Animoca Brands has partnered with Antler’s corporate innovation branch, Ibex Japan, to introduce a dedicated Web3 entertainment investment fund focused on bringing Japanese anime and manga intellectual property (IP) onchain.
The announcement was made on Tuesday at the WebX conference in Tokyo, as Animoca Brands shared in a post on X.
During the conference, Animoca’s co-founder and chairman, Yat Siu, senior advisor Keyvan Peymani, and Ibex Japan partner Sandeep Casi discussed the project, according to a report by Japanese crypto news platform CoinPost.
Casi remarked that “90% to 99% of Japan’s IP is lying dormant on the shelves and has great value.” He further mentioned that Antler’s global reach, encompassing 22 cities, $1.2 billion in assets under management, and a network of 250,000 entrepreneurs, positions the initiative for international expansion.
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Japan IP push goes beyond gaming
Siu stated that Animoca already has a “presence in Japan through ABKK,” its subsidiary there. “This alliance is about globalizing Japanese IP,” he noted, emphasizing that the effort spans beyond gaming to include fintech, healthcare, and medtech applications.
Casi and Peymani will serve as co-general partners of the fund, focusing on licensing underutilized Japanese IP and supporting the development of new Web3 products and services. The duo plans to announce initial targets in the upcoming months.
Siu indicated that the timing is ideal, referencing the resurgence of NFTs and a stronger digital asset market. Data from NFT Price Floor revealed that the overall NFT market capitalization peaked at $9.3 billion on August 13, up 40% from $6.6 billion in July.
Related: SBI Group, Chainlink partner to bring crypto tech to Asia’s finance scene
Kraken meets SEC staff to discuss tokenization
Meanwhile, in the US, crypto exchange Kraken met with the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force to discuss its plans for a tokenized trading system.
A memorandum filed Monday indicated that SEC staff met with representatives from Kraken’s parent company, its securities division, and attorneys from WilmerHale, focusing on regulation, legal requirements, and the potential advantages of tokenization.
Kraken launched its tokenized stock service on May 22, allowing non-US investors to trade US equities continuously, while Robinhood introduced a similar service in Europe on June 30. This week, Kraken also announced the expansion of its tokenized stock offering to the Tron blockchain.
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