Gate announced a partnership with Visa at Token2049 Singapore to launch a crypto-linked card, with services expected to roll out across more than 40 global markets. Users will be able to apply for and manage the card through the Gate App, then spend digital assets at online and offline Visa merchants, with assets automatically converted to fiat at the point of payment. Gate also formally launched Gate Money, consolidating digital assets, fiat, equities, ETFs, gold, bank accounts and payments into a single app. Eligible users can apply for a global bank e-account in their own name and handle fund transfers, asset conversion and payments on one platform.

Hong Kong-based First Digital Group, the issuer of the FDUSD stablecoin, has signed a definitive business combination agreement with Nasdaq-listed SPAC CSLM Digital Asset Acquisition Corp III. The deal carries a pre-transaction equity valuation of $250 million, and upon completion First Digital will become a wholly owned subsidiary of a new Cayman holding company. Existing shareholders will exchange their stakes for Class A ordinary shares, with the merged entity expected to list on Nasdaq in the first half of 2027. The move marks a significant step for a Hong Kong-headquartered stablecoin issuer seeking public market access.

Standard Chartered's Singapore branch plans to provide custody services for select crypto assets, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets to institutional investors. The bank said the offering will extend its existing crypto custody footprint, which already covers the UAE, Luxembourg and Hong Kong. The move reinforces Singapore's position as a regional digital asset hub and reflects growing institutional demand for regulated custody in Asia. Standard Chartered has been progressively expanding its digital asset services across key financial centers.

DeAgentAI's $AIA token launched on South Korean exchange Bithumb's Korean won market with an AIA/KRW trading pair. The project simultaneously opened a principal-protected staking program where users participate with USDC and receive full USDC repayment at maturity, plus rewards of up to 50% of the staked AIA amount. The staking plan offers three pools — Ultra, Boost and Fast — with 12-month AIA rewards of 50%, 40% and 35% respectively. DeAgentAI positioned the initiative as a key step in its AIA value flywheel following earlier product launches.

Japan Exchange Group, the parent of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, said TOPIX index constituents will be adjusted starting late October, reducing the number of components by roughly 40% to 986 stocks. The core change is a new screening standard that selects companies based on trading activity and free-float market capitalization rather than which market they list on. Previously, companies listed on the former first section were essentially all included in TOPIX. The rebalancing underscores Japan's push to improve market efficiency and could influence capital flows among Japanese equities.

Tether announced a memorandum of understanding with the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) and the Alatau City Administration to explore stablecoin applications, asset tokenization and decentralized finance. The tripartite agreement signals growing official interest in Central Asia for blockchain-based financial infrastructure. Kazakhstan has been an active mining hub and is now positioning itself around digital asset innovation. The collaboration could pave the way for regulated stablecoin use cases in the region.

Kyrgyzstan's government has decided to terminate the national stablecoin Gold Dollar (USDKG) and instructed the finance ministry to liquidate its issuer EVA and the country's first state-owned crypto exchange, Coin Nomad Exchange. The stablecoin, launched in November 2025, was positioned as the world's first state-issued, physical gold-backed stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the dollar. Its issuer was a state-owned company fully controlled by the Kyrgyz finance ministry, with just over 50 million tokens registered on the Tron blockchain. The abrupt termination highlights the operational and governance challenges facing state-backed digital currency projects.

Bitbase Chief Business Officer Nicholas Lo joined representatives from Tether and Galaxy Digital at an HSC Asset Management Singapore roundtable on digital economy infrastructure. He argued that earning has already moved on-chain, but spending has not kept pace, citing a survey showing 39% of crypto users already have stablecoin income yet only 27% of stablecoin holders use them for daily payments. Lo contended that whoever fills the consumption gap will be positioned to retain capital within the ecosystem. The remarks reflect a broader industry focus on real-world utility as the next growth driver for stablecoins.

Samsung Electronics reported preliminary third-quarter results showing estimated operating profit of 107.4 trillion won (approximately $801.7 billion), up nearly eightfold from 12.17 trillion won a year earlier. The figure marked a fourth consecutive quarterly record and beat market forecasts of 106.1 trillion won. Third-quarter revenue was estimated at 195 trillion won, up 127% year over year. Samsung attributed the surge to explosive demand for AI chips, with prices for DRAM, NAND flash and high-bandwidth memory continuing to climb as AI infrastructure buildout outpaces supply — a gap expected to persist through 2027.

A US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report identified stablecoins, particularly USDT, as a key liquidity channel in Iran's shadow banking system, with implications for Gulf Cooperation Council markets. Licensed virtual asset service providers in the GCC region may face heightened sanctions compliance pressure given geographic proximity and frequent cross-border trade with Iran. Local exchanges, OTC desks and payment providers may need to strengthen wallet attribution, counterparty screening and KYC measures. A lawyer at Septten cautioned that merchants receiving local fiat still cannot escape potential sanctions exposure across the payment chain.