Animoca Brands has announced a strategic partnership with Antler’s corporate innovation arm, Ibex Japan, to create a Web3-focused investment fund aimed at bringing Japanese anime and manga intellectual property (IP) into the blockchain ecosystem. The initiative was unveiled at the WebX conference in Tokyo, where Animoca co-founder Yat Siu, senior adviser Keyvan Peymani, and Ibex Japan partner Sandeep Casi outlined the vision.
According to Casi, “90% to 99% of Japan’s IP is lying dormant on the shelves and has great value.” With Antler’s global presence—spanning 22 cities, $1.2 billion in assets under management, and a network of 250,000 entrepreneurs—the partnership aims to scale Japanese cultural assets worldwide through Web3 integration.
Yat Siu emphasized that this move is not limited to gaming. While Animoca already operates in Japan via its subsidiary ABKK, the partnership will also target fintech, healthcare, and medtech applications using blockchain and NFT technology.
The newly formed fund will license underutilized Japanese IP and back projects that create Web3-based products and services, with initial targets expected to be announced in the coming months.
Siu highlighted the perfect timing for this initiative, citing the resurgence of NFTs and a rebound in the digital asset market. According to NFT Price Floor, the NFT market capitalization hit $9.3 billion on August 13, up 40% from July’s $6.6 billion, signaling renewed investor interest.
Expanding the Web3 Entertainment Landscape
This move is a significant step toward bringing Japanese pop culture into the blockchain economy, providing new revenue opportunities for creators and unlocking global engagement through NFTs, tokenization, and decentralized applications.
Disclaimer
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