Asian | Crypto

Prediction markets are expanding into Asia’s largest economies, but unclear legal definitions and strict gambling laws may limit how far they can go. Prediction markets are pushing into Asia’s largest economies, even as local gambling laws place strict limits on betting activities. Asia represents a combination of scale, active retail participation and limited local alternatives, making it too large to ignore despite regulatory risks. That’s a similar pattern seen in crypto, where technology moved faster than regulation and licensing frameworks, prompting exchanges to enter markets before clear rules were in place.  Read more

Japan is advancing custody rules, Hong Kong is standardizing digitally native bond issuance, and Singapore has approved the first retail tokenized fund. The sequence is rules, issuance, and cash-like instruments. The link to crypto is not narrative but plumbing that reduces friction for collateral and settlement near BTC and ETH venues. Japan’s Financial Services Agency […] The post These 3 Asian markets have switched on tokenized finance faster than the US appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The largest Bitcoin ATM operator in North America is expanding to Hong Kong, citing growing global demand for cash-to-crypto access. Bitcoin Depot (Nasdaq: BTM), the largest Bitcoin ATM operator in North America, is entering the Asian market with a new launch in Hong Kong, marking the company’s first international expansion into the region. According to an announcement on Wednesday, the expansion reflects a strategy to reach markets with strong demand for easy cash-to-crypto conversion. Bitcoin Depot aims to be among the top five Bitcoin ATM operators in Hong Kong, it said. “Hong Kong is quickly becoming a global center for crypto, with the right mix of regulation, demand, and momentum,” said Scott Buchana, Bitcoin Depot’s president and chief operating officer. Read more

Dubai deploys oil wealth and Islamic finance to challenge Asian crypto dominance, but Hong Kong’s liquidity firepower and Beijing backing maintain supremacy. Opinion by: Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association It is no secret that Dubai has been aggressively challenging its Asian counterparts for the crown of becoming the world’s next crypto capital. Beneath the gleaming air-conditioned skyscrapers, where supermodels are everywhere at crypto events and pilot blockchain programs, a complex grand strategy is unfolding. Read more

The following is a guest post and opinion from  Dr. Jae S. Jeong, Co-Founder and CTO, Gurufin. Today’s stablecoins are an extension of the U.S. financial system. Backed by the U.S. Dollar, they are tied to its monetary policy and indirectly answerable to its policy goals. This allegiance is useful to some, but not all. […] The post Asian stablecoins: The myth of dollar dominance appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Japan and South Korea are moving quickly to create clearer rules for stablecoins as global interest in digital currencies grows. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to hold steady value by linking to fiat currencies, commodities, or other assets. Their use in payments, trading, and DeFi has expanded rapidly, with forecasts suggesting the market could grow into […] The post Asian powerhouses Japan and South Korea advance stablecoin regulatory efforts appeared first on CryptoSlate.