Asia is emerging as the first large-scale testing ground for stablecoin payment and settlement networks. Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan are building regulatory zones that allow stablecoins for payments and settlement under supervision. Singapore has included firms such as Circle and Coinbase as major payment institutions. Hong Kong has started licensing fiat-backed stablecoin issuers and granted its first licences. Japan has expanded its crypto travel rule requirements for transfers.

The cryptocurrency industry has urged AI companies to expand early access to cutting-edge AI models for bitcoin developers and security staff defending open-source financial infrastructure. A public letter said defenders often cannot access AI labs’ cybersecurity programs and face guardrails on top public models, forcing reliance on lower-performing open-weight models. Signatories called for standing access programmes. The letter cited rising losses and warned vulnerabilities could threaten personal lifetime savings.