South Korea's Financial Services Commission is pushing forward stablecoin-specific legislation as part of the second phase of the Digital Asset Basic Act, with a target to complete it within the year. In a parliamentary session, official Kim Sung-jin revealed that the government is also considering allowing institutional investors to enter the crypto market, which could lead to the removal of a nine-year administrative guidance that has prohibited financial firms from holding equity in crypto exchanges since 2017. Regulators are studying the introduction of mechanisms similar to stock market prime brokers and OTC intermediaries for virtual assets, while streamlining entry requirements for financial institutions based on EU models. This dual push for stablecoin regulation and institutional access signals a significant opening of South Korea's crypto sector to traditional finance.

Japan's Financial Services Agency plans to amend the Investment Trust Act by 2028 to allow crypto assets as eligible investments for trusts and ETFs. Multiple asset managers are already considering launching products. A Nomura survey shows that 79% of institutional investors and family offices plan to invest in crypto within three years, though a third cite a lack of fundamental analysis methods as a barrier. Retail investors are expected to be the primary source of demand, with data analysis firm XWIN estimating that a Japanese crypto ETF could attract up to 3 trillion yen (approximately $20 billion) in inflows. This regulatory shift would mark a major milestone for institutional crypto adoption in Asia's second-largest economy.

Kazakhstan has approved rules for strategic digital mining, granting qualifying miners 10-year electricity quotas at maximum rates from energy producers. In return, miners must transfer a portion of their mined crypto assets to the Astana Hub autonomous cluster fund, which will hand them to the National Investment Corporation under the central bank for trust management, supplementing the country's strategic crypto reserves. Operators must apply through an E-licensing database and sign agreements within five working days of approval. This policy ties energy access to national asset accumulation, reflecting the country's deepening integration of crypto mining into its economic strategy.

A Seoul court will rule on a civil suit by Bithumb on August 27, seeking the return of unjust enrichment from users who sold mistakenly sent Bitcoin and kept the proceeds. The case involves approximately 194 million Korean won. In February, Bithumb erroneously distributed 620,000 BTC as reward points in Korean won, triggering an industry-wide scandal. The exchange has since recovered 99% of 1,788 unreturned Bitcoin. The incident prompted financial authorities to tighten internal controls and accounting requirements for digital asset exchanges, and spurred emergency parliamentary hearings and legislative efforts.

South Korea's Mirae Asset has finalized its purchase of domestic crypto exchange Korbit, with operations, user deposits, and personal data processing remaining unchanged. The acquisition, valued at 133.4 billion won, grants Mirae 92.06% ownership. This marks a significant move by a traditional financial giant into the Korean crypto exchange space, reflecting growing convergence between conventional finance and digital assets in the country.

On-chain data shows that Wang Chun, co-founder of mining pool F2Pool, deposited 6,009 ETH (worth $11.56 million) and 62.31 WBTC ($4.09 million) to Binance. The funds originated from Spark Fi withdrawals, Lido Finance unstaking, and WETH to WBTC swaps on Cowswap. The move may indicate a large-scale repositioning by one of Asia's prominent mining pool operators.

BitMEX, one of the earliest crypto derivatives platforms, will cease operations on September 23, 2026. New user registration has stopped immediately, and from August 26, only position-reducing orders will be allowed; remaining positions will be forcibly liquidated after the closure date. The closure, decided after a strategic review by parent company HDR Global Trading, will also impose a monthly account management fee of $50 or 1% of balance (whichever is higher) on unwithdrawn assets after the deadline. The shutdown marks the end of an era for a platform that once dominated the leveraged trading landscape, including across Asian markets.

Coinbase has opened a new Singapore office and aims to increase its local headcount from about 150 to 200 by the end of 2026, focusing on engineering, customer service, relationship management, and institutional sales. This expansion comes despite a global layoff of about 14% announced in May. The country director emphasized Singapore's regulatory clarity, business-friendly environment, and tax advantages as key reasons for the investment. The exchange obtained a major payment institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore in October 2023.

At Galaxy Unpacked 2026, Samsung Electronics announced plans to add stablecoin support to Samsung Wallet, merging payments, rewards, and digital assets into a unified service. Samsung stated it would be one of the first major phone brands to offer stablecoins as a native feature. The wallet already functions as a digital hub for keys, IDs, and boarding passes. The company also introduced the Samsung Galaxy Card in partnership with Barclays and Visa for the US market, and highlighted its Knox security platform's end-to-end encryption for safeguarding sensitive information.

K25.ai, an AI-native live prediction market, has raised a Series A round with strategic support from Amber Group, doubling its valuation to $200 million in under 60 days. The funding will accelerate product development, global expansion, institutional liquidity infrastructure, and creator ecosystem building. Amber Group will provide support in market infrastructure, liquidity strategies, and digital asset expertise. K25.ai combines AI with live content to enable real-time predictions on sports, esports, and entertainment events, using proprietary AI for market generation, content monitoring, and outcome adjudication. This deal highlights growing investor interest in AI-crypto hybrid platforms in Asia.