Animoca Brands has partnered with Antler’s corporate innovation branch, Ibex Japan, to establish a specialized Web3 entertainment investment fund focused on bringing Japan’s anime and manga intellectual property (IP) onchain.
This 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 adviser Keyvan Peymani, and Ibex Japan partner Sandeep Casi presented the project, according to a report by CoinPost, a Japanese crypto news outlet.
Casi remarked that “90% to 99% of Japan’s IP is currently underutilized and has significant value.” He emphasized that Antler’s global presence—spanning 22 cities, managing $1.2 billion in assets, and having a network of 250,000 entrepreneurs—positions this initiative for international expansion.
Source: Animoca Brands
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Japan IP initiative extends beyond gaming
Siu stated that Animoca already has a “presence in Japan through ABKK,” its local subsidiary. “This partnership aims to globalize Japanese IP,” he noted, adding that the initiative will reach beyond gaming to include fintech, healthcare, and medtech areas.
Casi and Peymani will serve as co-general partners of the fund, which will license underutilized Japanese IP and support the development of new Web3 products and services. They plan to announce initial targets in the upcoming months.
Siu remarked that the timing is ideal, referencing the revival of NFTs and stronger digital asset markets. Data from NFT Price Floor indicated that the overall NFT market capitalization peaked at $9.3 billion on August 13, a 40% increase from July’s $6.6 billion.
Related: SBI Group, Chainlink collaborate to introduce crypto technology to Asia’s finance landscape
Kraken engages SEC staff to discuss tokenization
In the US, crypto exchange Kraken met with the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force to discuss its vision for a tokenized trading system.
A memorandum filed on Monday revealed that SEC staff convened with representatives from Kraken’s parent company, its securities division, and attorneys from WilmerHale, focusing on regulatory frameworks, legal requirements, and the potential advantages of tokenization.
Kraken unveiled its tokenized stock service on May 22, enabling non-US investors to trade US equities around the clock, while Robinhood launched a similar offering in Europe on June 30. This week, Kraken also announced the extension of its tokenized stock service to the Tron blockchain.
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