Japan-based Monex Group, which runs an online brokerage, cryptocurrency exchange, and asset management business, said Thursday that it plans to acquire a majority stake in Canadian crypto asset firm 3iQ Digital Holdings.

"Our long term strategy is to strengthen our asset management business, and by welcoming 3iQ to our group, we aim to achieve high growth by capturing the crypto asset management needs of institutional investors and crypto asset exchanges around the world, which are expected to grow in the future, " Monex Group CEO Yuko Seimei said in a statement.

Monex Group acquired the crypto exchange Coincheck in 2018, building up its digital asset investment business. After "investments in governance, internal controls, and security, it registered as a crypto asset exchange service …