken the other side of the trade—accumulating quietly during the downturn.

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ETH Consolidates Below Resistance

Ethereum (ETH) continues to trade in a tight range just below the key resistance level of $3,860.80, as shown in the 4-hour chart. Despite recent price volatility, ETH has remained above its 50- and 100-period moving averages, currently near $3,756 and $3,629, respectively. This suggests that bullish momentum is still intact in the short term.

Volume has picked up slightly, indicating rising interest from traders as ETH tests this critical horizontal resistance. The price has failed to close decisively above this level multiple times since July 25, highlighting its significance. However, the consistent higher lows forming over the past week point to building buying pressure beneath the surface.

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A confirmed breakout above $3,860.80 could open the door for a push toward the psychological $4,000 level and beyond. Conversely, failure to break resistance may lead to another retest of the 100-period moving average or even the $3,700 support zone.

Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView

June 25th, 2025 – London, United Kingdom

GSR, crypto’s capital markets partner, today announced a major upgrade to its systematic over-the-counter (OTC) trading platform, expanding foreign exchange (FX) capabilities, improving execution quality, and broadening access to hundreds of digital assets.

The upgraded platform introduces both a new user interface (UI) and an enhanced API, giving clients flexible access to GSR’s liquidity across more than 200 digital assets and 25 fiat currencies. This development reflects GSR’s mission to help founders and institutions scale with confidence by providing institutional-grade liquidity solutions that meet the demands of a rapidly evolving market.

This upgrade further strengthens GSR’s position as the bridge between traditional finance and cryptocurrency markets. 

“This is a meaningful step forward in GSR’s commitment to making digital asset trading infrastructure truly institutional,” said Jakob Palmstierna, President, GSR. “With systematic OTC accessible through both our API and UI, we’re enabling clients to engage with markets faster, more transparently, and with greater precision.”

Key highlights of the upgrade include:

Tighter, More Competitive Pricing:

The upgraded platform delivers improved pricing across major crypto pairs, leveraging proprietary algorithms and liquidity from GSR’s global network of counterparties.

Institutional FX Integration:

Clients now benefit from seamless crypto-to-fiat and fiat-to-fiat execution across more than 25 fiat currencies, with pricing aligned with traditional FX prime brokerage standards. Support includes large trade sizes, up to $100 million per trade or the equivalent in other currencies, with direct access to tier-one FX liquidity.

Unmatched Breadth of Assets:

Clients in approved jurisdictions can access hundreds of digital assets, including altcoins, stablecoins, and emerging tokens, across all trading combinations through both GSR’s precision-built UI and robust API. This seamless access to over 200 assets makes it one of the most comprehensive OTC offerings in the industry.

“This addition to our product offering reinforces our commitment to delivering institutional-grade trading solutions across the digital asset spectrum,” said Kunal Mehta, Head of Trading, GSR. “By combining deep liquidity, best-in-class FX capabilities, and extensive asset coverage, we’re enabling our clients to trade smarter, faster, and more globally.”

With over a decade of specialized expertise in digital assets, GSR delivers more than just execution; we offer deep market insight, strategic guidance, and tailored infrastructure to support growth at every stage.

About GSR

GSR is crypto’s capital markets partner, delivering market making services, institutional-grade OTC trading, and venture backing to founders and institutions. With more than a decade of experience, we provide strategic guidance, market intelligence, and access to a global network to help teams scale. Users can visit www.gsr.io for more information, including the General Terms of Business of Business, relevant disclosures, and GSR’s trading terms.

Contact

Haley Malanga
GSR
haley.malanga@gsr.io

Lowest minimum trade scale makes flexible transactions more flexible

OTC clients can now trade from a minimum of $50,000, allowing them to expand access to deep liquidity without compromising execution quality. Even if you are considering optimizing capital deployments or running more accurately, this update gives you the flexibility to trade in a priority size.

OTC trading is available in chat for premium, personalized services, or Quote-for-Quote (RFQ) for instant automated trading.

Chat trading allows clients to securely connect with their trading desks to see assets, lot sizes and prices while benefiting from the start-to-run white glove service.

With RFQ you can receive a viable quote in seconds without having to trade. It accepts only the quotes you want to execute. Enjoy unlimited quotes and solve them quickly. Or choose a flexible settlement to trade now and settle later.

RFQ is available on the Kraken Pro, the Kraken Pro app and Kraken Custody.

Improved trade visibility for better reporting

It’s now easier to track, adjust and report OTC transactions. New trade history updates include:

• Clearer trade ratings: The new USD value column for OTC Trade Export makes it easy to track trades from simple crypto to crypto.
• Unified Trade History: OTC and PRO trade history has been integrated for improved visibility. Export OTC transactions from the Documents area in Pro Settings or from the OTC Portal Trade History.
• Strengthening fund tracking: The new “fund source” and “destination” views show how the funds were generated and where the revenues were sent; Internal forwarding, On-chain or Wire.

With Kraken OTC, you can access deep liquidity for tougher spreads on transactions over $50,000. Are you not a Kraken OTC client yet? Private clients can inquire here, and retailers can inquire here.