SoftBank Payment Service (SBPS), a core subsidiary of Japan’s SoftBank Group, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire the parent company of SP.LINKS — formerly Sony Payment Services — from funds managed by Blackstone. The deal aims to combine SP.LINKS’s payment infrastructure expertise with SBPS’s established service base, strengthening the competitiveness of its payment agency business. The move comes as Japan’s cashless payment adoption accelerates alongside e-commerce growth and the rise of AI-driven digital technologies. Post-transaction, SP.LINKS will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of SBPS.

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has announced plans to go public by 2028. According to an official statement, the exchange will focus on internal control improvements and preparation for K-IFRS (Korean International Financial Reporting Standards) conversion through 2026. It intends to file a preliminary listing review in 2027, with a formal IPO targeted in 2028. Bithumb is one of South Korea’s largest crypto trading platforms and the timeline signals growing maturity in Asia’s exchange sector.

South Korea’s KOSPI index has become the world’s most volatile major national stock benchmark, with year-to-date realized volatility surging to 63%, according to Bloomberg data. This exceeds Bitcoin’s 48% volatility over the same period. The extreme swings reflect a sharp sell-off in AI-related stocks; SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics each fell roughly 9% in a single session, dragging the KOSPI down over 5%. The volatility spike highlights the concentrated exposure of Korean markets to the semiconductor sector and leveraged retail trading.

The Bank of Japan cautioned that global AI-related investment could exert sustained upward pressure on domestic inflation, underscoring growing concern about price risks that may strengthen the case for further rate hikes. In a research note, the central bank argued that while AI adoption should eventually boost productivity and push down prices, near-term investment booms — including demand for AI-related goods — are likely to outpace those productivity gains and push inflation higher. It pointed to rising global producer prices, partly driven by a positive demand shock for AI products, as evidence.

Kim Yong-beom, the policy chief at South Korea’s presidential office, is facing criminal charges over the alleged hasty introduction of leveraged ETFs, according to local media reports. The charges add to mounting regulatory scrutiny in Seoul over single-stock leveraged products, which have been blamed for exacerbating recent stock market volatility. South Korean financial authorities are now considering emergency intervention powers, including limits on leverage ratios and individual investment caps for these ETFs.

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has officially launched 5-year RMB government bond futures, a unique offshore product designed to meet growing demand for interest rate risk management and trading among international investors. The launch is part of Hong Kong’s broader strategy to strengthen its position as an offshore RMB hub and risk management center.

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has added BiFinance to its list of suspicious virtual asset trading platforms. The SFC stated that the firm falsely claimed to be licensed in Hong Kong and offered spot, futures, and wealth management digital asset services without authorization. Additionally, licensed platform DFX Labs reported several fraudulent websites impersonating its brand.

Bitget has announced it will gradually halt services to Japanese residents and impose account restrictions, citing “Japan-related regulations and institutional requirements.” The move follows a warning issued in November 2024 by Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) to five unregistered overseas crypto exchanges, including Bitget, KuCoin, Bybit, MEXC Global, and bitcastle.

An international standard led by China — “Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology: Technical Framework and Functional Requirements of Blockchain as a Service” — has officially been approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Participating countries include Germany, the UK, Ireland, Japan, Portugal, and Uganda. The standard will define technical specifications in three areas: infrastructure and networking, service management and smart contracts, and data interoperability and security.

Hong Kong law enforcement recorded 25 cases of online romance investment scams between July 24 and July 30, with total losses nearing HK$70 million. In the largest single case, a woman was defrauded of over HK$26 million after a scammer posing as an auto dealer convinced her to invest in virtual currencies. Authorities urge extreme caution with investment opportunities promoted through social platforms, especially those guaranteeing high returns or requiring unfamiliar payment channels.