Laser Digital, Nomura’s digital asset subsidiary, is launching a new venture in collaboration with blockchain protocol TruFin, a WebN incubated company. This initiative leverages Polygon’s Aggregation Layer (AggLayer) to introduce the Laser Digital Polygon Adoption Fund.
The Fund will expose investors to Polygon-MATIC, the native gas and staking token for the Polygon proof of stake (PoS) protocol, an EVM-compatible sidechain for Ethereum. It will also tap into native staking rewards via TruFin’s TruStake liquid staking solution.
Laser Digital said the fund seeks to offer traditional investors a familiar interface while providing security for the Polygon protocols through staking, which allows participants to earn yield from regulating and validating cryptocurrency transactions. It is specifically tailored for sovereign wealth funds, institutional funds, and private asset managers. The company said institutional investors are beginning to understand the benefits and necessity of decentralized security, and this Fund shows that institutions are compelled by the broader ecosystem.
The Laser Digital Polygon Adoption Fund is supported by TruFin’s Trustake protocol, allowing additional yield to be captured through liquid staking opportunities via the underlying TruMATIC token. TruStake offers a liquid staking solution tailored for institutional investors that aims to deliver a higher native yield (compared to direct staking) of roughly 5%.
By integrating the Polygon AggLayer, the Laser Digital Polygon Adoption Fund leverages the aggregation of zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs from all connected chains, aiming to ensure high liquidity, near-instant cross-chain transactions, and uniform cryptographic security. This integration aims to enhance the fund’s operational efficiency on a highly performant network while leveraging the Ethereum network’s robust security and decentralization credentials.
The fund will first be available in the United Kingdom.
The Laser Digital Polygon Adoption Fund is a collaborative effort to merge traditional financial structures with the innovative potential of blockchain technology.
“Laser Digital Asset Management aims to transform DeFi investment opportunities into investable TradFi solutions. Leveraging TruFin technology and its integration with Polygon’s AggLayer, we are making Polygon-Matic digital asset investment accessible, in the most secure, and efficient way for institutional investors,” said Sebastien Guglietta, head of Laser Digital Asset Management.
“Our partnership with Laser Digital to launch this Fund advances our vision for the future of the digital asset ecosystem. The use of Polygon’s AggLayer technology has proven to be remarkably promising to support our ability to provide a seamless, secure, and institutionally-focused yield-generating investment platform,” added Matt Molloy, venture lead at WebN Group.
“Staking MATIC contributes significantly to the robustness and security of the Polygon network. Institutional investors’ involvement in this Proof-of-Stake system exemplifies the network’s strength and dedication to sustainable blockchain practices. This collective effort plays a key role in upholding the network’s stability and advancing the Polygon ecosystem’s position as a leader in Web3 technology,” said Colin Butler, global head of institutional capital at Polygon.
