"Japan's Sleeping IP Giants Wake Up on Blockchain"

Animoca Brands has partnered with Antler’s corporate innovation arm, Ibex Japan, to launch a dedicated Web3 entertainment investment fund aimed at bringing Japanese anime and manga intellectual property (IP) onto blockchain platforms. The collaboration was announced at the WebX conference in Tokyo and involves co-founding the fund by Animoca’s senior adviser Keyvan Peymani and Ibex Japan partner Sandeep Casi. The initiative seeks to leverage Antler’s global network of 250,000 entrepreneurs and $1.2 billion in assets under management to tokenize underutilized IP, with plans to announce initial targets in the coming months [1].

The project emphasizes the untapped potential of Japan’s IP landscape, where Casi noted that 90% to 99% of IP remains dormant but holds substantial value. Animoca already has a foothold in Japan through its subsidiary ABKK, and the partnership aims to expand the global reach of Japanese IP beyond gaming into sectors such as fintech, healthcare, and medtech. Animoca co-founder and chairman Yat Siu highlighted that the timing is favorable due to a resurgence in NFTs and stronger digital asset markets. As of August 13, the NFT market capitalization reached $9.3 billion, a 40% increase from July’s $6.6 billion [1].

The initiative aligns with broader trends in tokenization, as seen in recent discussions involving other major players in the crypto space. Kraken, for example, held talks with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Crypto Task Force to explore the tokenization of traditional assets. The meeting focused on the legal and regulatory frameworks for tokenized trading systems and the potential benefits of tokenization, such as optimizing market access and democratizing capital formation [2]. Similarly, Kraken has expanded its tokenized stock offerings to the Tron blockchain, reflecting the growing interest in blockchain-based financial instruments.

Tokenized stocks, while still in an early growth phase, have been identified as a potential trillion-dollar market opportunity according to Binance research. If 1% of the global equities market were tokenized, the sector could surpass a $1.3 trillion market capitalization. However, current tokenized stock value stands at $360 million, representing just 1.35% of total tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) [2]. Despite their potential, tokenized stocks face scrutiny from regulators and traditional market participants, who express concerns about investor protections and market integrity.

In parallel, other blockchain initiatives are making strides in integrating traditional industries with decentralized technologies. SBI Group, for instance, has partnered with Chainlink to bring blockchain technology to Asia’s financial sector, while Antler’s collaboration with Animoca underscores the global push to tokenize entertainment assets. These developments indicate a broader movement toward leveraging blockchain to create new economic models, though regulatory clarity and market adoption remain critical challenges [1].

Source: [1] Animoca, Antler's Ibex Launch Fund to Tokenize Japan's IP (https://cointelegraph.com/news/animoca-antler-japan-web3-anime-manga-ip-fund) [2] Kraken met with SEC crypto task force to discuss tokenization (https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-exchange-kraken-met-with-sec-crypto-task-force-discuss-tokenization)