At the WebX conference in Tokyo, Animoca Brands and Ibex Japan announced a new partnership aimed at using blockchain technology to revitalize Japan’s vast, untapped intellectual property (IP).
The initiative, a global Web3 entertainment venture, seeks to license and develop underutilized anime and manga assets into blockchain-native products for international audiences. Ibex partner Sandeep Casi noted that up to 99% of Japan’s creative IP remains unused and could be unlocked through this new fund.
Animoca’s chairman, Yat Siu, highlighted the project’s broad ambitions beyond gaming, seeing potential for Japanese IP to expand into other sectors like fintech and healthcare. The move is strategically timed, following a strong rebound in NFT trading volumes this summer.
Managed by Casi and Keyvan Peymani, the fund will announce its specific investment targets later this year. The goal is to transform old stories and characters into new Web3 products and services.
This Japanese venture reflects a wider global trend of tokenization moving into mainstream industries. In the U.S., companies like Kraken and Robinhood are already tokenizing financial assets like stocks, demonstrating how blockchain is moving from a niche technology to a core part of global markets. For Animoca and Ibex, the focus is on cultural exports as a key driver of the next phase of Web3 growth.
August 2025, Cryptoniteuae
